June /July 2015

June/July 2015 Vol. 13 No. 3C

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Trends in VideoTechnology

MOBILECOURTAPPS

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F E A T U R E S

10 The Evolution of Auto Alert Systems

14 Mobile Court Apps

19 CTC 2015 Show Preview

26 NADCP & NACM Educational &Technology Conferences

35 Trends in Video Technology

38 Technology Application: A SmartPhone P&P Supervisory Tool

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4 Courts in the Media

42 Ad Index

D E P A R T M E N T S

Publisher & Executive EditorThomas S. Kapinos

Assistant PublisherJennifer Kapinos

EditorDonna Rogers

Contributing EditorsMichael Grohs, Bill Schiffner

G.F. Guercio, Kelly Mason

Art DirectorJamie Stroud

Marketing RepresentativesBonnie Dodson(828) 479-7472

Art Sylvie(480) 816-3448

Peggy Virgadamo(718) 456-7329

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June/July 2015

Defense lawyers, scholars and even some judges say thehigh bail amounts set for some Baltimore protesters in theunrest in the days following the death of Freddie Gray inpolice custody highlight a much broader problem withthe nation’s money-based bail system. They say that thesystem routinely punishes poor defendants before theyget their day in court, often keeping them incarcerated forlonger than if they had been convicted right away, report-ed a June 11 article in The New York Times.

A case in point is Dominick Torrence, who has a longrap sheet for dealing drugs but no history of violence.When he was charged with disorderly conduct and riot-ing on April 28 he was shocked to learn the amounts hewould need to make bail: $250,000, the same amount astwo of the officers facing charges over Mr. Gray’s death.

Although a bail bondsman would charge only a frac-tion of that, normally 10 percent, for many defendants$25,000 is as an impossible a sum as $250,000. “That’ssomething you get for murder or attempted murder,”Mr. Torrence, 29, said from Baltimore Central Booking.

He spent a month in jail on charges that would laterbe dropped.

“It sets up a system where first there’s the punishmentand then there’s the opportunity to go to court for trial,”said Paul DeWolfe, the Maryland state public defender.

MONEY BAIL COMING UNDER SCRUTINYThough money bail is firmly entrenched in the vast

majority of jurisdictions, the practice is coming undernew scrutiny in the face of recent research that ques-tions its effectiveness, rising concerns about racial andincome disparities in local courts, and a bipartisan effortto reduce the reliance on incarceration nationwide.

Colorado and New Jersey recently voted to revamptheir bail systems, while in New Mexico last November,the State Supreme Court struck down a high bail it saidhad been set for the sole purpose of detaining thedefendant, the article continued.

This year, the Dept. of Justice weighed in on a civilrights lawsuit challenging bail amounts based solely onthe charge, calling them unconstitutional. In severalstates, including Connecticut, New York and Arizona,chief justices or politicians are calling for overhauls ofthe bail system.

The money bail system is supposed to curb the risk offlight by requiring defendants to post bond in exchangefor freedom before trial. But critics say the system allowsdefendants with money to go free even if they are dan-gerous, while keeping low-risk poor people in jailunnecessarily and at great cost to taxpayers.

The Times article goes on the state: For those whocannot afford to post bail, even a short stay in jail canquickly unravel lives and families. Criminal defendantsare overwhelmingly poor, many living paycheck to pay-check, and detention can cause job losses and evictions.Parents can lose custody of their children and may havea difficult time regaining it, even when cases are ulti-mately dropped. And people in jail who are not guiltyroutinely accept plea deals simply to gain their freedom,leaving them with permanent records, making it moredifficult to find employment.

The United States leads the world in the number ofpretrial detainees, according to a report by the NationalInstitute of Corrections, an agency of the Dept. ofJustice. An estimated half a million people are in thecountry’s jails on any given day because they cannotmake bail.

The United States Supreme Court has ruled thatalthough the American presumption of innocence hasinherent risks, “Liberty is the norm and detention priorto trial or without trial is the carefully limited exception.”

In practice, though, Baltimore public defenders sayjudges here assume the defendant is guilty when settingbail, a particular problem in areas where the police focus

POOR, ACCUSED AND PUNISHED BY THE BAIL SYSTEM

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BY G.F . GUERCIO, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

companies have madeheadway on the automated

notification alert systemfront. The company Appriss began tochip away at the information barrierwhen its two founders worked withJefferson County, Kentucky, govern-ment officials to develop the nation'sfirst automated victim informationand notification system after the 1993murder of Mary Byron by her formerboyfriend and attacker.

They unveiled VINE® (VictimInformation and NotificationEveryday) in Jefferson County exactlyone year after Mary's murder. TodayAppriss adds modules to VINE toallow other justice system personnelto access location of individuals orremind personnel involved ofupcoming court appearances.

Similarly, eCourtDate.com, thebreakthrough idea of Florida BailBondsman Kahlil Welsh in 2009, hasaided courts by curtailing the FTA(Failure to Appear) rate of thoseusing its system. Currentlyentrenched in the market and hing-

ing on its successful use by bailbondsman, eCourtDate.com isintroducing its reminder system tocourt administrators and probationofficials.

Currently, court reminder sys-tems in the U.S. are limited to mailor phone call as noted by NationalCenter for State Courts (NCSC)Court Technology Bulletin bloggerJames E. McMillan posted June oflast year. Tech-savvy kudos goes tothe nations of Qatar and Australiaas cited in Margaret Hagan’s LawDesign Tech blog (www.open-lawlab.com) posted last April asQatar began a Court Hearing SMSreminder service and Australia wasnoted with a similar pilot programbegun in 2012.

Mobile AlertsThe auto alert capabilit ies

embraced by Appriss andeCourtDate.com utilize the infor-mation and technology intrinsic toour computerized community to

provide automated notification ofappearances and releases throughan iconic device, more widelyknown as a cell phone.

“Most people have a smart phonetoday or access to a phone that canprovide texting and alerts,” saysKaren Keck, VP, Marketing +Communications, Appriss.VINEmobile has smart phone appsfor Apple and Android. “Victims arenotified of changes in status so theycan make safety plans and the crim-inal justice industry is alerted tobecome more efficient with day-to-day operations,” she says. “As moreand more people depend on theirpersonal phones for calls, texting,alerts and emails, we have to con-nect with people via the methodthat works best for them.

“We offer a diverse suite of state-of-the-art technology solutions thatsupport our mission of keepingcommunities safe and informed,”Keck furthers. “The biggest chal-lenges in the public safety industryare connecting the data points from

Auto Alert Systems: Breaking the BarriersNotification systems offer breakthroughs to help criminal justice better able to communicate.

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various sources and providing all ofthat information to one source—thevarious solutions we provide. Oursystems, services and apps are doingthat across the country in highlysecured environments.”

“Our products derive from fourfundamental data areas, offenderstatus information is one of themand has several applications. Weare directly connected to thousandsof law enforcement agencies andcourts across the U.S. ensuring theinformation we provide through oursystems, services and apps is real-time and accurate.”

The VINE Add-on Modules arenoted to provide law enforcement,advocates and other agencies withmaterials to help educate victimsabout the services provided and howto take advantage of the informationand notifications offered. Live oper-

ators around-the-clock answerquestions and assist victims in theregistration process, and a dedicatedtraining staff informs law enforce-ment and agency staff how to effec-tively use the VINE system and itsfeatures.

