April/May 2017
Vol. 15 No. 2
The Best of CMS Software Wayfinding Signage that Works
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Courts Today 69 Lyme Road, Hanover, NH 03755
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with alternative & diversion programs
Publisher & Executive Editor Thomas S. Kapinos Assistant Publisher Jennifer Kapinos
A P R I L / M A Y 2 017
Editor Donna Rogers
VOLU M E 15 N U M B E R 2
Contributing Editors Michael Grohs, Bill Schiffner G.F. Guercio, Kelly Mason
F EATU R E S
Art Director Jamie Stroud
8 Courts in the Media 12 Managing, Moving & Melding The Best of CMS Software
19 Kiosks: Collections Convenience 23 New Court A/V Assistance Program 27 Drug Detection Devices 30 Follow the Yellow Brick Road Wayfinding That Works
Marketing Representatives Bonnie Dodson (828) 479-7472 Art Sylvie (480) 816-3448 Peggy Virgadamo (718) 456-7329
with alternative & diversion programs
is published bi-monthly by: Criminal Justice Media, Inc PO Box 213 Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 310.374.2700 Send address changes to: COURTS TODAY 69 Lyme Road Hanover, NH 03755 or fax (603) 643-6551
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C O U RTS I N T H E M E D I A NACM CONFERENCE FEATURED PBS’ TAVIS SMILEY & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN THE STATE COURTS The National Association for Court Management (NACM) held its midyear conference in Portland, Ore., in February. The conference featured a session on Community Engagement in the State Courts. The session explored how courts can work to find meaningful connections with their constituents and communities. The session included excerpts from PBS’ Tavis Smiley Courting Justice Series—an unprecedented multi-city town hall series that invites state supreme, appellate, and trial court judges to step down from the bench and listen to new perspectives on how the United States court system can better deliver justice for all.
Following that program was an update from the National Task Force on Fines, Fees and Bail Practices. The task force was formed to address the ongoing impact that court fines, fees, and bail practices have on communities—especially economically disadvantaged—across the United States. Products from the task force were shared with attendees including bench cards for judges, an interactive website, and language for model uniform citations. Finally, attendees were enlightened by a presentation entitled “A Path Toward Racial Equity.” The presenter participated in the Ferguson Commission and shared work being done post-Ferguson. At present, NACM is gearing up for its 2017 annual conference in Washington D.C. (to be held July 913 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City) and is partnering with the International Association for Court Administration (IACA). Over 750 court leaders, administrators and judges from throughout the United States and over 50 countries are expected to attend, notes Vicky Carlson, NACM president-elect. The theme is Excellence on a Global Scale and will feature a discussion about the Rule of Law with Chief Justices from around the world. There will also be sessions that address other trends facing the courts, including Equal Access to Justice, Court Governance and Leadership, Technology sessions that address Cybersecurity, On-Line Dispute Resolution, and making Social Media work for the courts. Finally, sessions that highlight the latest trends in Space, Facilities, and Security will be included in the agenda. For more information and to view the NACM agenda, visit www.nacmnet.org. The cut-off date for discount registration/room rate is June 15.
MASSACHUSETTS HIGH COURT ORDER CONFIRMS THE DISMISSAL OF OVER 21K WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS “Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, on April 20 released the following statement in response to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issuing its final order to dismiss 21,587 drug cases tainted by former state chemist Annie Dookhan. "Today is a major victory for justice, fairness, and the tens of thousands of people who were wrongfully convicted based on fabricated evidence. After four years of intense work, we are proud to have been a part of the single largest dismissal of wrongful convictions in the nation's history. As a Commonwealth and champions of freedom, we have taken an important step in addressing a symptom of the war on drugs." THE SHOCKING LACK OF SCIENCE BEHIND LETHAL INJECTIONS “Until a judge told them to stop in mid-April, penal authorities in Arkansas planned to kill seven people in 11 days,” began an article in WIRED magazine. “All seven were convicted of horrible crimes and sentenced to die by the state; put aside how you feel about that for a moment. What’s salient here is how those men are supposed to die—the execution of their executions. According to Arkansas’ Lethal Injection Procedure, each man will first get an intravenous injection of a sedative called midazolam, a benzodiazepene—the same class of drugs as Valium. On death row it’s supposed to induce a deep, insensate coma. Then comes a dose of vecuronium bromide. Technically that’s a nonpolarizing neuromuscular blocker, a muscle relaxant. On death row, it’s a paralytic, intended to keep the prisoner still and, maybe, to suffocate. If you can’t move your diaphragm, you can’t inhale.
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C O U RTS I N T H E M E D I A All that’s just a wind-up for the real kill shot: potassium chloride. The potassium ion messes up the electrical properties of the cells of the heart, making it impossible for them to contract. The heart stops beating. Not every state executes prisoners the same way. Some only use one drug, or follow different protocols. But the idea, everywhere, is the same: to execute people without violating the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment. In fact, the whole point of lethal injection was that it seems like a more humane way of executing someone than hanging, shooting, head-chopping-off, gas chambers, stuff like that. The problem is, no one knows if lethal injection really is more humane. In court case after court case, lawyers have argued that botched executions by lethal injection show that it’s a painful and faulty method. What little research exists hints at the same conclusion. No matter how you feel about the fact that the criminal justice system sometimes kills people, even innocent people, you have to also feel something about the fact that the criminal justice system isn’t very good at killing people.” The WIRED article goes on to say that conducting execu-
tions isn’t easy for several reasons, among them that doctors-members are forbidden by the American Medical Association to do research on executing people because it’s “inherently unethical to conduct experiments on how to best execute people.” For the full article see www.wired.com/2017/04/shocking-lack-science-behindlethal-injection). ARKANSAS EXECUTIONS: STATE KILLS THREE DEATH ROW INMATES Arkansas executed two death row inmates, both convicted murderers, April 21, making it the first state to carry out two death sentences on one day since 2000, according to nbcnews.com. The Arkansas Department of Correction administered its lethal injection cocktail to Jack Jones, 52, at 7:06 p.m. CT and a coroner pronounced him dead at 7:20 p.m. Marcel Williams, 46, was declared dead by the same procedure just over three hours later at 10:33 p.m. J.R. Davis, a spokesman for Gov. Asa Hutchinson, described the executions as "flawless."
A spokesman for Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas described the executions as “flawless.” Jones' and Williams' executions are part of an aggressive schedule set by Hutchinson that originally planned to execute eight men within 10 days, because a key lethal injection drug expires at the end of the month. Four of those executions were blocked by courts but Arkansas executed Ledell Lee on the night of April 20, only minutes before his death warrant expired. Williams death sentence was briefly put on hold after Williams lawyers asked for and received a stay by claiming that Jones' execution was "torturous. The Arkansas DOC is using a controversial lethal injection combo that lawyers for the two inmates had attempted to challenge in state and federal courts. But both men's appeals were dismissed. In their most compelling appeal, Jones and Williams' lawyers claimed that the lethal injection protocol would not work on them because of their medical conditions, which were severe. As April comes to a close, four of the eight executions planned for April are on hold, three men already have been executed, and the execution of Kenneth Dewayne Williams is scheduled for April 27. He was convicted of capital murder in 2000 for the death of Cecil Boren, whom he killed after escaping prison while serving a life sentence for the 1998 killing of Dominique Hurd, a University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff cheerleader. His attorneys filed a writ for habeas corpus claiming he is intellectually disabled and thus ineligible for execution. The federal appeals court has yet to respond.
