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| Video conferencing in court |
| By jconline.com - DOROTHY SCHNEIDER |
| Published: 11/28/2011 |
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Tippecanoe County IN -- Looking to cut costs on prisoner transports, Tippecanoe County is investing in equipment to hold court hearings without the defendant's present. Not physically, anyway. Video conferencing equipment that is being added at the county courthouse, the jail and Indiana Department of Corrections facilities is enabling judges to host hearings where prisoner's appear on a computer monitor instead of seated in the actual courtroom. The equipment is still in the testing phase, said Dave Sturgeon, the county's director of management information technology. The investment so far has cost the county about $10,000, from his budget, but it's expected to pay for itself in savings within the first couple years of use. Superior Court 5 Judge Les Meade already has used the video equipment for some initial hearings. These brief hearings often don't even include a public defender because one hasn't been appointed yet, but they can require bringing defendants to Lafayette from prisons across the state. Tippecanoe County sheriff deputies have to provide transportation in those cases, racking up mileage and manpower expenses for the department. "The most important kinds of hearings to hold down the expense for are the hearings that would include prisoners around the state," Meade said. "By not having to do those, we can (reduce) issues of security and the cost for the sheriff's office." Sheriff Tracy Brown said five of his officers are employed solely on transport duty, and "they're on the road all the time." Read More. |
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