Recognizing that sometimes asuspect can be booked into a systemand released a short time later, thesystem automates this notificationprocess and can alert numerousindividuals simultaneously. Alsosince court processes and proce-dures can be confusing, automatednotifications keep victims informedabout upcoming hearing locations,times, court information and more.Appriss reports that this victim ser-vice solution is also a powerful toolthat can remind court staff, person-nel and law enforcement officers ofupcoming court appearances.

The VINE System provides vic-tims and agency staff with continu-ous access to vital informationregarding offenders and their cus-tody status. This service is availableday or night, to provide assurance to

victims that a particular offenderremains in custody.

Days, months and years can passbetween an offender's incarcerationand release. VINE informs victimsimmediately when an offender isreleased back into the public.Supervising officers can also beinformed if a parolee is booked intoa jail or prison system.


June/July 2015


Additionally, Court systems andtheir advocates are often over-whelmed by thousands of casesevery year. The VINE COURT ser-vice enables the expedited locationof people. Appriss points to reportsfrom agencies and court administra-tors who have saved tens of thou-sands of dollars and hundreds ofhours, per person, per year aftertheir data and information wereconnected.

Quick Text ofCourt Dates

It’s all about the connection,according to eCourtDate.comfounder Kahlil Welsh who connect-ed the dots to see how to connectdefendants to their court dates for alower FTA rate. “As a bail bonds-man in Orlando, Florida, for 20years, I began realizing the issue ofmissing a court date 90 percent ofthe time was due to not receivingthe notice; they moved, their familygot it, or someone thought it wasjunk mail. At the same time I wasrealizing this, I was working on adifficult file and I found out they justdidn’t receive the notice. Then I

received an irrelevant text on myphone and I thought, ‘If this clientgot it on text, he would have notgotten arrested, missed work andlost his job,” he relates. “I contacteddevelopers, found a domain nameand reduced failure to appear by 75percent.”

He says they’ve had good feed-back. “When the court sends out adocument it considers it mailed andreceived–even if it isn’t. We sendnotices in three different forms: text,email and cell [call]. It has proven tobe very efficient. We are currently

looking to get into smaller court-houses to prove its effectiveness.”

Welsh explains the system:“Headquartered in Orlando, Florida,eCourtDate.com operates a CourtDate Notification Service that makesnotifying criminal defendant clientsaccurate and efficient. Currently,Bail Bond Agencies use theeCourtDate platform to easily sendcourt date reminders to their cus-tomers through voice mail, email,and text message.” He adds, “CourtClerks are our next potential userbase as we feel that the benefits tolarger organizations would be expo-nentially greater. Courthouses candrastically reduce their failure toappear rates.”

Welsh reviews the challenges tokeeping a court date. “Addresschanges: when a defendant changestheir address and fails to notify thebonding company and/or the courts,often times the mail is returnedundeliverable causing a breakdownin communication which results in amissed court appearance and a war-rant being issued by the judge.”

He continues. “Lost notices: ifthe notice is successfully deliveredand received by the correct recipi-

ent, it is often put to the side to bereviewed at a later date. Lost in themix of our busy lives the papernotice becomes a part of our desk-top landscape; a white envelope thatwe plan on getting to someday—oftentimes the day or week after themandatory court appearance.”

And last but not least, he says,“Forgetful minds: with our busylifestyles and hectic schedules, it justmakes sense that a friendlyreminder on your cell phone, or anemail in your inbox can reduce thestress and anxiety caused by manda-tory appearances at court cases.”

“The fact that people always havetheir phones with them, seldom everchange their email address and listento their voice mail, is a key reason forbusinesses and the courts to capitalizeon the mobile medium,” he con-tends. “ECourtDate.com sends thenotices via a text message, voice mailand email when a court date has beenscheduled. The system is cloud basedand works on any computer with anInternet connection. There is nohardware to buy and no software toinstall,” he says, adding, “Electronicnotification is extremely effective.People do not mind automatedreminder text messages, emails orvoicemail, as they are less intrusive.Voicemail, text messages and email isvery standard across the spectrum, soclients adapt quickly. Other applica-tions of the service include, but arenot limited to, Probation, Jury andappointment reminders.”

Whether connecting the informa-tion of defendants and court datesfor a lower FTA rate, or connectingoffender data for victims, courts andrelated agencies, automated notifi-cation systems seize the power ofcommunication via cell phones, andbreak the justice system’s incommu-nicable barrier.

For more information: Appriss, 1.866.APPRISS, appriss.comEcourtdate.com, 1.877.889.4147,www.ecourtdate.com, [email protected]

The Appriss VINE system allows victimsand to assess location of individuals orremind involved criminal justice person-nel of upcoming court appearances.


THERE’S AN APPFOR THAT

June/July 2015


BY MICHAEL GROHS, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

IT SEEMS as ifthere is

an application—an app—for every-thing, and this technological devel-opment has not been lost on thecourt system. The Center for Legaland Court Technology (CLCT) is ajoint project of William & Mary LawSchool and the National Center forState Courts whose primary mission

is "to improve the world's legal sys-tems through the appropriate use oftechnology." Among the ways inwhich they accomplish this is toconduct experimental trials called“laboratory trials.” In one of themore recent ones, participants reliedlargely on tablets and phones (par-ticipants brought their own) to pre-sent evidence and testimony.

Fred Lederer, director of CLCT,notes that the U.S. District Court inPhiladelphia presents evidenceusing tablets and video streaming.They report that the use has beensuccessful, and Lederer points outthat while this tactic may not bemainstream yet, there is worldwideinterest. The days of hauling boxesof files are over. Now all the infor-

APPS FOR MOBILE ACCESS, EFILING, ANNOTATION,CASE REVIEW AND MORE.

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mation needed can fit in a user’spocket.

There are myriad apps for lawyersto use, and some such asDocketLaw, which calculates dead-lines and event dates based on theFederal Rules of Civil Procedure, arefree. Court Days is used for calculat-ing deadlines for briefs and calculat-ing the number of calendar days,court days, (or both) before or aftera specified date and costs about adollar. Other prices range, butscores of apps can and are beingused in the legal arena. One of

CLCT’s upcoming projects is to con-duct a survey about which apps thatare not being used in court could be.Then there are those that have beenspecifically designed for court use.

TrialPad fits this category. TaraCheever, products manager at LitSoftware, notes that some judgeshave requested iPads loaded withdocuments and use TrialPad toorganize them, track admission sta-tus, etc. “For the most part, howev-er, it is lawyers that are bringingiPads and iPad apps to court ratherthan the Court bringing it to the

lawyers, and the Court is takingnotice and adopting the trend thoselawyers are setting.

Apps and FunctionsJournal Technologies has devel-

oped such software as ECourt andJustWare, which were also createdwith justice in mind, and they havesince released JustWare Mobile toevery JustWare customer free ofcharge. In conjunction, the two offermobile access to cases from anymobile device with a modern webbrowser. JustWare allows a user toview active cases, create and editnotes and tasks, and see chargesand involvements. With the app, auser can see and access contactinformation, place calls, and start e-mails. The data is instantly saved tothe user’s JustWare database andmade available to the user’s tradi-tional JustWare client as well as oth-

Court personnel can use their smartphone to activate video capture with thisVIQ Solutions app.

Tyler Techology’s Odyssey Portal and File & Serve (e-filing) have both been transi-tioned to HTML5. This means that users accessing information from courts usingOdyssey will be able to do so seamlessly and automatically from any device—tablet,iPhone, Android, etc.