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BY G. F. G U ERC I O, C O N T R I B U T I N G E D IT O R
MANAGING, MOVING & MELDING How software helps courts to forge data sharing/manipulation for risk analysis, privacy protection, record searches, pretrial/supervision actions and more.
OVER
100 million cases stream through our courts each year and every one of them must be examined and decided, usually more than once, before it concludes, says Sue Humphreys, industry relations director, equivant. “Fortunately, every stage of a case can be made more efficient through technology; whether that’s to help guide and update parties or by facilitating workflow or simply bringing data together in a way that supports whatever decisions must be made by whoever needs to make them. The challenge is in melding these technologies into a cohesive system
that streamlines court processes instead of complicating them, even if unwittingly.” Further frustrating matters, many existing case management technologies mimic paper-based processes without finding new efficiencies, notes Kendall Smith, business development manager, Thomson Reuters. “An inefficient system results in high costs and poor outcomes and doesn’t deliver on the vision of a paperless or automated court. Without a true electronic system, courts won’t be able to efficiently connect and share information with critical justice partners. A disconnected court cannot be an
effective court. These are huge barriers to the administration of justice; to the operational effectiveness of every court.” Adam Watson, program manager, Synergy International Systems, Inc. concurs, adding the latest trends in court and community supervision software require providers to look beyond the collection and management of data to see and understand the decisions that courts and criminal justice professionals must make every day. “Most case management systems house data that, if analyzed properly, could provide a wealth of insight into criminal trends, procedural bottle-
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necks, and staffing needs.” Relating to the criminal trends aspect, Michael Kleiman, director of marketing, Tyler Technologies Courts & Justice Division says, “Overcrowded jails, less bail, more pretrial release: these trends mean that an increasing number of people need supervision from the justice system. Now, more than ever, justice partners need to share data in real time to successfully monitor this growing population.” To help, James Newman, vice president of Sales and Marketing, cFive Solutions, Inc. relates that today nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults own a smartphone (U.S. Smartphone Use in 2015, Pew Research Center, April 2015), which makes the mobile device an effective addition to the community supervision arsenal. “Supervision aided by
smartphone communications provides offenders and agencies a costeffective solution to improve compliance, accountability and offender behavior.” In this “handheld-interactivedevice world,” says Michael D. Locascio, chief executive, Integrated Software Specialists, Inc., “We now live in the millennial generation age. As such, there is rapidly growing demand by the general public, partners, and customers of the court for instant access to information, easy and convenient processing, intuitive self-help web-based interactive portals, greater levels of informational and web-based processing services, and intelligently interactive and informative processing—all in an electronic handheld interactivedevice world at their disposal, from anywhere and at any time. Without
a doubt, this is a calling to move old archaic processes out of government buildings and into cyberspace.”
SOFTWARE OFFERINGS Integrating Workflow JusticeTech enables courts and public safety organizations to store and manage information electronically by integrating workflow and a common electronic case file with an existing case management system. The JusticeTech solution enables information to move efficiently through the process and allows key parties in the justice system to work collaboratively as a single, connected unit. The result is improved efficiency, enhanced transparency,
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reduced costs and increased public safety. JusticeTech offers solutions for Trial Courts, Appellate Courts, the Prosecutor and Law Enforcement. 855.533.3366, www.imagesoftinc.com, www.justicetech.com, marketing@imagesoftinc.com
Enhance Access for Self-representing Litigants ImageSoft, Inc., partners with the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI), developer of A2J Author, a cloud-based tool that helps self-representing litigants (SRLs) to easily complete and print documents in preparation for filing. ImageSoft and CALI leverage technology to help make the court system easier to navigate and operate for SRLs, court staff, and the public served by attorneys. A2J Author provides Guided Interviews that distill complex legal instructions into an easy to understand format in order to enable SRLs to navigate through complex court processes and procedures. www.cali.org or www.a2j.org.
CMS + Performance Analysis Synergy's case management system provides configurable workflow, user management, and advanced analytics. These configurable tools are built into the solution and can be implemented using Synergy’s platform and an agile development approach. Synergy goes beyond role-based case management to enable users to perform detailed analysis of court performance, informing decision-making through trend analysis and data visualization, including configurable maps, charts, and graphs. Synergy provides all services supporting the system customization and has flexible
Synergy’s CMS Dashboard shows a comparative view of judge caseload and clearance rates.
licensing and pricing models for cloud based or locally deployed solutions. 703.883.1119, www.synisys.com, Adam.Watson@synisys.com or mail@synisys.com
Case and Content Management
and more to digital images through its subsidiary, Pioneer Records Management. 800.280.5281, http://www.ptghome.com/, krumsey@ptghome.com
Legal Analytics Docket Alarm is a legal analytics provider working with a variety of
Pioneer Technology Group is a developer of software solutions and services to governments and the private sector. The company, headquartered in Florida, recently opened a location in Ohio to better service customers in the Midwest region. Offerings include:
Detail view of motion analysis for a judge showing time to decision and other metrics from Docket Alarm.
Benchmark court case management system, the Landmark official records system, the YourDox title document system, and tax processing systems for counties and municipalities. Pioneer also provides content management systems and a scanning services bureau for transitioning paper, microfilm, microfiche,
state, federal, and administrative courts across the United States to help court clerks analyze trends within a court system. The system analyzes the thousands or millions of cases within a court’s jurisdiction to determine judge workload, time to trial, motion outcome, settlement
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rates, and other metrics, all within an advanced dashboard. These metrics help administrators plan staffing and organizational structure and help litigants estimate time to trial, likelihood of success, and likelihood of settlement. www.docketalarm.com|about us, michael.sander@docketalarm.com
er-supervisor relationship with intelligent supervision management services and a client-facing mobile app that automates interactions and information gathering, and improves monitoring, offender accountability and offender behavior. 949.260.3002, www.cfive.com, jnewman@cfive.com
authentication and electronic signing of forms by judges, clerks, attorneys, and officers. Fingerprint scanners, along with signature pads and PDF generation of form and reports, allow a court to become virtually paperless. 205.758.2000, www.syscononline.com, info@syscononline.com
Actionable Data for Supervision
Fingerprint Authentication
Seamlesss Information Sharing
cFive products give agencies, caseworkers and leadership concise, actionable data that provide insight and increase efficiency. cFive Supervisor is the data-driven supervision management platform that provides agencies the framework to optimize program, caseworkers and client outcomes. cFive Catalyst is a rehabilitation and behavioral change platform. Catalyst bridges the offend-
Court Clerk streamlines court operations providing scanning, indexing, and viewing of documents associated with a case. Flexible interfaces allow transfer of information to/from law enforcement, integrated online payments, telephone reminder, and adjudicated information to state agencies to keep all agencies up to date and accurate. Syscon’s award-winning system uses fingerprint scanners for
C-Track from Thomson Reuters is a configurable web-based court case management system designed to work for and grow with courts as case management processes change. C-Track can be integrated with local law enforcement, detention centers and treatment facilities ensuring seamless information sharing regarding current case participants. For specialty courts, C-Track is able
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Thomson Reuters software correlates all aspects of the justice system.
to integrate with specific partners in mental health care including hospitals or drug treatment facilities to support and monitor treatment milestones.
from Thomson Reuters provides law enforcement and courts the most comprehensive and correct information, saving time and money. Courts across the country can receive accurate and comprehensive data to manage victim and witness identification, juror notification, and preand post-trial fees and services. Probation and parole professionals require real-time resources to maintain community safety. With realtime incarceration and arrest records and customizable alerting capabilities, caseloads are better managed to ensure a higher level of security for the public.
