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Local News

Monday, August 10, 2009

Video conferencing of hearings coming soon
By J. STEVEN DILLON

STAFF WRITER

Some criminal defendants will soon have hearings in Hancock County Common Pleas Court without ever leaving the confines of jail or prison.

Video conferencing will make its debut at the courthouse later this month, according to Kim Switzer, the county's director of court services.

Once online, judges will conduct hearings via a closed-circuit video system, which will electronically connect their courtroom to the Hancock County jail or a state prison.

Flatscreen monitors, mics and speakers will allow a judge to see and speak directly to a defendant, and vice versa, as if the proceeding was taking place in the courtroom.

In some cases, the video and audio will be documented "on the record" by a new digital-recording system.

"It's one of those things the court has been wanting to do for a long time but couldn't do, primarily because of a lack of funding," Switzer said. "Through some creative financing, we've been able to get it done."

Switzer said the video conferencing and recording systems, which will allow the court to record a hearing without a court reporter being present, cost about $60,000.

The systems were paid for through a state grant, from funds generated by a special project fee assessed to all cases in common pleas court, and from general fund money budgeted to the probation department.

Judges Joseph Niemeyer and Reg Routson both said the technology will end up saving the county time, if not money, and eliminate security risks that arise whenever prisoners are moved to and from court.

"Each time an in-custody defendant has to be brought to court, he has to be escorted there by an officer," Niemeyer said. "The time that officer would spend on transports can be used in other ways."

Even for someone held as close as the county jail, the cost per trip can be nearly $50 when the hourly labor cost of a deputy is factored in, according to an analysis of transport costs provided by the sheriff's office.

Longer transports, from state lockups in Wood County or Franklin County, can run from about $60 to more than $275 per trip.

"It's definitely going to pay for itself over time," Switzer said of the new system.

Judges in Findlay Municipal Court have been using video conferencing for the past year.

Dave Beach, director of court services for the city, said the system is used on a daily basis by Judges Kevin Smith and Robert Fry.

He said it has saved both the city and county "considerable money" by reducing manpower costs. It also has decreased security risks and saved the court time, according to Beach.

"Some days we have multiple people in custody who would otherwise have to be brought to the court by several different officers," he said. "The hearings move much more quickly with conferencing."

Initially, Judge Routson said video conferencing will be used for criminal arraignments, bond hearings and certain other routine pretrial matters, but could eventually be used for other types of criminal, civil and domestic relations proceedings handled by common pleas court.

"In a criminal matter, we still have to be concerned about a defendant's right to confront his accuser, but down the road there are many ways we should be able to use it," he said.

Switzer said the system will also be used to allow conferences between attorneys and defendants held in a state lockup or rehabilitation center, saving the county the cost of bringing a defendant back for such meetings.

Probation officers would be able to use the system to speak with incarcerated offenders and prison officials to gauge whether a defendant is eligible for early release or entry into community-based treatment programs.

The new recording system, meanwhile, will be phased in slowly, until judges get accustomed to using it. It's not meant to replace the court's two full-time court reporters, but could wind up serving as a "backup" when one of the reporters is ill or on vacation.

Dillon: 419-427-8423,

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2 Comments

Latest comments listed first.
Old timer wrote:
Video conference
“ Why is this new news. Back when the jail was built and they gave the law abiding citizens a tour of the place, I saw a room set aside for just this to happen with video cam and a tv. The Jail was also had been plan to extend the jail area to the north with parking on ground level. Its surpising that the county leaders don't remember this or had it in their notes. ”
Monday, August 10, 2009 4:00:34 PM
LawyerFind Network wrote:
Video conferencing of hearings
“ Many cities throughout the USA use the system with great results and it also aids in security. It's about time we "get with the times" ”
Monday, August 10, 2009 11:03:41 AM
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Classes will resume and offices will open again on Tuesday.

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