June/July 2015


ers in the organization. Riley Miles, director of develop-

ment at Journal Technologies,explains that eCourt is a browser-based configurable case manage-ment solution for courts of all juris-dictions. ECourt’s graphical userinterface is natively touch screenenabled. Users can access casesfrom anywhere on their browser-enabled device: desktops, laptops,smart phones and tablets. BecauseeCourt is browser-based, it’s veryfast and designed for high speedperformance. Information may beupdated in eCourt from the bench,for example, using configurablejudges’ tools. Calendars and viewsof each day’s docket—configured byperson, by judge, by courtroom, bytime—are all available with eCourt.

Cheever explains that Lit Softwarehas developed apps for trial presen-tation (TrialPad) and transcript/depo-sition annotation and digestion(TranscriptPad). “We are also releas-ing an additional app for document

review called DocReviewPad, whichwill be used to organize and catego-rize documents and evidence beforea case goes to trial. TrialPad andTranscriptPad have become the stan-dard for courtroom presentation withan iPad. We hope DocReviewPadwill do the same for case preparationand document review.”

Tyler Technology’s Odyssey®Portal and File & Serve (e-filing)have both been transitioned toHTML5. This means that usersaccessing information from courtsusing Odyssey will be able to do soseamlessly and automatically fromany device—tablet, iPhone, Android,etc.—without the court having tomake any adjustments.

Odyssey also has the ability to dosophisticated assignment of rightsand roles to access information. Thismeans two things:

1. Security, even when access-ing information from outside thecourthouse or VPN, is such that onlythe information that an individual

has authority to view can beaccessed.

2. Courts have a great deal offlexibility in determining and con-trolling what information can beviewed by whom.

Requests for AppsAmy Puckett, senior product

director at Tyler Technology’s Courts& Justice Division, says, “We’re pre-dominantly seeing apps that handleand store information—those thatprovide access to schedules, docu-ments, and specific pieces of data.”She furthers, “The big focus andwhere we get the most requests iswith expanding access—to data, todocuments, to digital recordings andtheir accounts with the courts.Citizens appreciate transparency andwant convenient access to as muchinformation as possible. Many oftoday’s citizens are tech savvy andaccustomed to performing a variety

Jurors during exercises called labo-ratory trials at the Center for Legaland Court Technology try out tabletsfor possible use.

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Every other year, the National

Center for State Courts(NCSC) sponsors a CourtTechnology Conference(CTC), which is designed to

improve court efficiencies and effec-tiveness by educating court profes-sionals about the latest break-throughs and best practices in courttechnology. This year the conferencewill be held at the Minneapolis

Convention Center, Minneapolis,Minn., September 22-24, andexpects to draw more than 1,200national and international partici-pants. CTC 2015 provides judges,court administrators, court man-agers, technologists and other courtpersonnel with three days of profes-sional development, education ses-sions, and networking. It will alsoshowcase one of the largest courttechnology exhibits in the world.

“We’re anticipating the biggestCTC since before the ‘GreatRecession.’ Registrations are comingin at the strongest pace since 2007,”comments Jesse Rutledge, vice pres-ident, External Affairs at NCSC.“Our education themes hold some-thing for everyone in the court com-munity, and the exhibit show isgoing to once again be a majorhighlight, showcasing developmentsin the areas of case management,

BY BILL SCHIFFNER, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

THE BIENNIAL CONFERENCE TAKES PLACE IN SEPTEMBER IN MINNEAPOLIS

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capturing the record, and remoteaudio and video interpretation capa-bilities,” he concludes.

Here are some of the technolo-gies being exhibited.

ALMOST LIVE AV ACCESSWith Court.fm, users have near-

live access to audio and videorecordings of sessions in court. They

can quickly and easily listen/watch,mark important events, write notesand save recorded matters for later.Court.fm delivers audio and videorecordings of court proceeding justminutes behind the spoken word.The record is securely streameddirectly to their device for fast play-back on desktop and mobile devices.

www.fortherecord.com, 1.877.650.0958

VIDEO SERVICESCourtCall’s Remote Appearance

Platform has been said to havesaved the legal community hun-dreds of millions of dollars by pro-viding judges, court staff, attorneysand other participants with efficient,

organized, reliable and innovativeaudio and video services to allow fora worry-free remote appearanceexperience. Requiring no specialequipment, courts may connect

using existing equipment and par-ticipants may appear from theiroffices, homes or other convenientlocations. CourtCall is said to bewell suited for status conferences,motions, case management confer-ences, trial setting conferences,mediations, arbitrations and expertor witness testimony.

www.courtcall.com, 1.888.882.6878

CASE MANAGEMENTSYSTEM

Tyler’s Odyssey solution is theleading case management system inthe U.S., empowering courts servingmore than 100 million citizens inmore than 600 counties across 21states, notes the company. Built

upon Odyssey case managementfunctionality to support appellatecourts, the new appellate case mod-ule offers robust features to generateefficiencies and improve workflowprocesses for case management,panel assignment, opinion manage-ment and lower court case functions.

www.tylertechnologies.com,1.800.431.5776

DECISION SUPPORTSYSTEM

Not a case management systemand not a document managementsystem but a decision support sys-tem for judges, Mentis reinvents thecourtroom. A judge and recentaiSMARTBENCH user, said of his

experience using the system,“Anything that helps us do our jobquicker, better, faster, while still

paying attention to that overarchingrequirement of justice—and that’sthe main thing—it’s good for every-body.” Their mission was to create asolution for judicial users thatexceeds the efficiencies of conven-tional paper files.

www.aiSmartBench.com, 303.756.4564

WEB-BASED CASEMANAGEMENT

ECourt is a web-based case man-agement system that accommodatesall case types for courts of all juris-dictions. ECourt is database agnos-tic, automates repetitive tasks,brings judges tools to the bench,and fully supports real-time in-courtprocessing. Court professionalsneed only a web browser to accessfull eCourt functionality—meaning,

it is available to judges and clerks viasmart phone or mobile device. Noapps are necessary. Because eCourtis highly configurable, it will evolvewith processes within a Court asthey change over time. Companyconfiguration specialists teach cus-tomers to modify and updateprocesses during implementation,through ongoing training, and tech-nical support via a team of highlytrained customer support specialists.

www.journaltechnologies.com,1.877.587.8927, option 3

SELF-REPRESENTEDLITIGANT SOLUTIONS

TurboCourt offers sophisticatedguided-interview technology,proven to solve court challengesregarding self-represented litigants.Online interviews precisely tailoredto court workflows and rules, withonscreen filer help at every step, andinnovative decision-making check-points, produce virtually 100%


June/July 2015


error-free court forms ready forprint, e-delivery or e-file.TurboCourt’s award-winning plat-form seamlessly integrates with anycourt management system, includ-ing Tyler Odyssey. TurboCourt’s pri-vate-cloud SaaS solution is econom-ical, simple to deploy & easy toadminister.

www.turbocourt.com, 1.877.260.1792

NAVIGATION SYSTEMCourtSight’s DocketCall solution

integrates with case managementsystems to automate the daily dock-et for the courthouse. By usingDocketCall, patrons can effortlesslyfind their name and where they areto appear in less than 60 seconds. Byautomating this process, patrons areinformed in real-time, easing theflow of traffic throughout the facility.

www.infax.com, 770.209.9925

CLOUD SOLUTIONSAdobe introduced earlier this

year Adobe cloud solutions for gov-ernment, enabling public sectororganizations to revolutionize citi-zen experiences through the cre-ation and delivery of dynamic con-tent and websites. Supporting thelaunch of its cloud solutions for gov-ernment, Adobe is also offeringtools and resources to help cus-tomers better understand the bene-fits of adopting new cloud solutions.

