Agencia de Gobierno Electrónico y Sociedad de la Información y del Conocimiento

28 - Open data policy and access to justice

Brief description of the commitment: This commitment proposes to institutionalize an open data policy and enable access to justice by integrating citizen participation. It aims at providing direct access to information for all parties involved in a case through a Single Judicial Window.          

Organization leading the commitment: Judiciary.

Supporting institutions/organizations: Agency for Electronic Government and Information and Knowledge Society (Agesic), Institute for Economic and Social Promotion of Uruguay (IPRU).

Responsible for the commitment: John Pérez Brignani, President of the Supreme Court of Justice. Contact: secdrperezbrignani@poderjudicial.gub.uy.

Technical Manager: Eduardo González, Chief Administrator, Technology Division. 
Contact: egonzalez@poderjudicial.gub.uy; Silvana Leggire, Position and Department: Jurisdictional Area Directorate, Technology Division. Contact: sleggire@poderjudicial.gub.uy. 

Actors:

1. Government: Not applicable.

2. Civil Society: Citizens in general and civil society organizations related to justice.

3. Other actors: Journalists, researchers, students.

Implementation period:          March 2026 - June 2029.

Problem definition

What problem does the commitment intend to address?

Today, one of the main challenges regarding access to public information lies in the lack of updating of available open data. While there are repositories that concentrate relevant information, they lack a defined policy to guarantee their periodic renewal, which limits their usefulness for citizens and for institutional actors who require reliable and up-to-date data for decision-making.

In the judicial system, access to case files through the Single Window is restricted exclusively to sponsoring professionals, such as lawyers, notaries, and legal representatives. This centralization forces the parties involved to rely on their legal representatives to learn the status of their proceedings, including generated documents, attachments, and audio recordings. Such limited direct access can generate uncertainty and distrust, especially in sensitive situations where transparency is essential.

On the other hand, there is a significant lack of guidance for citizens regarding the initiation of administrative procedures or processes. Today, there are no accessible resources of the "How do I...?" type that allows people to clearly and easily understand the necessary steps to interact with the government. This absence of practical guides hinders the active participation of the population in public administration and reinforces structural barriers that particularly affect the most vulnerable sectors.

What are the causes of the problem?

One of the reasons is that the information in the open data catalog is outdated. This means that current data is not available when needed. Another reason is the lack of information available to citizens to interact with the government in a more precise and transparent way.

Description of the commitment

What has been done so far to solve the problem?

Opportunities have been identified to improve access to information, data quality, and strengthen the transparency of processes.

What solution does it propose?

To institutionalize an open data policy within the Judiciary, in order to strengthen the principles of transparency, access to information, and accountability. To this end, the development of a comprehensive open data plan is proposed, which includes the active participation of potential users in order to prioritize the datasets to be published. This process will especially include data related to the judicial process concerning children, deriving from the Family Courts specialized in cases of violations children´s and adolescent´s rights.

Likewise, the aim is to facilitate public access to judicial information through clear, accessible, and understandable mechanisms, by promoting informational equity and citizen empowerment. In this regard, participatory strategies will be implemented to identify the public's actual information needs, ensuring that published content responds to specific and relevant demands.

Furthermore, the "Access to My Files" system has been taken into consideration, with the aim of ensuring that all parties involved in a legal proceeding can have direct access to the contents of their files through the Single Judicial Window. This improvement seeks to equalize the access level currently reserved for legal representatives, promoting greater autonomy for individuals and strengthening trust in the judicial system.

What results do we want to achieve by implementing this commitment?

The systematic updating of open data, direct access to judicial information by the people involved, and the availability of citizen guidance tools are essential elements to increase trust in institutions and guarantee the full exercise of rights.

Commitment analysis

How will the commitment promote transparency?

Through the tools that will be developed in the commitment.

How will the commitment help foster accountability?

By making information available and by creating processes that will be sustainable over time.

How will the commitment improve citizen participation in defining, implementing, and monitoring solutions?

By gathering opinions and suggestions from professionals and the public in general.