NCJ Number
108479
Date Published
1987
Length
0 pages
Annotation
Panelists describe courts' use of video technology to process the arraignment of defendants in custody and to produce court trial records.
Abstract
The San Bernardino Municipal Court (California) uses a two-way video system for the arraignment of defendants in custody. Inmates being arraigned remain at the jail; and the judge, who is at the courthouse 12 miles away from the jail, communicates with them via closed circuit television to conduct arraignments. This system has saved the cost and time of transporting detained defendants from the jail to the courthouse, eliminated the need for holding cells at the courthouse, and improved communication and the efficiency of operations in arraignment proceedings. A number of Kentucky courts use a voice-activated video system for the court record instead of relying on the traditional court reporter. Compared to the use of the court reporter, the video court record is more accurate, less costly, more reliable, more quickly available than the court reporter's written transcript, and easier to use than a written transcript. Video technology is most effective when adapted to the specific needs of a particular court or court system. The commitment of court personnel to such technology is greatest where the previous systems were proving unreliable and costly.