http://adobe.com/go/govassembly,1.800.872.3023

JURY SELECTIONSOFTWARE

Xerox’s AgileJury solution (ver-sion 4.0) allows courts to automateand streamline the entire jury man-agement process, including the useof mobile platforms. Courts can

model and deliver random jurorselection and selected pool size, eas-ily update summons informationand communicate with citizensthrough the Internet. The solutionuses industry standard algorithms toensure equal probability of all possi-ble combinations to ensure juryselection is indiscriminate.

www.xerox.com/justice, 1.877.414.2676

JURY MANAGEMENTSOLUTIONS

Courthouse Technologies offers50 years of combined experiencedeveloping solutions for the jurymanagement process. This experi-

ence has taught them that superiorjury management systems are notcrafted just by computer program-mers, but by dedicated technologyprofessionals who are specialists inthe jury management field. Theirteam of developers has built morejury management systems than anyother vendor anywhere.

www.courthouse-technologies.com,1.877.685.2199

ONLINE COURT SYSTEMSJury Systems Incorporated was

founded by jury professionals whohave been in the business since thebeginning of jury automation in the1980s. Many of the team membersare former jury managers who prior-itize helping each client improveefficiency and streamline court pro-cedures. Their newest product,JURY+ Web Generation, is a brows-


June/July 2015


er-based JMS developed and sup-ported by this team.

www.jurysystems.com, 805.285.5800

CASEFLOWMANAGEMENT

With its dynamic caseflow man-agement (DCM) engine, flexiblescreen builder, and role-driven dash-boards and navigation, JWorks is themost configurable COTS case man-agement system around, says thefirm. What you see—and how youinteract with information—is com-pletely configurable in JWorks andcan be easily tailored to roles, teams,and individuals. Built-in workflow

automatically assigns and routes out-standing to-dos and deadlines andlets you notify, escalate, re-route, andre-assign work as needed. Thisunique capability goes beyond case-flow to include the flow of personinformation and specific activities likecalendaring, warrants, investigation,financials, docketing, motion track-ing, and documents to name a few.

www.courtview.com/ct, 1.800.406.4333

INTEGRATED CASEMANAGEMENT

FullCourt Enterprise from JusticeSystems, Inc. is a complete, fullyintegrated court case management

software system that runs in an on-premise or Oracle Cloud environ-ment and can easily exchange datawith other judicial agencies.FullCourt Enterprise provides apowerful back-end infrastructure, an

innovative browser-based userinterface, and a comprehensive col-lection of modular tools and appli-cations, the company reports. Itscustomizable, table-based architec-ture allows the system to be widelyconfigured to meet the specificrequirements of the Court.

www.justicesystems.com, 505.883.3987

AUDIO/VIDEOTECHNOLOGY

CourtSmart offers a number ofapplication technologies includingdigital courtroom recording, highdefinition video surveillance andvideo conferencing.CourtSmart technology isengineered to integrate withother open standard applica-tions in real-time updatemode. This provides the basefor an integrated conver-gence of applications for theimplementation of a true e-strategy.

www.courtsmart.com,1.800.235.8690

E-FILINGSOFTWARE

More and more courtsare realizing the savings oftime and money thatTybera’s eFlex bringsthrough reduced manualdata entry and automated work-

flow. With support for both the soft-ware license model and the attorneypays model, courts are offered evenmore value through new featureslike their document generation andCASEaDia PDF binders for judges.

www.tybera.com, 801.226.2746

WIRELESS LISTENINGTECHNOLOGY

Williams Sound’s wireless listen-ing technologies have been meetingthe communication needs of thejudicial market for more than 35years. Their wireless technologyincludes both installed and completepackaged systems for use in hearingassistance and/or simultaneousinterpretation. Many of their sys-tems meet the new ADA accessibili-ty guidelines and are covered by anindustry leading, five-year warranty.www.williamssound.com 1.800.328.6190

INTAKE KIOSKGain the advantages of automat-

ed-cash counting and deposits dur-ing the booking process withTouchPay. Their Intake Kiosk wasdesigned specifically for the correc-tions industry to streamline manual

and time


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consuming currency-processingactivities during booking. It is builtwith a rugged design and advancedtechnology to withstand the rigor-ous booking environment of today’stoughest jails.

www.touchpayonline.com,1.866.204.1603

MANAGEMENTSOLUTIONS

Thomson Reuters provides cus-tomers with unrivaled solutions thatintegrate content, expertise and tech-nologies. C-Track CMS delivers justthat, offering courts customizablemanagement solutions configured tohow a court functions. C-Track CMSoffers new features and functionsleading to the next generation ofadaptable case management systems.

www.thomsonreuters.com,1.877.923.7800


June/July 2015


BY BILL SCHIFFNER, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

The National Association ofDrug Court Professionals(NADCP) announces that its2015 conference on substanceabuse, mental health and thecriminal justice system will bepartnering with the only confer-ence devoted exclusively toVeterans Treatment Courts andjustice-involved veterans. TheNADCP 21st Annual TrainingConference and Justice For Vets’3rd Annual Vet Court Con will

be held simultaneously July 27-30 at the Gaylord NationalResort & Convention Center inNational Harbor, just outside ofWashington, DC. The NADCP21st Annual Training Conferencewill feature an in-depth plenaryon the newly released AdultDrug Court Standards BestPractices Volume 2 as well as anexhibit hall packed with the lat-est in drug and alcohol testingproducts and services.

MOBILE TESTING SYSTEMThe IN-HOM S.M.A.R.T. Mobile

is a portable, handheld, breath testsystem that includes facial detectionsoftware when the user provides abreath sample. While the devicewill accept a breath sample at any

JULY HEATS UPWITH NADCPAND NACMCONFERENCESTHE MONTH OF JULY WILL PLAY HOST TO TWO MAJOR EDUCATIONAL AND PRODUCT TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCES FOR COURT PROFESSIONALS.

NADCP 2015 TEAMS UP WITHVETERANS TREATMENT COURTS

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time, the primary function is for the user to providebreath samples on a fixed schedule designated by theirmonitoring authority. The device is lightweight andeasy-to-use, allowing the user mobility and discretion totest at work, home, or anywhere else.

www.smartstartinc.com, 1.800.880.3394

TESTING KITSOraSure Technologies develops, manufactures and

markets immunoassays, in vitro diagnostic tests andother medical devices. These products include tests for

the detection ofantibodies for theHIV virus, includ-ing OraQuickADVANCE RapidHIV-1/2 AntibodyTest and theOraSure HIV-1Oral SpecimenCollection Device,a test for antibodiesfor the HCV virus,the OraQuick HCVRapid AntibodyTest and oral fluidtesting solutionsfor drugs of abusetesting, includingIntercept Oral FluidDrug TestingSystem and Q.E.D.Saliva Alcohol Test.

www.orasure.com,1.800.869.3538

TESTING SOLUTIONSImmunalysis offers comprehensive, cost-effective solu-

tions for drug and alcohol testing at your laboratory. Ourbroad line of reagents including Synthetic Cannabinoids,

coupled with our analyzer solutions and user-friendly LISsystems, ensure you have the necessary tools to keeppace with the changing trends of drug abuse.

www.immunalysis.com, 1.888.664.8378

CONTINUOUS ALCOHOL MONITORINGSCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring (CAM) is

the most widely used CAM product in the world.Extensively peer-reviewed and court validated, SCRAMCAM provides a proven deterrent to drinking. On any