Find Records Easily
Judges Off the Record
From child support payments, jury duty mailings, and restitution payments, CLEAR Public Records
Coming this year: a tool designed to address the needs of today’s judges while in chambers. Thomson Reuters Judicial Chambers is a secure environment for off-therecord collaboration that helps judges and their chambers’ staff to more efficiently and effectively manage and complete chambers-specific tasks. With deep connections to Thomson Reuters Westlaw, users can easily access Westlaw for deeper research, and be confident in citation markup, and status of primary law with KeyCite flags. 651.687.1142, www.legalsolutions.com/courts, Kendall.smith@thomsonreuters.com
Pretrial Automation Tyler’s Odyssey Pretrial Services module provides an automated tool for handling all aspects of the pretrial release process where defendants who represent a minimum risk to society await trial in the community, either supervised or unsupervised. Its seamless integration with Odyssey Jail Manager, Odyssey Supervision and Odyssey Case Manager provides active sharing of party record data, eliminating duplicate data entry and minimizing errors. April/May 2017 16
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Multi-Agency Platform Tyler Alliance is a multi-agency platform that integrates public safety and criminal justice systems by connecting departments, agencies and jurisdictions. Anchored by a common foundation, Tyler Alliance enables Tyler products to operate more collaboratively and securely share data via connection points across multiple applications making the experience for staff more consistent. From dispatch operators, police on patrol, fire departments and emergency services to court clerks, trial judges, prosecutors, corrections staff and probation officers, improved data sharing enhances decision-making, and reduces time and errors. 800.431.5776, www.tylertech.com, cjsales@tylertech.com
Private Data Protection Time, money and mandates: local, state, and federal courts are strapped for the first two and feeling increasing pressure to comply with the latter. They continue to operate in a domore-with-less environment, meeting increasingly stringent regulations to protect the private data contained within documents they manage from fraud and identity theft. And they
must balance the line between privacy and disclosure. Intellidact uses an advanced fourth generation machine learning engine coupled with a single user interface to provide customers with the tools they need to perform automatic redaction, classification, indexing, e-filing and more. 407.598.1861, www.csisoft.com, info@csisoft.com or sales@csisoft.com
Connecting Data Sources Sound decisions about supervision start with information about an individual’s current charge and their
history. This means bringing together information, often from various sources, and displaying or reporting that information. The court’s case management system should be the backbone since that’s where much of the data about cases, people, decisions, and outcomes is assimilated; whether collected directly or made available through exchanges with other systems. JWorks lets the court hook into outside data sources and provides the tools to create informative decisions, the cornerstone of a comprehensive court and community supervision solution.
Supervision Risk Predictor Supervision needs arise at all stages of a court case, whether releasing awaiting trial, monitoring on treatment dockets, sentencing to supervised probation, or post-incarceration when re-entering society. The Northpointe Suite provides the
COMPAS, with scientifically-validated scales to predict risk and measure criminogenic needs. For courts using other assessment systems, the Suite has automated these so information can flow to the Suite’s case planning and case manager components to facilitate the court’s supervision strategy and document details about community monitoring, testing, treatment, scheduled events, conditions compliance, and outcomes. 800.406.4333, www.equivant.com, info@equivant.com
Data Exchange Automation All iJustice solutions leverage the proprietary iJustice Enterprise Exchange Broker, a sophisticated integration and exchange automation solution suite. As SOA (Services Oriented Architecture) solutions, all can seamlessly inte-
grate and automatically exchange date with virtually any existing legacy system, offering advanced information access and process automation capabilities. As true SOA, all are flexible, adaptable, and scalable to meet virtually any change, integration, data sharing, and growth requirements to deliver customizable electronic information services to virtually any device that has Internet access and a browser. 847.240.5070, www.ijusticesolutions.com, iJusticeInfo@issintl.com
Drug Testing Information Judicator offers judges, case managers, and probation officers monitoring for offender drug testing. Available online 24/7, Judicator allows access to review and print up-to-date drug test results, reports, and schedules. An Interactive Voice Response System allows tracking of offenders’ calls to show time and calling number. Through consultation, determine testing frequency
Multiple report options are available through Judicator.
and generate schedules and call-in messages unique to your program. Working with all major laboratories, Judicator allows access to rapid, lab or specialized test results, chain-ofcustody paperwork, and other information via your computer, cell phone or tablet. 800.256.7141, www.premierintegrity.com, mikew@premierintegrity.com
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BY DONNA R OG E R S , EDITO R
Collections Convenience From kiosks to tablets, online portals to apps, automated payment services make it easier for court patrons to pay their fines and fees.
TouchPay kiosks can accept payments to government agencies, including courts, child support agencies and correctional facilities from a variety of payment types including cash, credit and debit.
veryone is always crunched for time, so if courts make payments more convenient it stands to reason they may collect more revenue. That seemed to be the case for Delaware courts when they installed an automated payment system. In 2012 they first implemented kiosks to take payments for probation and parole. When it became clear the devices were secure, easy to use and reduced court expenditures, according to Ronny Park, VP for Payment Services with TouchPay, the company that installed them, other jurisdictional courts added their accounts to the same kiosks and most of the kiosks were moved to more central locations at DMVs. Delaware Child Support payments were added to those kiosks in 2015. Now the kiosks are more accessible and take payments for traffic citations, court fines and fees, child support, and the Department of Correction. Before being added to the kiosks, no cash child support payments were accepted in Delaware and there was only a single cashier’s window in the state. Now child support can be paid in cash or with credit and debit cards at the
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seven kiosk locations statewide. The kiosks have brought in increased revenue each year since being implemented. For the last three years, FY 2014 to FY 2016, the number of transactions has doubled each year, and the amount collected has gone from $40,000 to more than $160,000. Delaware is now in the process of installing kiosks in 24-hour courts, according to Park. And it could continue to climb. It has the capability to accept other payments such as utility fees or even payments for agencies in other states if all parties involved agreed. William DiBartola, collections administrator with the Delaware Office of State Court Collections Enforcement, is pleased with the results. “The GTL/TouchPay kiosks have allowed our State Courts, and some sister state agencies, to expand our public accessibility without placing additional burdens on already strained resources. The ease of convenience as a one-stop payment center for many Delaware Judiciary, Department of Correction, and Delaware Division of Child Support April/May 2017x
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Services commitments at Division of Motor Vehicles locations throughout Delaware has been a positive experience,” he says. He adds they continue to look for ways to expand the services.
