Much of the business of government is powered by the art of compromise. For almost any issue about which there is disagreement, finding a solution that just barely pleases all parties involved is commonplace. So imagine for a moment a software solution for government that transcends compromise and actually gives all users exactly what they want. Now, imagine those users include judges, jailers and prisoners.
That is precisely what happened in Utah. The Justice Court system, which presides over county and municipal affairs, implemented the VIA3 secure communications solution from VIA3 Corporation more than a year ago to perform video arraignments. The software solution provides flexible, highly secure, real-time audio/video capabilities via a standard broadband Internet connection. In Utah, VIA3 dramatically improves the safety of peace officers and citizens, slashes time and budget expenditures, and moves suspects through the criminal justice system more quickly — all at zero cost to taxpayers. The new system was financed through fees assessed to criminal fines, so criminal offenders pay the costs. The arrangement will save Utah taxpayers approximately $500,000 per year, according to state officials.
Beating the Misdemeanor Blues
Large court and correctional systems may transfer hundreds of arrestees and inmates between jail and court facilities each day. But transporting prisoners is expensive, time-consuming and — above all — risky to citizens, peace officers and the prisoners themselves. Only a handful of the state’s Justice Courts used closed-circuit television to conduct video arraignments because of cost constraints, said John Sandberg, Davis County Justice Court Judge. For close to a decade, he used another Internet-based system, which reduced travel, but lacked functionality and confidentiality.
“I had been using a video system to avoid prisoner transport for about 10 years, but it was with a marginal system and I was concerned about security and the image quality,” Sandberg said. “VIA3 met our needs because it had the functionality we needed as well as the security, as it is encrypted end-to-end.”
VIA3 was launched to deliver secure, confidential collaborations in real time over the Internet. Though not specifically designed for video arraignments, Sandberg believed VIA3 was the perfect solution.
“The functionality is just excellent. It’s truly a two-way conversation,” Sandberg said. “You can see each other; you can talk back and forth. This is secure end-to-end, both the video and audio. You can also transmit instant messages and documents, and all of that is encrypted end-to-end.”
With the older systems, we were using speaker phones. You had to wait for responses and the volume wasn’t good,” he added. “This is almost like being in the same room. Plus, it’s secure.”
VIA3 allows judges to process defendants more quickly, which they and the jailers prefer. Video arraignment also means that if someone from southern Utah commits a crime in northern Utah, the state doesn’t have to pay to transport the prisoner to his or her home jurisdiction. Instead, offenders meet with the judge and their attorneys, if need be, in the jail through VIA3.
“Instead of housing people here in jail for an extended stay, we can have people seen on video, and the judge can make a determination on whether he wants to keep them incarcerated or let them go,” explained Sgt. Gene Redford, who works for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Utah. “It costs us so much money per day to keep them housed here. So if we can get them out versus having them stay for 10 days, we’re saving money. It’s decreased our transportation of inmates. It’s decreased the number of people we have to move. It’s safer and I think overall it’s an excellent system.”
Support From All Sides
VIA3 lowers the cost and risk associated with transporting criminals. It reduces the number of inmates housed in jails. It gets those who committed nonviolent misdemeanor crimes through the system quickly and back to their lives. It stifles the infiltration of contraband since prisoners are kept in one place, and it is all at no charge to taxpayers.
“Everybody wins,” said Sandberg. “The jails win. The prisoners win. The court wins. And the public wins because it saves money.”
Sandberg’s vision has paid off big for Utah courts, and he’s developed a loyal following of judges across the state who are thrilled that VI A3 saves so much time and expense. Washington County Justice Court Judge Douglas Whitlock said that not only does VIA3 save time, labor and money — for the public and for defendants — it also lets him be more flexible. “If I’m home and the clerk calls me and tells me I have someone in the jail who needs to be seen, I can do that from home,” he said. “Whatever documents the court orders that the defendant needs to see, the clerk can take that right off her computer and send it to the jail’s electronic file cabinet. The jail can have the defendant sign it with an electronic signature pad, put in back in the file cabinet and we have it instantly. There are a lot of benefits for defendants.”
Like Judge Sandberg and Sgt. Redford, Whitlock is very happy with VIA3.
“The system is designed very well, I’m really pleased with it and the technical support on it,” said Whitlock. “VIA3 has been very helpful and it’s a good product. Judge Sandberg should be very highly commended for coming up with this.”
For more information on video conferencing or would like a demo, visit VIA3 or contact us at sales@via3corp.com.
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