June/July 2015


given day, SCRAM CAM generates an average 99.4%Sober Days rate, meaning that 99.4% of all clients beingmonitored by the product are sober and fully compliantwith court orders.

www.alcoholmonitoring.com, 1.800.557.0861

IGNITION INTERLOCK DEVICEIntoxalock eLERT is Intoxalock’s fastest growing

product. It combines fuel cell technology, photo verifica-tion and real-time reporting to meet the most rigorous

local and state requirements. Online log reporting pro-vides instant access to participant information, completeBrAC sample history and violations. Intoxalock contin-ues to be an industry leader in reliability, customer ser-vice and technology. Our mission is helping people tolive and drive responsibly.

www.Intoxalock.com, 1.877.777.5020

INNOVATIVE MEDICAL SOLUTIONS Alkermes plc is a fully integrated, global biopharma-

ceutical company that applies its scientific expertise andproprietary technologies to develop innovative medicinesthat improve patient outcomes. The company has a diver-sified portfolio of more than 20 commercial drug productsand a substantial clinical pipeline of product candidatesthat address central nervous system (CNS) disorders suchas addiction, schizophrenia and depression.

www.alkermes.com, 781.609.6000

DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTINGPARTNERSHIP

Corrisoft and ABK Remote Drug Testing Inc. willpartner in providing a mobile solution for remote testingof drug and alcohol usage. Corrisoft’s AIR (Alternativeto Incarceration via Rehabilitation) platform combines asmart phone, providing direct communication betweenoffenders, supervising agency personnel, and Corrisoft’sre-entry specialists. ABK Remote Drug Testing Inc. uti-

lizes its drug testing application called eRam which fea-tures dedicated computer software that connects to aclient’s camera in order to assess and monitor its sub-jects remotely through eye analysis and oral drug screenwith a high degree of accuracy, says the company.

www.corrisoft.com, 1.859.271.1190

ORAL DRUG TEST The DrugTest 5000 from Draeger Safety Diagnostics,

Inc. provides an alternative to the collection of urine orblood samples. Performed with ease and with results pro-vided within minutes, the Dräger DrugTest is a mobilesystem that uses oral fluid to test for seven types of themost commonly-abused drugs. This quick drug test pro-vides a non-invasive alternative to sample collection.

www.draeger.com/DrugTest, 972.929.1100,[email protected]

DRUG SCREENING TOOLSThermo Scientific’s DRI Hydrocodone/

Hydromorphone Drugs of Abuse Assay offers applica-tions for an array of clinical chemistry analyzers. Thedrugs of abuse testingscope is expandingrapidly, and DRI assaysmeet this challenge byoffering one of themost extensive menusfor drugs of abuse test-ing and developingnew assays to respondto ever-emerging drugscreening needs. Thisassay is for CriminalJustice and Forensic useonly.

www.thermoscientific.com,1.800.232.3342


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REMOTE BREATH SYSTEMSCRAM Remote Breath is said to

be one of the most flexible optionsin breath testing. It is the first hand-held, wireless, portable breath alco-hol tester that includes government-grade facial recognition, high-reso-lution photos, BrAC results, and aGPS location with every test.Automated facial matching reducesmanual photo review by 90% to95%, while random, scheduled, andon-demanding testing providesmore flexibility to monitor clients.

www.alcoholmonitoring.com,1.800.557.0861

AV SOLUTIONS FOR THE COURTROOM

With over 30 years of courtroomrecording experience,JAVS focuses on creat-ing AV delivery andrecording solutions tomeet the demands ofhearing rooms andcourtrooms. From

public address to remote arraign-ment to open source access ofrecordings, JAVS promotes truth

The National Association of Court Management (NACM) will be holdingthe 2015 Annual Conference, July 12-16 in Louisville, Kentucky. The con-ference will continue to highlight the new NACM Core. The Core isdesigned to help court leaders understand what it means to demonstratecapacity in all aspects of court management.

NACM will also partner with the Institute for Court Management(ICM) to offer Purposes & Responsibilities of Courts, a new hybrid classthat combines online and in-person segments.

Stephanie Elliott Hess, NACM president-elect reports the Associationcelebrates its 30th anniversary at this year’s conference. “In recognition ofthat anniversary, the conference theme is ‘Committed to Excellence:Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.’ A robust exhibit show is planned forWednesday, July 15th and will feature a number of exciting new productsfor NACM attendees.”


June/July 2015


and accuracy. The company is adiamond sponsor of the NACMconference.

www.javs.com, 1.844.300.JAVS

LOBBY KIOSKFor courts and municipalities,

TouchPay’s payment services maxi-mize convenience and efficiency forcitizens and agencies alike.TouchPay’s comprehensive suite ofproducts provides users with24/7/365 payment capabilities. Theirpayment services include thepatent-pending Lobby Kiosk,Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

telephone system, CountertopTerminal, online-payment portaland Walk-In Retail. Using TouchPayservices, courts are able to acceptautomated payments in cash as wellas credit/debit cards and checks. Alltransactions will post in real time.

Visit booth #309 to see a demo.www.touchpayonline.com,

1.866.204.1603

JURY CHECK IN Stop by the Jury Systems

Incorporated booth to try out one oftheir newest products, JURY+Express Check-In. This simple

module is said to vastly speed up thejuror check-in process, which meansbenefits to both the jury office andcitizens alike. JURY+ ExpressCheck-In has a wide range of capa-bilities and is configurable for eachcourt’s needs. Handheld, enclosure,and kiosk styles are available.

www.jurysystems.com, 1.805.285.5800

ELECTRONIC PAYMENTSNCourt is a nationally recognized

electronic payment provider servic-ing more than 2,000 governmentpartners in 29 states. NCourt devel-ops customized websites where citi-zens can make traffic, probation,property tax, bail and other pay-

ments online 24/7 using a credit ordebit card. Citizens can also callnCourt’s toll-free hotline that isguided through the paymentprocess by live, bilingual, U.S. cus-

tomer support representatives. All ofnCourt’s services are completely freeto the partners they serve.

www.ncourt.com, 1.888.912.1540

GUIDE & FILE FOR SELF-REPRESENTED LITIGANTS

With Odyssey Guide & File, apowerful suite of tools developed toprovide access to justice for all con-stituents, self-represented litigantscan now be guided through the

process of completing court formsand filing cases online. Courts caneasily create Web-based interviewsfor their court by leveraging thelibrary of existing interviews fromother jurisdictions and the OdysseyGuide & File authoring tool.

www.tylertech.com, 1.800.431.5776

CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMC-Track, the innovative case

management system developed byThomson Reuters CourtManagement Solutions (TR CMS),keeps cases moving efficientlythrough your court. C-Track pro-

vides a total court solution by inte-grating your e-filing, case manage-ment, and public access solutionswith other court applications. Thecompany is a diamond sponsor ofthe NACM conference.

www.thomsonreuters.com,1.877.923.7800


June/July 2015


of tasks on the Web and their smartphones. So, they’re asking for thesame level of accessibility and inter-activity with the Courts.”