From Standard to Custom Olea Kiosks, Inc., based in Cerritas, California, designs and manufactures custom kiosks. Its products are used for casino gaming, check-in, government, health care, higher education, hospitality, retail, ticketing and wayfinding. Government/civic projects include Orange County, Florida, and a growing deployment with the Arizona Department of Transportation, where they deploy cash-accepting kiosks. Their kiosks also are used by governmental agencies such as the TSA, where their kiosks for CLEAR expedite travel for hundreds of thousands of customers, and their kiosks for international customs for Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport expedite arriving passengers. The company, now in its fourth decade with a third-generation family member at the helm, has a strong basis in innovation, client collaboration and intelligent design, says Frank Olea, CEO. He says they have a powerful line-up of standard kiosks but when asked to customize “excel
Olea’s Milan Kiosk, a pedestal-style kiosk with a large LCD display is ideally suited for wayfinding and also can be configured around specific needs such as the ability to accept payments.
when given the opportunity to start from a blank sheet of paper.” Olea’s kiosk/payment system comprises several options for customers. “First, we partner with leading providers of swipe and dip card readers to enable the kiosks to accept debit and credit remuneration,” explains Olea. He furthers that many payment companies are beginning to catch up with EMV regulations, a technical standard for smart payment cards (“chip cards”) and for payment terminals that accept them. As companies struggle to adhere to the standard, Olea can help them not only with card-read-
SlabbKiosks are used in various industries including health care, micro-markets, government (corrections and educational institutions), retail and hospitality, and are implemented in multiple court locations across 14 states.
ing technology, but recommendations on processing options and more. “We’ve developed some real expertise here,” he states. Kiosks are great at collecting money, and because they are, the businesses and agencies that deploy them benefit from improved cash flow, Olea points out. One of the reasons is convenience. If a kiosk is placed in a central location, a customer can “make quick work of satisfying his bill with either cash, cards or perhaps even check,” he says. He states that “we use only the best cash acceptors in our kiosks because a large portion of the population— such as in judicial settings—may prefer to pay with good, old-fashioned greenbacks.” Another reason for their convenience, he furthers, is that the kiosk can be programmed always to ask for other payments if the need for one arises during part of a larger transaction. “Let’s say a customer goes into a DMV to pay a speeding ticket,” describes Olea. “If he also has an outstanding parking ticket, the kiosk will take the time to ask for payment of it, too. Sometimes busy clerks are tempted to keep transactions as simple as possible, and that’s not helpful to the officials in charge of collections.”
The Latest Payment Methods SlabbKiosks has been designing and manufacturing interactive, selfservice kiosks and digital signage for over 20 years in North America, Europe and Asia. The Las Vegas company has produced and installed “highly customized kiosks to our customers’ specifications and offer one of the fastest turnaround times in the industry,” they report. Their solutions are used in various industries including health care, micromarkets, government (corrections and educational institutions), retail,
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hospitality and others, and fees and restitution. are used in multiple court Slabb provides the most locations across 14 states. up-to-date electronic payTheir recent acquisition of ment technologies available, Phoenix Kiosk and Wilson explains. “As part of RedDotNet “has allowed us the Ingenico Group’s to widen the solutions we Unattended Partner provide for courts, prisons Program, we can offer our and parole management clients the latest payment that assist with administramethods, including EMV, tive management and NFC, and mobile wallets receipt of payments,” notes such as Apple Pay and Kisha Wilson, marketing Android Pay. These can also manager. be integrated with loyalty Services that Slabb pro- With its small foot- and business applications.” print, the Metrolite vide courts are court docket The payment kiosks are from Olea Kiosk is display, probation check in, perfect for accepting versatile. “[They] can stand jury check in/check out alone or be integrated with payments in a (one of the turnkey soluexisting court systems used courthouse. tions provided by Phoenix’s for payment collection,” solution), as well as full payment Wilson points out. “For example, collections for bills, fines, license the kiosk can be tied into the court’s
probation system (restitution payments), jury system (jury service and mileage payments), as well as collecting bills, fines, and other license fees. We can provide payment processing services or connect with the court’s preferred payment processor.” Cash, checks, money orders, debit and credit cards are all supported payment options.
Suite of Payment Channels TouchPay Holdings dba GTL Financial Services provides automated payment services to government agencies including courts, municipalities, child support agencies (as noted above), and corrections. “Our Lobby Kiosk is the cornerstone of our suite of payment channels and is
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produced to our specifications by Kiosk Information Systems (located in the Denver area),” says Lisa Steffel, director of Payment Services, TouchPay/GTL Financial Services. TouchPay was acquired by Global Tel*Link in December 2014 and continues to provide services under the TouchPay name in the government space. As all of the channels in its comprehensive system, payments to the Lobby Kiosk are captured in real-time and immediately available to authorized users on the secure reporting platform. All accepted payments are guaranteed to the court and TouchPay handles all the kiosk installation, maintenance, cash collection, accounting, training, IT support, marketing, and customer service. TouchPay’s comprehensive suite of payment services enables consumers to have multiple convenient payment options with a consistent payment process, and integrated, real time reporting. “We are licensed for money transmission in every state and are PCI compliant at the highest level. Our turnkey payment system eliminates cash management and reporting headaches for the court and adds convenience and satisfaction for payers,” furthers Steffel. “In addition to our state-of-theart Lobby Kiosk, we provide an online payment portal, an IVR tollfree phone system, a patent pending Countertop Terminal and Walk-In Retail, which allows consumers to pay in cash locally. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive system that maximizes the payment options for consumers so that they will make more payments,” says Steffel. More payments are the end-goal, of course. By the end of April 2017, TouchPay will have installed kiosks to take California Department of Child Support Services payments in 79 counties in the state. Many of the counties that have Lobby Kiosks taking utility or corrections pay-
Similar in operation to an ATM machine, the TouchPay Lobby Kiosk’s touchscreen flow is simple to understand and use, and includes bilingual instructions.
ments are considering cross-purposing their kiosks with the local child support agency for additional kiosk availability for payers and depositors. Added convenience reduces agency costs and multiplies the amount collected. Keith Benton, TouchPay’s
Director of Government Payments sums it up: “With more than 500 kiosks installed, TouchPay’s Lobby Kiosks have proven that they always protect data and currency, have an industry-leading 99.999% uptime record of service, accept bills in all denominations and can accommodate multiple agencies on the same machine. Best of all, we guarantee every accepted payment and there is no fee to the court when mutually agreed minimum transaction volumes are met.” Overall, kiosks have proven they improve performance in collecting payments for courts. In a 2014 study of another TouchPay installation in Marin County, California, a yearover-year comparison of the first three months after the installation of the kiosks compared to the same time period the year previous showed that the number of transactions “increased from 368 to 533 (45% growth),” according to Steffel. At the same time, “cash collections grew from $97,150 to $176,190 (an 81% increase).” Likewise Slabb’s Wilson points out that its customers not only benefit from the convenience of a selfservice option, “but it is also an option that is highly utilized by the unbanked and underbanked. They can access services including making payments via the kiosk that they could not have otherwise through traditional avenues, such as banks, payment centres, etc.,” she notes. Those benefiting from kiosks are definitely two-fold. She furthers: “Many of the benefits listed are experienced by the end users, but our clients—the businesses/institutions that provide the kiosk services, also benefit, as their operational costs are reduced. The implementation of a kiosk solution also frees up front office/customer-facing staff, allowing them to be placed in other departments that may have heavier workloads.” CT
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BY M I C HAE L G R OHS , C ONTR I BU TI NG EDITO R Evidence presented from a document camera using spotlight and annotation capability, courtesy of the Fairfax County, Virginia, Court.
