I think it was a couple of years ago. I was on the train. I think I was on my way to Brasov for another session of the Leaders for Justice programme. My phone had already told me that it had run out of battery power, so I wasn't listening to music. I was looking out the window when I realized that, although it's not nice to eavesdrop, I was interested in the conversation behind me. A cute couple-he with the guitar, she with the procedure code. And what's administrative litigation? And what's the difference between a tribunal and a court? Ah, I didn't know there were such big differences between detention, arrest and jail-jail, tell me again, how do you say it correctly? I got off the train thinking that it wouldn't hurt to have a website that gave answers to such questions....
Caught up with other chores, activities and projects, this story was forgotten. A year or so ago, on an evening a little too windy for the way I was dressed, I was chatting with two friends on a terrace. The morning had been sunnier, and the conference in which we had discussed the state of justice had made us think. From talk to talk, we managed to realize a need, to outline a new project: a website that would reveal to people what "secrets" exist behind or within the justice system. Although I wasn't really thinking about the train incident at all, the idea was to have a place where people could find out how long a trial takes, what it means to become "justiciable," whether it's worth going to court or whether it's better to try a reconciliation route... The three of us were overcome by a mixture of needs, a clutter of ideas, and the belief that enough official data was already available to prove a simple fact: the "secrets" of justice are not so secret!
A few months later, with the help of even more friends, we already had a structured project, a funder willing to support us, a technical team in place. The challenge of opening up statistical data on the functioning of justice to the world was already on the table, incredibly real, in a very favourable context, linked to the Open Government Partnership. Your Honour, we would like to support you in your efforts to communicate with the people who are entitled to justice, with the citizens who are going to use your services in the administration of justice! We may also reveal unpleasant or unusual things, but it is better for people to be warned than not to know what to expect... Many participants in the Leaders for Justice programme helped us and we thank them! I hope the guitar boy discovers this site too, though I have a hunch he's learned more from his girlfriend in the meantime-so good for them that I'm convinced they've stayed together. :-)
Ah, I got caught up in the story and forgot to answer the most important question: What does the site do? Explains the workings of justice in a way people can understand; shows how well our courts are performing; helps people have more confidence in judges and the system. You can find out for yourself how a civil or criminal trial is going; how long a trial is taking in your local court; how well things are going in your local court; how sure you can be that the verdict in your case will stand after an appeal; what those complicated words mean that only legal speakers use... And if you're a systems person, you can use the technical data presented on the site to improve the performance of the court you work in :-)
Use www.onoratainstanta.ro today and let us know what else you'd like to know!