Videoconferencing saves county big bucks each month

Delaware County shaves off approximately $271,000 in monthly court costs due to the ever-increasing use of video and teleconferencing, according to a recent report from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.

The county has used videoconferencing in various capacities since 1984, when arraignments were conducted through microwave antenna. Fiber optics were later introduced and eventually a digitized system was installed.

Video teleconferencing has also been in use since 1997, mostly for civil cases, and allows witnesses to appear “live” in the courtroom without the burden of travel or court costs.

It is now used for probation and detainment hearings, as well as statewide conferences and even international testimony.

Videoconferencing has permeated nearly every facet of the criminal justice system – everything from arraignments to extradition to paternity hearings can now be conducted electronically.

Even magisterial district judges have been able to use the equipment for low-level court activities by linking directly to local jails in recent years, said Delaware County Executive Marianne Grace.

Grace noted the ability to communicate electronically in dealing with court matters cuts down not only on transportation costs, but also drastically reduces the chance of prisoner escape during transit.

According to statistics provided by the county’s Legal Audio and Visual Department, videoconferenced arraignments have jumped from 202 in 2000 to 1,512 in 2010. Bail interviews have ranged between 403 and 1,311 yearly during that same period.

Video links to the George W. Hill Correctional Facility have allowed nearly 1,500 “fast track” guilty pleas to take place since 2006, with about the same amount of guilty pleas resulting from bench warrant hearings, according to county statistics.

All told, defendant hearings conducted between Delaware County courts and George W. Hill have grown from 2,836 in 1999 to 7,383 in 2010. Inmate interviews with departments like Adult Probation and the Public Defender’s Office have likewise increased over the years, from 2,394 in 1999 to 4,203 in 2010

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