In this previous post, we discussed using self-service kiosks to help ease the chronic backlog of cases that have been hampering the UK court system for a number of years now.
Since we wrote that article, the situation has gotten worse rather than better. In the last quarter of 2025, the outstanding caseload at Crown Courts reached a record 80,000, while the even larger backlog in Magistrate’s Courts continued to grow, too.
At this point, it’s clear that drastic action will be needed to turn the situation around. A lot more than simply installing kiosks to streamline court processes day to day. But that doesn’t mean that kiosks can’t still be part of the solution. Especially as they address more than just the issue of efficiency and case throughput at court.
Obstacles to justice
One of the major knock-on effects of the courts backlog is the fact that it is creating a huge obstacle to justice. It’s not just an issue of criminal cases being delayed by months or even years, extending the pain and anxiety of victims and their families. It’s a huge problem in country and family courts, too, and in tribunals. The backlog is making it difficult for people to get court rulings on money they are owed, on divorce settlements and parental arrangements, on contested fines and contractual breaches.
A lack of access to justice is not just a problem caused by court backlogs, though. It’s a wider systemic issue that dates back to austerity cuts more than a decade ago, and especially to cuts in legal aid. With limited access to public funding for solicitors to take on cases, millions of people in the UK now live in so-called ‘legal aid deserts’ where there is barely any chance of getting free legal advice or representation. That is forcing people to either avoid the legal system altogether, or else try to pursue claims or manage cases for themselves, which in itself leads to missteps, delays and poorer outcomes.
Arming people with information
This is where self-service kiosks very much can make a difference. In the US, which also has chronic issues with legal access for low income citizens, information kiosks are becoming a common fixture in courthouses across many states, while authorities are also investing in installing kiosks dedicated to providing legal information in all sorts of community hubs.
It’s not a matter of trying to use kiosks to dish out self-service justice with AI-powered automated rulings, or anything scary like that. Kiosks help improve access to justice in the most simple but arguably most empowering way of all – by providing people with information.
Nothing can replace professional legal expertise in cases that do eventually end up in court. But a lot of the time, people don’t know where to start with even the most basic questions about getting legal assistance. They don’t know what the law is in a particular area, how procedures work, where to get help and advice and so on.
None of this needs to be locked away behind the considerable paywalls legal firms build around their services. With slick modern touchscreen interfaces and AI tools able to answer queries in detailed, targeted and conversational ways, kiosks make an ideal first touchpoint for anyone facing a legal dilemma they don’t quite know how to tackle, or looking for accessible, free advice.
As the government continues to seek creative solutions to the courts crisis, they would do well to remember that access to justice is a wider problem that in large part boils down to low availability of free, accessible legal information. Self-service kiosks can play a useful hand in addressing that.
