The Joint Technology Committee (JTC) has released a new resource bulletin, “Managing Digital Evidence in Courts: Policy, Process, and Technology for In-Person, Virtual, and Hybrid Proceedings.”
The bulletin consolidates and updates guidance from three previous JTC publications: Managing Digital Evidence in Courts (2016), Managing Evidence for Virtual Hearings (2020), and Considerations for Procuring and Implementing Digital Evidence Management Software (2023).
The bulletin organizes guidance into three interconnected domains: policy and governance, process and workflow, and technology and platforms, to help courts align legal requirements, operational practices, and technology investments. It addresses governance structures, roles and responsibilities, evidence lifecycle management, virtual hearing workflows, technology procurement, security and privacy requirements, cross-
agency information sharing, and strategies for long-term modernization.
Highlights from the bulletin include:
• A comprehensive digital evidence lifecycle framework covering creation, submission, review, present-
ation, storage, retention, and disposition of digital evidence.
• Guidance for managing digital evidence across in-person, virtual, and hybrid proceedings while maintaining fairness, accessibility, and chain of custody.
• Governance and policy recommendations addressing legal frameworks, court rules, confidentiality, retention schedules, public access, and cross-agency coordination.
• Procurement and implementation considerations for digital evidence management systems (DEMS), including security, accessibility, integration, vendor risk, and long-term data management.
• A maturity-based roadmap that helps courts assess their current capabilities and plan future digital evidence initiatives.
For links to the bulletin and additional cybersecurity planning tools, visit the JTC resources page at www.ncsc.org/our-centers-projects/joint-technology-committee/jtc-resources.
The bulletin consolidates and updates guidance from three previous JTC publications: Managing Digital Evidence in Courts (2016), Managing Evidence for Virtual Hearings (2020), and Considerations for Procuring and Implementing Digital Evidence Management Software (2023).
The bulletin organizes guidance into three interconnected domains: policy and governance, process and workflow, and technology and platforms, to help courts align legal requirements, operational practices, and technology investments. It addresses governance structures, roles and responsibilities, evidence lifecycle management, virtual hearing workflows, technology procurement, security and privacy requirements, cross-
agency information sharing, and strategies for long-term modernization.
Highlights from the bulletin include:
• A comprehensive digital evidence lifecycle framework covering creation, submission, review, present-
ation, storage, retention, and disposition of digital evidence.
• Guidance for managing digital evidence across in-person, virtual, and hybrid proceedings while maintaining fairness, accessibility, and chain of custody.
• Governance and policy recommendations addressing legal frameworks, court rules, confidentiality, retention schedules, public access, and cross-agency coordination.
• Procurement and implementation considerations for digital evidence management systems (DEMS), including security, accessibility, integration, vendor risk, and long-term data management.
• A maturity-based roadmap that helps courts assess their current capabilities and plan future digital evidence initiatives.
For links to the bulletin and additional cybersecurity planning tools, visit the JTC resources page at www.ncsc.org/our-centers-projects/joint-technology-committee/jtc-resources.
