While the technology to beam them into the courtroom like the characters on “Star Trek” is not currently available, video conferencing is. A survey shows many cash-strapped communities across the country are holding more court appearances by video and Carroll County will be joining them as the Carroll County Judicial Center nears completion. The center is expected to be completed in August or September of 2012.
A September 2010 survey released by the National Center for State Courts found that video use has increased in the past five years. There were a total of 164 respondents, including Fulton County, which reported a savings of $600,000 in the past five years.
“It’s pretty widely used now and saves a lot of money on transportation for people in detention,” Jim McMillan, principal court management consultant for the NCSC said. “It also increases safety because you’re not having to move people around.”
Randy Simpkins, who is acting as the Carroll County Judicial Center project manager, anticipates that the county could save a substantial amount of money on transportation costs. He also pointed out the time saved from not having to transfer inmates back and forth. The cost of transporting inmates is not the only thing video conferencing can help reduce.
Simpkins explained that costs associated with bringing in expert witnesses to testify.
“This would allow us to have expert witnesses testify without having to drive from [out of town],” he said. “The potential savings are almost limitless,” Simpkins said. “As technology continues to improve, we anticipate saving hundreds of thousands of dollars over time.”
Aside from cost savings, advocates say the virtual hearing is easier on defendants and help cases move faster. Initial appearances, arraignments, and preliminary hearings are the criminal proceedings most commonly done by video, according to the survey.
Remote witness testimony, status conferences and motion hearings are the most frequently conducted civil proceedings done using video.
For conferencing, a webcam or video camera is typically used in the courtroom, and a station is set up at the jail or detention center where suspects are held. Defendants go to a secure room and appear by way of a secure Internet connection.
“We would have some bond hearings and perhaps first appearances that we would hold with the charged person being at jail and the judge and clerk being at the courthouse,” Carroll County Superior Court Judge John Simpson said.
“We are fitting our new building to have that capability. We will be able to communicate remotely. Sometimes we might have an inmate in a south Georgia prison, let them go to certain place in the prison and transmit to us.”
Plans are to have a moveable screen placed where the defendant would sit.
“You can put it where defendant would sit so he or she would have a view of the courtroom just as if they were actually there,” Simpson said.
Another critical use of the technology will be moving many of the appearances from the jail courtroom to the new building.
“It’ll be a good thing to augment our court system,” Simpson said.
He said that video conferencing can help speed up court proceedings. For example, it can reduce the time it takes to schedule a bond hearing.
“If a person is deserving of a bond and we get that done a week or two ahead of the time than we would otherwise be able to ... that’s a savings for the public to have that person be out of the jail,” Simpson said.
Video will provide the court officials with another tool to help them manage their case load.
“We have well over 1,000 felonies per year,” Simpson said. “I think it’s going to be a great added tool that will allow us to use all sorts of communications and I think, probably, we will discover even more uses as we go along. We may be able interact with a law school and have their students look at real court happenings or with government classes in our public schools.”
He added that all the courtrooms will be set up with the video capabilities. There will also be a mobile unit that can be carried from courtroom to courtroom.
“I think everyone is going to be pleased with the new system,” Simpson said.
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