Built By Affiliation The Court Affiliation program at CLCT acts to determine best A/V practices and disseminate them among members. It’s newly restructured online “soft launch” was expected in mid-April.
here was a time, says David Bartee, director, Court Technology Office in Fairfax, Virginia (FFX), when the only technology a courtroom might have had was a computer and a printer. Times have changed drastically, and now courtrooms are models of technological advancement. The issue,
T
says Fred Lederer, director of the Center for Legal and Court Technology (CLCT), was that when the tide started to turn and many courts began adopting more sophisticated technology, there was no easy way to get information on the matter and no centralized place to find it.
To address the concern, in 1993 the Courtroom 21 (C21) Project was begun as a joint venture between the College of William and Mary Law School and the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) with the mission to "improve the world's legal systems through the appropriate use of technology.” Since then, April/May 2017x
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Courtroom 21 has evolved into CLCT, a repository of professional research regarding the legal applicability for specific technologies. CLCT provides both basic and advanced levels of training for audio-visual technology (A/V) that is specific to the courtroom environment. Their mock courtroom serves as an important “test” environment that is a roadmap for other courts to follow and adapt to the best fitting for their own court. CLCT is involved in judicial and attorney training and education. They provide needs assessments, hold legal technology demonstrations and discussions for jurists, lawyers, law faculty, court administrators, technologists, architects and others from around the world. It is a global center for empirical and legal research on courtroom technology. CLCT has centralized all of this information and, along with NCSC, has sponsored the Court Affiliates
Program to share it with members. As its hub, the Affiliates Program uses the McGlothlin Courtroom, which is managed by CLCT. McGlothlin is the most technologically advanced educational courtroom in the world. Affiliates work to minimize redundancy, conserve financial and personnel resources, and “promote compliance with the legal and pragmatic needs of the courts and those they serve.” Using this cooperation, the Court Affiliates acts to determine best practices and disseminate them among members. “The Affiliate Court relationship,” says Bartee, “provides a forum and networking opportunity for FFX (judges, clerks, IT staffs, etc.) to engage with other courts around the country and the world regarding the specific use and impact of technology in our courtrooms. Affiliates provided reports on new initiatives either in development or recently launched into production.”
They offer annual conferences, at first in Williamsburg, and later at affiliate courts. “Then,” says Lederer, “came the Great Recession.” This had a massive impact on budgets and funding. Ten courts in California alone had to cut back and eliminate their membership. Recently, CLCT has undergone major structural changes to address this issue to make the information more available to courts. CLCT studied for more than a year how they could best serve courts. They recognized that in the modern world, the way to do this would be to emphasize communication via the Internet. With a “sizable” donation from Tyler Technologies, the largest software company in the nation solely focused on providing integrated software and technology services to the public sector, courts will be able to exchange experiences and information. After all, “The people who know the most about
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Courtroom equipped with A/V in Fairfax County Courthouse, which has been affiliated with CLCT for over 20 years.
courts are court people.” The site is not strictly a technology site. It can also involve elements that roughly relate to technology. “We are not only designed for technologists. We will be monitoring the site.” The financial structure will be based on the population of the district. The hope, says Lederer, is to serve about 1,000 courts. A “soft launch” was planned for mid-April, which will include a significant amount of information. All will be able to be done online. Members might have very intricate questions that relate to a specific court, such as traffic or family courts. These can be addressed at CLCT’s Affiliate Courts Program. “Some judges are experts in areas one might not expect.” FFX, for which Bartee is the Court Technology Office, has been affiliated with CLCT for nearly 20 years. Based on information gathered at C21 and other affiliate courts, FFX created their own customized
Courtroom Technology Management System, introducing shared, centralized resources such as a codec farm. “I believe FFX was one of the first five Affiliate Courts,” he notes. C21 gave them a forum to network about technology. When FFX started, few if any courts were using high-end technology, but now all courts do. The Affiliate Program has evolved from what C21 was testing to what Affiliate Courts have implemented. Over the years, says Bartee, FFX has established longterm working relationships with CLCT as well as colleagues around the world. One of the particularly interesting offerings from CLCT, says Bartee, are the mock trials. He notes that they have a proximity advantage by being only about 145 miles away. They can go down to Williamsburg and see what CLCT has been experimenting with, and then go back to Fairfax and customize it, such as
installing and using VTC, document cameras, user interfaces, etc. The affiliate relationship has allowed FFX to use information from CLCT to create their own courtroom prototype and test in a “live” environment. One of the biggest benefits FFX has found is the networking opportunities with other courts, and a venue to get into the finer details of working with certain A/V hardware, software, programming, etc. In the program, courts can share ideas and exchange information. He points out the unique nature of the industry. No two courts are alike. “What works for FFX, may not be what works for another court and viceversa.” He furthers, “The annual conference provides the opportunity to meet and interface directly with our court colleagues, and the challenges technology introduces to the adjudication process. The benefit of being April/May 2017x
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At Fairfax County Courthouse user cell phone is connected wirelessly to its digital evidence presentation system, which they refer to as CTMS, or Courtroom Technology Management System.
