Closed Circuit Television in Pretrial Hearings

• NCJ Number: 117979
• Author(s): J H Rockwell
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 49 pages
• Corporate Author: National Ctr for State Courts
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

A memorandum from the National Center for State Courts summarizes and encloses publications pertaining to the use of closed circuit television (CCTV) in pretrial hearings.

Abstract

One article describes the use of CCTV for preliminary arraignments in Philadelphia, and another describes a similar procedure used in Ada County, Idaho. Included in the latter article are discussions of the legal questions pertaining to the use of audio-video equipment, a description of the equipment used, arraignment procedures, and a preliminary user evaluation. Las Vegas has used CCTV for arraignment, bail reduction, and probable cause hearings since 1979. An article describes these procedures as well as their cost effectiveness. Other articles describe the use of CCTV between the jail and the central municipal court for use in misdemeanor first appearances in several California jurisdictions. A report on an evaluation of a similar procedure in Dade County, Fla., indicates that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of such a procedure. Other CCTV arraignment programs described are in Baton Rouge, La.; Pima County, Ariz.; Fairbanks, Alaska; and Oakland County, Mich.