BLOCKCHAIN FOR LEGAL EVIDENCE MANAGEMENT: ENHANCING TRANSPARENCY AND SECURITY IN JUDICIAL SYSTEMS

Abstract

The research studies how blockchain technology can be used to increase openness, reliability and trust in handling evidence in the courts. The common issues with traditional evidence handling are tampering, unauthorized use and inadequate record-keeping which affect the confidence in judicial proceedings. Using blockchain, the system can maintain untampered evidence securely and verify records in real time. The efficiency and security of four algorithms in blockchain—Proof of Work (PoW), Proof of Stake (PoS), Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT) and Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS)—were considered when looking at their use in evidence management. Tests prove that the PBFT algorithm can process over four times more transactions than PoW per second and with a shorter response time. With 250 TPS and a 150 ms delay, DPoS gives a good balance and PoS manages moderate scalability. Data was more protected in the blockchain system, as it cut down on access attempts by 35%. At the same time, evidence validations were sped up by 40%. This research proves that blockchain can reshape how evidence in the law is handled by ensuring safety, honesty and speed. Problems relating to privacy and making information systems work with older computer systems are addressed, where proposed steps for further studies are outlined. The paper finds that integrating blockchain into existing processes can make laws more trusted and easier to implement.