able to network with other courts is a tremendous opportunity they provide.” At the conferences, affiliates can ask each other questions and “get into the intimate details.” They discuss hardware, software, and integration. There are half a dozen ways to do something, and if a court is having a very specific problem, it is helpful to discuss it with other courts that may have a solution. The Court Affiliates Program is open to all courts that either have or are planning to incorporate technology into their courtrooms. Members receive discounts on training and conferences, such as CLCT’s court technologist A/V training courses and construction conferences. Not only can members learn about the technology involved, but the legal concerns as well, such as if the evidence is a distorted video or if the witness is testifying remotely. Everything has to be authenticated, and the court has to prove who the person is. If it is not done correctly, the image might be distorted. Bartee notes, “Knowing what will not work is just as important as knowing what will.” CLCT is a repository. “In a way, we’ve all been developing a blueprint
we can all work from.” Among the aspects Bartee likes are the specifics. NCSC is a reliable and valuable source, but they often focus on somewhat broader topics, while CLCT can focus on the details. Among the primary trends courts are undergoing is the transition from analog to digital, which Bartee notes, is “not a plug and play solution.” There are so many manufacturers that have to be vetted. “The best way to vet them out is through networking and sharing war stories.” For example, when a court in Scranton, Pa., was rolling out for the first time, they did not know if they should go for centralized or for decentralized. Fairfax is a significantly larger system, and after visiting Fairfax, the Scranton court realized that they did not need to be as centralized as FFX. Scranton got two digital courts up and running, and they are happy with them. Fairfax, though, has 22 courts. Four recently launched as digital versions, and they are in the process of upgrading the other 18. “Whether you are large or small, we’re all trying to do the same thing,” notes Bartee. There are considerations in these types of upgrades. Among them are
cost and time. For one, when a court decides to go digital, there is a financial commitment involved, and states are struggling fiscally. If a digital router is used, it must all then be digital. It also takes about three months to upgrade a court, and only so many courtrooms can be upgraded at once because they are in use every day. There are many benefits, though. The digital version allows for mobile devices to be used, and the attorneys can share something from a laptop or mobile device. Says Bartee, “We think we have this thing figured out.” They have since eliminated CDs and DVDs players. Users are now encouraged to bring their own devices. Another advantage of the Fairfax upgrades are the user features. The attorneys have a small control panel, and that panel is integrated into a touchpad. With that, he or she can annotate. The judge’s control panel is easy to understand and very user friendly. Bartee notes that the setup had minor initial issues—“buggy things”—such as live connectivity, and there is a small learning curve, but FFX offers regular training to attorneys about the technology as well as a chance to test the devices before the trial starts. The new, updated site contains topics including ethics, social media in the courtroom and hearing room, case management, e-filing, courthouse design, courthouse technology infrastructure, courtroom design, millwork and furniture, jury management technology, courtroom technology, training, e-discovery, criminal data seizures, data security, privacy and electronically accessible court information, and evidence as it pertains to technology. There is also information regarding training opportunities, a forum, and a blog. To learn more about the Court Affiliates Program, e-mail clct@wm.edu or call 757.221.7730. CT
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BY BI LL S C HI F F NE R , C ONTR I BU TI NG EDITO R
Drug Detection Devices That Get Results New developments in drug testing equipment and devices for pretrial, probation and parole markets.
Today court-ordered probation or pre-trial drug tests vary depending on the individual’s offense and how severe the punishment is. Often, the court order or agreement will determine the drug and alcohol testing frequency and guidelines. Usually, probation drug testing is random and could include anywhere from five to 12 drug panels or more, and may include an alcohol test as well. The most commonly abused and therefore most tested for substances include marijuana, cocaine, PCP, opiates, amphetamines, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines; the first five are included in the standard fivepanel drug test.
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Fentanyl Use on the Rise It’s clear that drug use is on the rise with drugs such as Fentanyl quickly becoming the new OxyContin. Jackie Pirone, director of marketing SAT/IR at OraSure Technologies, reports that Fentanyl is becoming more of an issue, especially in combination with other drugs such as opiates. “Fentanyl is available legally (with a prescription) and illegally (on the black market) and it’s 50 times stronger than pure heroin. The CDC reports that the overdose death rate for illicitlyobtained opioids like fentanyl jumped 73% from 2014 to 2015,” she says.
More Testing Being Done F. Ford Beach, Jr., national program director at TestExpress, Inc., says that most courts will test for as much as they can on an initial screen. “For example, [they will deploy] a 10-12-panel test, whether it is an on-site urine drug screen that instantly gives the results or a saliva screen, and both can easily be confirmed by a confirmatory test in a lab. Most judges like urine-based drug screens with their complementary confirmation test a GC/MS [Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry], whereas a saliva test utilizes a complementary LC/MS [Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry] confirmatory test.”
Emerging Trends Ford reports that “Point-of-Care” diagnostics is becoming the new buzzword for the on-site testing/screening industry and continues to evolve every day. “Soon there will be an app, and attachment for your iPhone for breathscans, if it’s not already out. I’ve seen proto-
types. There is also the one that was already patented for alcohol by the investors on the TV show SharkTank.” He adds that there are also measures to have so-called “blood-gas” testing screening for drugs of abuse, such as a breathalyzer does for alcohol, but utilized for drugs. “The reason most courts utilize urine drug tests is that urine has the most ‘case-law’ or what’s called ‘stare decisis.’ One of the issues with saliva kits is that if the test used does not have a ‘buffer’ in it then they typically can give out false-negatives, meaning the saliva tests typically are only good for a two-hour window. Our kits have the ‘buffer’ in it, and we can also set up for the confirmatory lab test LC/MS on any presumptive positives,” he explains. “The use of the instant tests, or on-site drug screens provides the drug court the ability to get instant results so that judge can make recommendations on sentencing immediately,” he concludes. Here’s a look at some of the latest drug and alcohol testing and monitoring solutions on the market:
utilizing lower cut-off levels, Judicator Cup expands the detection window in order to indicate even the most miniscule drug usage. This feature is essential to criminal justice and treatment programs striving to facilitate early intervention. The ability to detect usage at low levels can help address the issue of recidivism. The device also includes a unique testing panel for the four most common adulteration methods. According to a recent report by the National Drug Court Institute (NDCI), alcohol is the “primary substance of abuse” in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Premier now offers single dip tests for ETG as well as the ability to add it to their testing cups. www.premierintegrity.com, 1.800.256.7141
Synthetic Cannabinoid Testing Immunalysis offers comprehensive, cost-effective solutions for drug and alcohol testing at your laborato-
Testing Cup What makes Premier successful at helping you maintain a “zero tolerance” drug-testing program? By
ry. Their broad line of reagents including AB-PINACA and a full suite of Synthetic Cannabinoids, coupled with our analyzer solutions and user-friendly LIS systems, ensure you have the necessary tools to keep pace with the changing trends of drug abuse. www.immunalysis.com, 1.888.664.8378
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Substance Abuse Monitoring
that enables accurate testing for drugs of abuse including marijuana, cocaine, PCP, amphetamines and opiates. With a fast and easy-toadminister collection process, within five minutes the collected specimen is placed into a preservative solution vial for transport to the laboratory for processing with the FDA-cleared Intercept Drugs of Abuse assay. Intercept is ideal for criminal justice, drug treatment centers, and clinical setting screening programs, among others. www.orasure.com, 1.800.869.3538
