Texas inmates may soon resolve criminal cases without leaving jail, thanks to remote video technology the state has recommended in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
The recommendation came down Thursday evening from the Office of Court Administration and mirrored a system that Travis County had already been testing to launch in the coming days.
The plan is for an inmate, with assistance from the staff at the jail, to log in to the remote videoconferencing service Zoom. The inmate’s defense attorney, the prosecuting attorney and the judge also will log in from remote locations. Court reporters and a clerk will join the videoconference, too.
The state will pay for any expenses to local governments.
“It could eliminate any need for a defendant to come to my courtroom,” state District Judge Brad Urrutia said.
County officials did multiple test runs in the past few days. On Friday, Court-at-Law Judge Brandy Mueller handled four bond review cases via the video service. Although early returns were mostly positive, judges and attorneys discovered the system is not perfect:
• Only one room at the jail is outfitted for video access.
• Judges must coordinate their schedules because not all can use the service at the same time.
• To comply with open courts laws, the hearing must be streamed online through YouTube or displayed on a monitor at the courthouse.
• Misdemeanor court judges do not have access to digital case files and therefore might still need to work from the courthouse.
“It’s obviously not the optimal way to resolve cases, but it will allow for defendants to most expediently see the judge,” said Bradley Hargis of the Capital Area Private Defender Service.
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The system is the latest shift by Travis County to tamp down the flow of courthouse traffic and reduce the jail population. Criminal courts have stopped conducting jury trials through May 8 and have put other case settings on hold. Judges have been releasing more defendants on personal bonds, particularly those with health conditions. Local law enforcement has temporarily suspended active warrants for many nonviolent misdemeanor offenses.
The Travis County jail population Thursday was 2,033, down 131 inmates from Monday.
No one there has tested positive for COVID-19, the illness linked to the new coronavirus, although three inmates had been quarantined. One was still being observed Thursday, while the other two had been cleared.
The video service allows for judges to modify bail conditions and quickly release someone who was rearrested for a bond violation.
Attorneys can darken the screens of other parties on the chat to have a private conversation with their clients. Paperwork can be submitted electronically to the court.
The county on Thursday was still deciding when to start using the service full time. The recommendation from the state on Thursday evening could speed up that timeline.
“It’s going to take us a while to figure out the kinks,” Urrutia said.
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