Cheever also notes that efficiencyand ease of use are what many usersare looking for. A law technologyadvisor asked if a user needed to bean expert to use the app, to whichshe answered, no. An app, she says,should be like a pacemaker…itshould just work. A smart phoneand iPad, she points out, could begiven to a three-year-old who couldfigure it out fairly quickly. Years ago,in order to print something, it took adisk, loading the drivers, etc. Now itis a push of a button, which is whatusers want in apps. “There is a largedemand for convenience in everymarket…technology is supposed tobe just as effective, but much moreefficient. To reach that goal, we firstmake sure that lawyers can be pro-ductive while on the go. This meansthat we aren’t a cloud solution thatyou have to be online to use.Documents and transcripts live inthe apps, not in the cloud, allowing

you to be productive independent ofan Internet connection.”

One thing that agencies wantedthat was accommodated, says Miles,was paring the functions down towhat matters most and to be able touse the most heavily used featuresin the most functional way, so func-tionality was pushed to the browser.One of the benefits JustWare Mobilehas is it strips away some of thecomplications of the full JustWare togive the most important and pivotalinformation to the mobile user whois looking at a small screen. Milesadds that this has resulted in aground-up approach, and it boilsdown to “real estate.” A smallerscreen will have the fundamentalpieces. As the screen grows, so doesthe amount of fundamentals.

MobilityMobility is important. As Cheever

points out, for years a laptop wasthe closest one could get to truemobility, but “The iPad makes allthat possible, in a much smaller,lighter container, with a lot fewer

cables, much shorter startup time,and a longer battery life. Not onlythat, but with an iPad, you can walkaround the courtroom while pre-senting wirelessly, like you’d walkaround with a legal pad. Because ofthat, iPad presence has eclipsed lap-top presence in the courtroom.”

Puckett suggests that mobilityand efficiency are closely related.“Going mobile is important for courtuse to increase efficiency, enhanceproductivity, expand access to jus-tice, as well as provide convenienceand potential cost savings.” Web andmobile apps offer attorneys and thepublic the option to self-serve andconduct court business from any-where and at any time. This savesthe time and expense of visiting thecourthouse. “For court staff, it canprovide the flexibility of accessinginformation and working remotelywhile also reducing congestion ontheir workload since many requestshave shifted to self-serve.”

The growth has been fast. Milesrecalls that just a few years ago, ifcourt clients were posed the ques-tion, “What if you could do A, B, C,and D on a mobile?” there was not agreat deal of interest. Now theyhave expectations, and the responseis, “I want this. Deliver it as soon aspossible.” In an article by Sharon D.Nelson and John W. Simek writtenfor the American Bar Association(ABA), the authors discussed anincident in which a webinar calledThe iPad for Litigators was sponsoredby the American Law Institute andthe ABA, and so many attorneysregistered that they had to break thewebinar into three sessions so as notto overload the technology. And inJanuary 2014, for the first time, theInternet was accessed more bytablets and smart phones than byPCs and laptops. Says Puckett,“We’re seeing both interest and acommitment from many of our courtclients to upgrade technology toprovide mobile access.”

Continued from page 18


June/July 2015


BY MICHAEL GROHS, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

It’s all caught on film. Whetherit is an act of tragedy or idiocy,humor or horror, or just some-thing cute, it seems to be cap-tured on camera and able to beshared. The use of video tech-

nology is only going to expand, andcourts are moving fast to adopt andadapt. As Fred Lederer, director ofthe Center for Legal and CourtTechnology (CLCT) points out, asidefrom the traditional uses, there isnow also the matter of social mediaon which, for some reason, peoplepost evidence of crimes they havecommitted. There is the recent pushfor police body cameras, so videoevidence can be used to monitor the

potential abuse of police powers.(PESA is about to experiment ontaking that a step further.) In 2013,the world saw footage of theChelyabinsk meteor as it blasted intothe atmosphere and exploded overRussia and released 20 times morekinetic energy than the bomb usedin Hiroshima. The incident was cap-tured on numerous dash cams usedto record incidents of he said/he saidtraffic accidents and incidents of cor-ruption and shakedowns. There isnow also the matter of Google Glassand drones and the fear of the end ofprivacy. Says Lederer, “All of thiswill flood the courts.”

The trends move quickly and

require consideration. A currenttrend, says Lederer, has been head-ing to being “device independent.”That way the participants do notneed an entire and expensive systemto participate in proceedings. CLCTholds experimental trials in its mockcourtroom. One of the recent oneshave been the world’s first remotejuror in which they placed a monitorin their own jury box on which theycould see her face and acoder/decoder in the juror’s house.There is now also the ability to usehigh end tablets and phones forvideo conferencing. No matter whathardware a participant is using, heor she can participate. In

Whether it’s arraignment,a remote disposition or aconference with a judgeor public defender, video

offers convenience andoperational efficiency.

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Live video of a juror in a simulated trial.

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June/July 2015


Philadelphia, the U.S. District Courtpresents evidence on Androidtablets using video streaming. Thereport is that it has been successful.While not a “trend” per se, saysLederer, there is enormous interestaround the world.

Malcolm Macallum, ChiefOperating Officer/CTO at VIQSolutions, Inc. explains a scenario inwhich during a felony case with aremote expert witness, the accusedcould be in custody and requiretranscription and be monitored byother defense lawyers. The court-room could have one three-screenvideo conferencing system on whichthe accused appeared from prisonon the left screen, an expert witnesscould provide evidence on the rightscreen, and the center screen couldbe a witness who is in protectivecustody. If the defense team werelarge and not able to attend, usingtheir authentication credentials pro-vided by the court, they could log onto a remote VIQ satellite and

observe the trial, make notes, andconfer.

Video conferencing is not just forcourts. Video is a primary compo-nent of correctional visitation. AsJoAnn De Jesus, marketing commu-nications manager at Telmate says,“Going to a facility for an in-personvisit can be inconvenient, uncom-fortable, and even intimidating,especially for small children. Withremote video visits, friends and fam-ily can say goodbye to long drives,uncomfortable waits, and harsh sur-roundings as they experience per-sonal, remote visits from the com-fort of their own home.”

Another new video developmentis PESA’s Acquire, Collaborate,Explain, and Secure (A.C.E.S.), atwo- or five-channel video systemwith the flexibility to add more. Thesystem is able to be used in court-rooms as well as other arenas suchas remote hearings, depositions, etc.A.C.E.S. is currently being used in apilot program at a local municipal

police department in which it will beinstalled on dashboards in policecruisers and will capture footage andbe able to live stream it to head-quarters. That footage can later beenhanced, annotated, shared, anddiscussed. John Wright of PESA,says, “The pilot is on a small scale todetermine what technology is need-ed and to scale it up from thatpoint.”

Latest VideoTechnologies

GTL provides video conferencingproducts and services to courts sothat arraignments of incarceratedcitizens can be conducted withgreater efficiency. The video confer-encing equipment resides in thecourtroom at a judge’s desk or inanother private room where thejudge conducts arraignments, aswell as in correctional facilities.Rather than standing before thejudge in person, inmates connectover the video equipment, therebyeliminating much of the cost, man-power, time, and safety risk of thetraditional arraignment process. Itallows courts to comply with thelegal requirement of conductingarraignments with the accused pre-sent while greatly increasing opera-tional efficiency.

GTL also offers a unique dual-application kiosk that allows publicdefenders to have video meetingswith inmates before their trial andallows inmates to access case filesduring and after these calls via atouch screen interface. With thissystem, the inefficiencies and risksof either requiring public defendersto go to correctional facilities formeetings or transporting inmates topublic defenders’ offices are elimi-

Video-only communication using Telmate’s video visitation system ensures that staffmembers see everything that the inmate sees, which means that an inmate can’t usetheir body to shield hand signals or written messages from wall-mounted cameras.