StreeTime has updated its SleepTime Substance Abuse monitoring product lines for 2017. StreeTime Technologies introduces the first ever three-in-one substance abuse monitor. StreeTime has com-
Bench-Top Testing System
bined its SleepTime alcohol and drug detection technology with Blutag GPS from Satellite Tracking of People Llc. It reports it is the first time alcohol, drugs and GPS are bundled all in one device. In addition, StreeTime has also created a SleepTime only device for mental health medication monitoring. SleepTime med is designed to monitor medication compliance. If a client skips a dose or stops taking their meds the supervising agency will be notified. www.streetimetechnologies.com, 1.877.727.7764
Oral Fluid Drug Test Kit TestExpress’ SalivaScan Oral Fluid Drug Test screens for up to 10 drugs, including combinations from their catalog of 15 different drug tests, plus alcohol. The device also contains the first-ever sponge satu-
ration indicator, helping to ensure collection of sufficient saliva specimen, says the firm. If the specimen collected in court provides a “presumptive-positive” on the test, then it can easily be sent to a Lab for LC/MS confirmation of the drugs that tested positive. This gives the judge an easy to use test that can be administered in court. http://www.testexpressinc.com, 1.901.888.7008
The Viva-ProE System combines proven drug-testing performance in a reliable, next-generation benchtop instrument. Powered by EMIT technology, the Viva-ProE System
Oral Fluid Drug Testing System The Intercept Oral Fluid Drug Test is an FDA-cleared laboratorybased oral fluid drug testing system
utilizes intuitive integrated software to help mid-volume drug-testing laboratories optimize efficiencies, workflows, and workspaces. With onboard waste and water storage, a touchscreen-driven operating system, and full sample-testing capacity, the Viva-ProE System has been designed to perform at the highest levels of analysis. http://www.usa.siemens.com/healthineers, 1.888.826.9702
Monitoring System StreeTime has also updated its PassPoint monitoring system to automatically monitor and update a client’s baseline to insure baseline integrity for the most accurate results. April/May 2017x
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industry. Its rugged cassette is designed for field use and safe transport. www.acs-corp.com, 1.416.619.3500
Mobile Drug Screening System Dräger’s DrugTest 5000 (DT 5000) is a mobile drug screening system that uses oral fluid to test for seven types of the most commonly abused drugs. This quick drug test provides a
Other additions to PassPoint include mental health medication monitoring through the eyes. Utilizing the same pupillary response technology PassPoint uses for illegal drug detection we can now monitor if a client stops taking their medication. www.streetimetechnologies.com, 1.877.727.7764
Drug Screener DrugWipe, a line of hygienic, single-use, non-invasive drug screeners for saliva, sweat and surfaces. Detecting multiple controlled substances at once, DrugWipe requires the lowest sampling volume in the
phine, no cross-reactivity to commonly abused opiates, and a <0.01 cross reactivity relative to common interferants such as riboflavin. www.usa.siemens.com/healthineers, 1.888.826.9702
Saliva Alcohol Test The Q.E.D. Saliva Alcohol Test from OraSure Technologies is a CLIA-waived and DOT-approved, on-site, rapid, low-cost alternative to breath or blood testing. Q.E.D. is easy to administer and provides quantitative results comparable to a blood test. www.orasure.com, 1.800.869.3538
Mobile Testing non-invasive alternative to the hassle of collecting urine or blood samples. For law enforcement use only. www.draeger.com , 1.866.385.5900
Test Reader DrugRead is mobile and shows quick, unbiased yes or no results for DrugWipe S drug screeners. Easy to use, it is fit for roadside control officials at checkpoints, in police stations or for medical personnel. www.acs-corp.com ,1.416.619.3500
The IN-HOM Sobriety Monitoring and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) Mobile is a battery-powered, handheld, portable alcoholmonitoring device that offers unparalleled convenience. With facial detection, a built-in camera, anti-circumvention features, affordable pricing, and up to 10 daily customizable testing windows, the S.M.A.R.T. Mobile can serve as a helpful monitoring tool for offenders of all risk levels. http://www.smartstartinc.com/, 1.800.880.3394
Buprenorphine Assay Buprenorphine is used as a substitution drug for opioid addiction treatment but has a high potential for abuse and addiction. The Emit II Plus Buprenorphine assay is designed for the qualitative and/or semi-quantitative analysis of buprenorphine in human urine. The Emit II Plus Buprenorphine assay provides high specificity for buprenorphine and norbuprenorApril/May 2017 30
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BY DONNA R OG E R S , E D ITO R Frisco, Texas, pedestrian kiosk a civic design by Corbin Design incorporates local history and public artwork.
d a e Y h e t l o l o w R w Brick lo lo F urtroom. o c r u o to y Dorothy, the Tin
and friends rip had Woodman t their path color-coded in he gold when they set out to see the t If only it was that easy in our secourtwizard. a complexes across the country! e n Modern mapping tools can help. No a c n matter the stressful nature of coming to a ig s e d courthouse, these tools—both digital and How wayfind g tools and in analog signage, directional design guidance and the software that runs in the background—can definitely get visitors speedily to their destinations. Corbin Design of Traverse, Michigan, provides design and planning consulting services for directional signage systems within complex environments, explains president Shelley Steele. “Our goal on any project is to simplify a complex environment for first time or infrequent visitors,” she notes. Their designers first evaluate the circulation patterns and what parking, April/May 2017x WWW . C OU R T ST OD AY . CO M
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The Justice Center’s DocketCall monitors are mounted directly behind the information desk by the escalators. The placement of these monitors is ideal because they are in an area that requires patrons to choose a direction.
entrances, elevators, etc. are named in order to make the terminology more intuitive. Next, they apply color, icons and/or universal symbols to develop “a wayfinding logic” for the environment. This logic is then applied to the signage system design. The design needs to complement the environment and/or architecture while also being legible (right font, letter height, contrast, etc.) and be ADA compliant, she furthers. Once the sign type array is designed, they determine the appropriate locations and messaging for each sign that is programmed for the system. And while you may think that more is better, to the contrary she says: “Often we reduce the number of signs in the environment by combining the messaging as much as possible.” While Corbin Design’s systems have not been of yet used in courthouses, they do have many university/college, health care and civic clients. Steele notes that the systems they design (they do not fabricate) are generally static versus digital but occasional digital directories are employed. Corbin’s civic projects are gener-
ally downtown and citywide wayfinding programs that direct users to governmental and tourism destinations/attractions. “We have developed wayfinding programs for 80 cities and towns throughout North America,” Steele points out.
Imparting communication Government digital signage empowers institutions and agencies at the federal, state, and local levels to communicate with the public and employees more effectively, notes Sterling, Virginia-based company Mvix Digital Signage. The firm points out that digital signage can significantly reduce the time and effort required to display engaging visual communications. They supply such digital display solutions to military bases, government offices, post offices, public parks, libraries, police and fire stations, chambers of commerce and, of course, courts. Their solutions can share announcements, rules and regulations, display court dockets, show
schedules, share emergency alerts and provide instructions on what to do, provide wayfinding maps and building directories and entertain visitors as they wait. Mvix’s solutions are 100% digital, says Mike Kilian, senior director of Business Development. Several courts have leveraged their digital docket display system to display daily dockets alongside building directories, wayfinding maps and personalized messages. Kilian explains that visitors to courts are often anxious or agitated and digital signage can reduce that anxiety by giving the public relevant information including dockets, informing visitors in advance of procedures at security checkpoints, controlling traffic, posting courthouse rules about decorum/noise, etc., scrolling news, providing instructions during an emergency, posting last minute room changes or even weather/traffic displays for their departure. “Our role is to make the process for the citizen as easy as possible,” he says. “Going to court can be a stressful affair so when visitors are able to easily and quickly figure out where they need to be, there’s less frustration and anxiety.”
