L'espansione del processo a distanza negli itinerari dell'emergenza pandemica

The paper analyses the significant expansion experienced by remote criminal justice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first part of the paper, a comparative perspective is adopted to provide an overview of the phenomenon. The aim is to show how the virus has accelerated, both in Europe and in America, the ongoing process of computerization of criminal justice. In the second part of the paper, the focus is on domestic criminal procedural law: to reduce the spread of the virus, the Italian legislator has demonstrated its willingness to make drastic decisions. After examining the balance among the fundamental principles of online proceedings and the delicate issue of the constitutional validity of the provisions regulating this type of proceedings, the last section discusses future perspectives