June/July 2015x


nated. The system is unique in theindustry, enabling professional visitsbetween attorneys and inmatesawaiting trial and displaying docu-ments pertaining to the case on theinmate kiosk.

Finally, GTL is under contract in aMid-Atlantic state to deploy a systemthat allows court administrators toschedule a meeting between a judgeand an inmate housed at one of thestate prisons and to conduct thatmeeting via a video unit or an in-per-son visit. This system addresses theneeds to increase operational efficien-cy in scheduling and conducting fol-low-up meetings between judges andinmates who have already been con-victed of a crime.

www.gtl.com 952.931.0775 [email protected]

PESA’s Acquire, Collaborate,Explain, and Secure (A.C.E.S.) sys-tem combines their XSTREAM C58or C22 streaming media appliancewith VIQ software for file captureand management capabilities. Theresult is a comprehensive recordingand playback system that simplifiescollaboration. PESA’s A.C.E.S. solu-tion architecture includes a regionalserver fed by fixed and/or mobilerecording stations that automaticallysynchronize files. Systems can alsoinclude a fixed or cloud-basedoptional central repository. Remotecollaboration is enabled via VIQ’sAccessPOINT Portal, which pro-vides secure, browser-based accessto files. Along with on-site commis-sioning and installation, the systemcan also include customized userinterfaces, online training, and tran-scription services. Housed in a com-pact, 1 RU form factor, the C58simultaneously encodes up to fiveindependent video sources andeight audio sources for H.264 IP dis-tribution with no sync or latencyissues. The C22 supports two videoand two audio streams. VIQ’s soft-ware offers advanced database tech-

nology to simplify logging, search-ing, annotations, and chain of evi-dence, and allows integration withthird-party case management sys-tems. The system can be used incourtroom recording, for secure evi-dence capture and distribution, wit-ness and suspect interviews, officerperformance review, search and res-cue, as well as for medical and edu-cational functions.

www.pesa.com 256.726.9200

Telmate allows correctional facili-ties and inmates benefits via theirvideo visitation system. The systemprovides a high quality, safe, andconvenient alternative to face-to-face visits. Inmates can visit withtheir loved ones without ever leav-ing their pod. This provides securityfor staff, and closes off a key avenuefor contraband. Video-only commu-nication ensures that staff memberssee everything that the inmates sees,which means that an inmate can’tuse their body to shield hand signalsor written messages from wallmounted cameras. Scheduling caneasily be done online, so staff willno longer need to manually sched-ule visits, thus freeing them up forother tasks. A single web-basedapplication allows staff to reviewinmate calls, video visits, set alarms,control access, and more from anyInternet web browser or smartphone. Telmate video visits auto-matically use a proprietary identityverification system called TelmateVerified so staff always know who’svisiting whom. Video visits alsoincorporate facial biometrics andmonitoring, which flag inappropri-ate behavior such as inmate extor-tion (passing the visit to someoneelse) or inappropriate conduct.

Telmate offers three types ofvideo visits: on-site, remotely usingpersonal computers, and remotelyusing mobile devices. Since so manyfacilities are remote, friends andfamily can get immediate and per-

sonal communication without thehassle and expense of traveling tothe facility. Telmate offers friendsand family with bilingual customersupport 24 hours per day, sevendays per week as well as an onlinehelp center to answer any questions.

www.telmate.com JoAnn De Jesus,415.300.4315 [email protected]

VIQ’s AccessPOINT Collabor-ation Web Portal is a secure, web-accessible and easy-to-use tool forsearching and replaying cases orportions of cases. It provides amechanism for securely sharing andsharing ideas on cases betweenstakeholders whether it is judges,prosecutors or law enforcement.This portal comes customized to suitthe court’s specific branding.

VIQ Satellite Tablet can be asadvanced or as simple as you need.This product provides up to fivevideo and eight audio channelswhen connected to a video appli-ance such as PESA’s xStream C-58.Simple or Advanced UIs can be runon a Microsoft Surface tablet, forexample. This solution integratespopular video-conferencing systemssuch as those offered by theTelepresence or Tandberg systems.PC-based VC systems can also beeasily integrated into the capturedrecord as well.

VIQ iPhone Capture is one ofVIQ’s smart phone UIs that providesimple to use yet secure AV captureand upload to the VIQ back officeproducts or simply as a way of shar-ing cases information through theWeb portals offered.

VIQ NetScribe Web Portal forthose records that require a docu-mented record. This transcriptionportal offers an entire workflowsolution to transcription companiesor transcribers. Due to the growthin video use this product now alsoutilizes video data.

www.viqsolutions.com [email protected] Phone: 1.800.263.9947


June/July 2015


BY G.F . GUERCIO, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

The U.S. makes up five percentof the world’s population yetthis country houses 25 percent

of the world’s prisoners, according toJeff Milner, vice president of Salesand Marketing for Corrisoft. Moretroubling—over 60 percent of thosereleased from incarceration will endup back in prison within the firstthree years of their release due to re-offense. He notes that the war ondrugs during the 1980s and ’90s ledto significant prison overcrowding,and a vast majority of states haveeither begun or are seriously consid-ering steps to address the problem.

“In an effort to reduce prisonovercrowding and improve recidi-vism rates, states across the nationhave either enacted prison reformmeasures or are well down the pathto making significant policychanges,” says Milner. States likeIndiana, Georgia, Utah, Alabama,Nevada, New York, Ohio, California,and Texas have or are in the processof enacting prison reform measures.

Specifically, the states are target-

ing two main approaches to helpalleviate prison overcrowding andreduce recidivism—sentencingreform and improved offender reha-bilitation and reintegration pro-grams. He says states are looking atrevising mandatory sentencing aswell as removing jail time as a sen-tence for many low-level crimes: pri-marily drug-related offenses. Simplyput, jail time won’t help reform theseindividuals, he notes. The newapproach is to keep low-leveloffenders at the community leveland provide them with the resourcesproven to truly affect change andreform: addiction services, mentalhealth services, job placement assis-tance, housing assistance, food andclothing assistance, etc., while equal-ly emphasizing accountability.

“The approach of using a singledevice to keep offenders accountableand act as a means to facilitate criti-cal support services is a conceptunique to Corrisoft,” says Milner.“Gone are the days of offenders sim-ply being a dot on a map. Holding

offenders accountable is more thanjust tracking their activity. It’s aboutproviding the resources, tools andsupport necessary to remove thebarriers and empower offenders totake direct control of getting their lifeback on track.”

He espouses the change inresponsibility as beneficial to offend-ers’ success. “That’s the beauty ofit—the shift—moving from the ideaof monitoring someone as a meansof enforcing the rules to the conceptof using compliance administrationas a way to help offenders becomeaccountable for their own improve-ment, achieve true reform, and breakthe cycle of recidivism.”

The AIR Mobile Connect systemcouples a specifically-configuredand controlled smart phone with asmall, lightweight, tamper-reportingtether worn by the offender. Thetether acts as an identifier betweenthe smart phone and offender, andit is paired with the phone to ensureit is with them at all times.

Air Mobile Connect affords com-

P&P Supervisory Tool: The Phone AdvantageA programmed smart phone and tether coupled with the AIR programbrings accountability, rehabilitation and reintegration to the forefront.

T E C H N O L O G Y A P P L I C A T I O N

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munity-based supervision officersthe ability to engage in real-time,two-way communications withoffenders, while maintaining GPStracking data, according to Milner.This means agencies can take aproactive approach to interactingwith offenders to better ensure theystay compliant with the terms oftheir release, he says.