Trimming the budget Streamlining, he furthers, also translates well to the budget. While streamlining reduces the bottom line of a for-profit company, return on investment also is a benefit for courts. “ROI has many forms,” he underscores. Optimizing operations by keeping employees informed from a scheduling prospective reduces their workload. Keeping the public informed, engaged and knowing where to go will keep the court running more smoothly and thus save operational budgets. Mvix offers consulting to courts on organizational streamlining. “Most are brand new to this initiative,” he
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says. “We provide that initial handholding, which includes content creation and ongoing technical support until they know how to effectively manage their digital signage network,” Kilian says. The company also provides content consultation in terms of wayfinding, narrowing down and tweaking what is important to map and what may be superfluous. Mvix’s system is also cloud-based so authorized personnel can make changes from anywhere, from any device. From among 600 competitors, Mvix won the 2017 DIGI Award for its software, which was cited for ease of use, streamlining user processes rather than adding work, Kilian explains. The award also recognized the ability for content automation, whereby a pre-built widget will sync up with the courtroom scheduling system to automatically update dockets. Further, the software doubles as an emergency alert system. “Clients can deploy messages to multiple screens within 30 seconds,” Kilian notes. Whether it’s an amber alert, fire, lockdown, etc., it can take over all screens and provide immediate direction to staff and visitors. “Our overall goal is to streamline employee workflow and make it the best experience the taxpaying citizen can have,” he says. “We are taking a holistic approach, and that is why we are getting on board with so many courthouses.”
Location, Location, Location Mappedin search and navigation software is a multi-platform solution that is implemented on app, web, and kiosk platforms depending on their customers’ needs, says Larry Kron, senior director, Business Development & Partnerships. Mappedin primarily serves large-scale shopping centers (retail REITs), retail stores,
college campuses, multi-use spaces (such as office buildings), casinos, etc. Currently, we’ve implemented our solution at City Hall in Strathcona, Alberta, and will be deploying our solution along with Olea Kiosks and Openeye Global for the City of South San Francisco’s City Hall, he describes, adding that the software is ideal for a variety of large indoor spaces. “Mappedin’s capabilities extend to any large indoor space that has a need for navigational efficiencies and where there’s an appetite to collect insights on visitor movement,” Kron says. As others have pointed out, visiting a courthouse may be stressful. “Mappedin software on an Olea kiosk can help these people by taking away one less stressor, which is figuring out
search feature. “Our smart search pre-populates results based on data. As you start to type, we serve up recommendations based on previous searches. This enables users to easily find what they’re looking for.” Then, navigation is discussed with court admin. “Our turn-by-turn directions will always take you the shortest route to your selected destination. This creates efficiencies for visitors, ensuring they get where they need to go quickly and accurately.” Manageability, furthers Kron, is what sets Mappedin apart. The software’s user-friendly CMS allows property owners and managers to make changes to their map and have it updated in real-time. This means your maps are never out of date, and visitors will always be given an accurate wayfinding experience. “With large indoor spaces constantly changing, it’s crucial that our customers are able to make map changes quickly,” he concludes.
Behind the Scenes
Mvix Digital Signage can share announcements, rules and regulations, display court dockets, show schedules, share emergency alerts and provide instructions for dealing with a situation, and provide wayfinding maps and building directories.
how to get where they need to go in the fastest way possible.” When making recommendations to a client for their wayfinding project, Kron points out three benefits of Mappedin software that can be can be applied to app, web or kiosk platforms. First, he notes, is our
Simplicity of the signage belies what is occurring in the background. Having sophisticated software running the signage is what gives it intelligence and saves manpower hours. Infax’s DocketCall solution is an electronic docket display solution that is ubiquitous for all sizes and types of courthouses. Its software seamlessly integrates with any case management system and provides digital up-todate case information, says Kristen Zeck, marketing communications manager. Authorized staff located anywhere—within the court or even outside it—can operate the webbased interface to edit information, make room changes, manually enter records and other updates. Have a variety of court types within the courthouse? DocketCall can filter case information to display in different areas within one facility. To keep individual courtrooms up April/May 2017x
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to date, CaseQ integrates with the court’s case management system to obtain the court’s docket for the day, then filters and organizes the cases by the courtrooms in which they are scheduled to be heard, and displays the courtroom-specific dockets on monitors outside the courtroom door. CaseQ’s user interface allows personnel to easily change the order of the day’s proceedings. Personnel can also update a party’s status to Present, In Custody, Interpreter Needed, or Appeared. With the addition of this tool, the court can keep waiting parties constantly informed of their order and hearing times, informs Zeck. Infax has installed digital wayfinding systems in courthouses of all sizes. In the Regional Justice Center in Clark County, Nevada, more than
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Alkermes..................................... 4 Art Signworks..............................8 cFive Solutions, formerly Capita Technologies............. 11 Computing System Innovations....................... 13,15 Equivant..................................... 17 Infax............................................. 2 Justice Systems......................... 16 National Center State Courts...........................35 Ontario Systems......................... 9 StunCuff Enterprises, Inc.........10 TouchPay Payment Systems....21 Tyler Technologies................... 36 This advertisers index is provided as a service to our readers only. The publisher does not assume liability for errors or omissions.
Mappedin’s search and navigation tools offer a seamless experience across a variety of platforms including kiosk, web and mobile.
70 monitors are used to display the daily docket. The Williamson County Court System in Texas is using DocketCall, Engage and CourtBoard solutions to display court information on 20 monitors. Engage allows the Courts to display user-created content to help guide or inform courthouse patrons. As far as assisting courts with implementation, Infax suggests the court needs to determine which areas of the courthouse could cause patrons to take a wrong turn, says Zeck. Examples of these areas are post-security lobbies and elevator lobbies, where patrons must choose from multiple hallways, floors or rooms. With the addition of signage in these areas, patrons can confidently guide themselves to their courthouse destinations instead of taking the trial-and-error approach to wayfinding. If the courthouse is a larger facility with multiple floors or wings, the
court should consider additional wayfinding signage. “One of the problems that large facilities face is that they have signage to start patrons in the right direction, but the signage isn’t sufficient to get them to their final destinations. This is when we suggest adding ‘breadcrumb’ monitors.” These monitors should be visible as the patrons enter a different wing or floor of the courthouse and provide further direction. An example of this approach to wayfinding is the Infax system installed for the First Judicial District in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The system includes Engage, which allows the court to create its own digital content, and CaseQ, which displays courtroom-specific dockets. The court uses Engage monitors in the courthouse lobby to display patron information, directions, court directories and more. These monitors are the starting point for visitors. Once they are on the right floor, CaseQ monitors outside of each courtroom serve as the “breadcrumbs” to lead patrons to their final destinations, says Zeck. Digital signage in courthouses was once considered a luxury, but we are finding that it’s becoming the norm, furthers Zeck. People have become so reliant on technologies like smart phones and tablets that they instinctively look to similar technologies for wayfinding help in unfamiliar environments. She points out that once courts have a digital signage system in place, they realize all the benefits that come with it. Patrons are able to answer their own questions and navigate the courthouse without help, and staff members are able to do their jobs without being interrupted. In the end, with all the directional aid available today it is anticipated the path to the courtroom is becoming just as easy to navigate as the mythical yellow brick road that leads to the Land of Oz. CT
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