“Having the ability to electroni-cally manage offender scheduling,use technology to automate a wholehost of tasks, and proactively engagewith the offenders vastly improvesan agency’s efficiency and enablesofficers to spend more time in thefield where they can truly helpoffenders,” says Milner.

The smart phone comes loadedwith Corrisoft’s proprietary mobileapplication and control features andprovides 24/7 access to AIR Support

Agents and/or AIR IntegrationSpecialists who are equipped tofacilitate a wide range of offendersupport services, Milner relates. TheAIR Mobile user-friendly homescreen acts as the AIR MobileConnect main interface and includes

e-mail, text, scheduling, camera andresource functions in addition to thereal-time communication capabili-ties. With one touch of a button anoffender can be in direct contactwith the supervision officer, an AIRSupport agent who is available 24/7,or other designated resources.

To enhance efficiencies for thesupervising officer, the AIR Mobile

Connect system also avails its data toa separate supervisor phone mobileapplication, which features tools thatorganize offender compliance histo-ry, displays real-time offender map-ping location, provides access tooffender profiles, and provides one-touch direct access to offenders tofacilitate proactive protocol manage-ment. In addition, agencies managethe AIR Mobile Connect systemthrough the AIR Dashboard, a web-based user interface that displays theoffender’s profile, terms, and activitydata alongside the real-time GPStracking statistics.

To supplement contact, or in lieuof making home visits, public safetyofficers can conduct virtual searchesthrough the smart phone’s camera,he says. The smart phone feeds real-time GPS data into the AIRDashboard, which uses an excep-


June/July 2015


tion-based approach to displaytracking information and alerts.This means the dashboard onlyshows critical notifications ratherthan listing all activity data pointswhich would force the safety officerto comb through large amounts ofdata to identify any alerts that needadditional attention.

In most agencies offenders comeinto the office once a week to meetwith their supervision officer or casemanager to review their schedule,he notes. The meeting can often lastbetween 10 minutes to half an hour,and most officers oversee 100 to 200offenders. This practice forces offi-cers to spend too much time in theoffice as opposed to out in the fieldwhere they can make the mostimpact, Milner asserts. With theAIR Mobile Connect system, theentire scheduling process can bedone using the platform’s calendar

application. The offenders submittheir calendar requests at a desig-nated time each week for the officerto review and approve. Throughoutthe week the supervising officer canmonitor activity against the offend-er’s schedule in real time—proac-tively communicating with theoffender to ensure complianceinstead of retroactively reviewingwhether or not an offender wascompliant with their previousweek’s schedule, he says.

Additionally, Corrisoft hasrecently developed a mobile appli-cation, currently in beta testing,which facilitates portable, remotedrug and alcohol testing capabilities,Milner says. While currently astand-alone device/software plat-form, the goal is to integrate thismuch-needed new substance abusetechnology into the AIR MobileConnect system.

For more information: Corrisoft/AIRprogram, 859.685.1492, www.cor-risoft.com

PILOT PROGRAMSCurrently Corrisoft is piloting the AIR program in two Indiana markets:Dearborn County (near Cincinnati) running since September 2014, andAllen County (Ft. Wayne) since January 2015. Below are employment statistics from the pilots:

Dearborn County:

88% employed today as of June 2015

29 — average number of days to gain employment

1.8 — average number of interviews to gain employment

$11.63 — average wage (per hour)

7 — average number of contact points per day (voice, text, email)

45% reduction in positive drug screens (over prior year)

0 criminal arrests

Allen County:

84% employed today as of June 2015

23 — average number of days to find employment

$9.24 — average wage (per hour)

(no historical drug testing data)

4.3 — average number of contact points per day (voice, text, email)

0 criminal arrests

Corrisoft’s Alternative to Incarceration viaRehabilitation (AIR) program uses the Air

Mobile Connect System which consists of aspecifically-configured smart phone with a

lightweight, tamper-reporting tether. Itallows real-time, two-way communications.


June/July 2015


disproportionately on African-Americans and when they bringcharges backed by thin evidence.

A California judge commented.“The bail is really being set to keepthe person in custody. You have tokind of concede that,” said W. KentHamlin of Superior Court in FresnoCounty. “It’s not supposed to be that:it’s supposed to guarantee theirappearance in court. They’re innocentuntil proven guilty, but the bail sys-tem assumes they’re guilty.”

BUYING FREEDOMWhile no amount of money, criticssay, should buy the freedom of

someone who is truly dangerous, bythe same token, the inability to payshould not keep defendants whopose little risk locked up. Instead,

says the article, they should bereleased using a range of nonfinan-cial conditions like GPS monitors,pretrial supervision or even unse-cured bonds.

The critics say risk should beevaluated not in a quick, subjectivehearing, but rather through a scien-tifically validated assessment thatweighs such factors as the defen-dant’s age, lifestyle and previousrecord. The use of risk assessmentsis also supported by law enforce-ment groups.

As an example of the model sys-tem, advocates for change point toWashington, DC, where money bailwas effectively eliminated in the1990s. About 15 percent of defen-dants are deemed too risky to releaseand are held on what is called “pre-ventive detention.” Of the rest, veryfew fail to appear in court or arearrested on a new charge.

New Jersey is phasing in a sys-tem modeled on Washington’s, butelsewhere, change has beenblocked. In Maryland last year, apretrial reform committee appoint-ed by the governor at the time,Martin O’Malley, issued a host ofrecommendations, including theuse of risk assessments and theelimination of money bail. Nonehave been adopted—in part, saidMr. DeWolfe, the public defender,because of the opposition from thepowerful bail bond industry.

Equal Justice Under Law, a civilrights group based in Washington,

has been trying a novel legal tacticto dismantle money bail: going afterjurisdictions that use bail fee sched-ules, in which the amount of bail isfixed based on the offense instead ofthe flight risk or public safety con-cerns resulting in the unconstitu-tional imprisonment of people solelybecause they cannot pay.

In one of the suits, against thetown of Clanton, Ala., the Dept. ofJustice filed a rare supporting brief,writing that setting bail in this fash-ion, and without regard for a defen-dant’s ability to pay, “not only vio-lates the 14th Amendment’s EqualProtection Clause, but also consti-tutes bad public policy.”

The bail bond industry assets thatalternatives to money bail can bejust as burdensome on the poor.Some jurisdictions charge defen-dants for ankle monitors or drugabuse classes, and a mistake canland them in more trouble, saysNicholas J. Wachinski, the executivedirector of the American BailCoalition, an industry group. Hesays that in many cases defendantsare exonerated of a crime only toface consequences of a technicalviolation of pretrial release.

Another problem is that manystates do not give judges the optionof preventive detention; inBaltimore, for example, it can beused only in very limited circum-stances. So judges often set a veryhigh, presumably unattainable bail.

Even judges who have seen bail-related horror stories say money bailis necessary. One Cleveland criminalcourt judge, Nancy Margaret Russo,said an infant died after being left inthe care of the drug-addicted girl-friend of a defendant who could notcome up with the $171 to makebond. But, the judge said: “You’rebalancing risk. You can’t throw therisk out the window just becausesomebody doesn’t have anymoney.”

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Continued from page 4

“They’re innocent until provenguilty, but the bail systemassumes they’re guilty.”

—JUDGE W. KENT HAMLIN

A5A / 1 : 4057i 02500 MPpPSn W 2-41 : 4495/ 6 g , T _ 9-64-/ 1 7310 8M J NCE 02

June /July 2015

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