June / July 2017

June/July 2017

Vested in Vets: Specialized Courts

COURTING MOBILE APPS

Vol. 15 No. 3

NACM & NADCP Justice Solutions

with alternative & diversion programs

Publisher & Executive Editor Thomas S. Kapinos Assistant Publisher Jennifer Kapinos

J U N E / J U LY 2 017

Editor Donna Rogers

VOLU M E 15 N U M B E R 3

Contributing Editors Michael Grohs, Bill Schiffner G.F. Guercio, Kelly Mason

F EATU R E S

Art Director Jamie Stroud

4 Courts in the Media 10 NACM & NADCP Conferences Newest Justice Solutions

16 Courting Mobile Apps

Marketing Representatives Bonnie Dodson (828) 479-7472 Art Sylvie (480) 816-3448 Peggy Virgadamo (718) 456-7329

22 CTC 2017: Pre-show Coverage 28 Vested in Vets Specialized Courts

33 Heightening Security Safety Measures and Tools

38 Adaptive Reuse of Old Buildings for New Court Functions

DE PARTM E NTS

42 Ad Index

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 To receive a FREE subscription to COURTS TODAY submit, on court letterhead, your request with qualifying title; date, sign and mail to COURTS TODAY 69 Lyme Road Hanover, NH 03755 or you may fax your subscription request to (603) 643-6551 Subscriptions: Annual subscriptions for non-qualified personnel, United States only, is $60.00.

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Printed in the United States of America, Copyright © 2017 Criminal Justice Media, Inc.

C O U RT S I N T H E M E D I A ACLU SUES TO EXPOSE TREATMENT OF HUNGER STRIKERS IN ICE DETENTION The American Civil Liberties Union in May filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to expose the treatment of hunger strikers in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities.

“ICE has refused to turn over documents related to hunger strikes. Yet, despite the stonewalling, cases have come to light that show hunger strikers being subjected to extraordinarily punitive treatment like force-feeding and solitary confinement. We want to know just how widespread the abuse is,” said Carl Takei, an attorney with the ACLU’s National Prison Project.

The ACLU is seeking a range of documents related to hunger strikes in ICE detention—from policies to records of specific incidents. The complaint notes that advocates for social change have long used hunger strikes as a form of nonviolent protest. The modern-day immigrants’ rights movement is no exception. In recent years, hunger strikes have roiled immigration detention facilities in many states, as detainees seek to call attention to lack of access to bond hearings and inhumane conditions of confinement.

For example earlier this month, a federal court authorized officials at the Stewart Detention Center, run by private prison company Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, to restrain and force-feed a hungerstriking immigration detainee.

According to reports, the hunger striker is Vitaly Novikov, a refugee from the former Soviet Union who is protesting ICE’s plans to deport him to Ukraine.

In May alone, hunger strikes have begun in Georgia, Oregon, and Washington, with more potentially on the way.

“The Trump administration’s plans to expand detention and strip

away existing structures for oversight of detention are likely to produce more protests both inside and outside the walls of detention facilities,” said Takei. “It is critical to expose abusive conditions of confinement in ICE detention, protect the First Amendment rights of people in confinement, and resist the Trump administration’s infringements on civil rights and civil liberties.”

The case, American Civil Liberties Union v. Department of Homeland Security, was filed in the U.S. District Court for D.C. APPA GIVING AWAY A NEW CAR TO A MEMBER DURING CELEBRATION Community corrections professionals are an elite group focused on reducing recidivism, managing offenders, and enhancing public safety in both the criminal and juvenile justice arenas, recently noted the American Probation and Parole Association. As the field grows and becomes more complex, it is essential for individuals to be part of an organization that strives to solve works’ everyday challenges, To express our appreciation, APPA said, every "individual member" will be eligible to win prizes during the Members Matter celebration. The first prize will be awarded on August 30, 2017, when one lucky "individual member" will win a brand new car. It is APPA's way of showing gratitude for ways in which members have contributed to the association by setting the standard of excellence in the industry.

The give-away will be held in conjunction with APPA’s 42nd Annual Training Institute to be held August 27-30 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. For more information on the training event see www.appanet.org; for the give-away see www.appa-net.org/Members-Matter.

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IMAGE COURTESY OF HYATT REGENCY CRYSTAL CITY IN ARLINGTON, VA.

BY BIL L S C H I FFN ER, C O N T R IB U T IN G E D I T O R

NACM 2017 CONFERENCE OFFERS JUSTICE SOLUTIONS ON A GLOBAL SCALE The National Association of Court Management and the International Association for Court Administration recently held their joint conference at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia.

T

he National Association of Court Management (NACM) and the International Association for Court Administration (IA-CA) recently held the 2017 Annual Conference, July 9-13 at Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Va. The theme of this year’s conference “Excellence on a Global Scale,” reflected the commitment of both NACM and IACA to the worldwide improvement of the administration of justice.

“The joint conference bought together court leaders from all over the world,” said Vicky Carlson,

NACM’s president. “Some of the technology and court trends that were presented were those related to cyber-crime and cyber-security.

We also hosted sessions on online dispute resolution as well as mobile solutions for courts. The closing keynote challenged our attendees to examine how technologies are changing court systems around the world,” she explained.

Carlson added that the conference featured sold out attendance and exhibitor space on the show floor. Here a sample of some of the software solutions that were drawing crowds.

Comprehensive Justice Suite Conduent offers a comprehensive justice suite of products that provides judges, court administrators, jurors, constituents and attorneys a complete and fully integrated case, document & workflow management system that will adjust to courts of limited jurisdiction, unlimited jurisdiction and appellate courts. The solutions allow courts to manage a case workflow from the initial filing—jury selection to post adjudication tracking. Our solutions are scalable, configurable and flexible to

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address a range of environments from single court to centralized multi-jurisdiction/statewide with the ability to meet courts’ unique requirements. www.conduent.com/solution/pu blic-service-delivery-solutions/ justice/, 1.310.497.9205

Court Case Management JWorks by equivant is a modifiable-COTS CMS that can be easily tailored to Court’s rules and preferences. Design your own screens and workflow or simply tweak those provided. JWorks handles all case types and manages case, participant, financial, calendar, and document details. Citizen portals support e-filing, payments, and inquiries of every sort. JWorks is responsively

designed for desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones and can be installed onsite or securely hosted in the cloud. www.equivant.com, 1.800.406.4333

America. Through secure, easy-touse payment websites, onsite pointof-sale terminals, IVR payments, and bilingual Citizen Payment Center, individuals can conveniently make payments using their credit cards, debit cards, ACH and other electronic payment methods. www.ncourt.com, 1.844.400.8881

Innovative Payment Solutions and Services nCourt is the leading payment solutions provider for thousands of government courts across North

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Jury Management Software Courthouse Technologies states they are a boutique software firm that uses their expertise in jury man-

agement to provide courts with the newest automation and technology.

The goal is to make a court system’s life easier while streamlining jury operation, adding convenience and saving money, they report. www.betterjurymanagement. com, 1.877.685.2199

ware, utilizing the latest web-based technologies, for courts and attorneys across the nation. They also provide an online payment system, cutting-edge tools, and professional services for the judicial system. They note their dedicated industry specialists diligently assist with implementing your court systems. www.justicesystems.com, 1.505.883.3987

Jury Management Software Jury Systems Incorporated is said to have the one most user-friendly JMS systems on the market. Called

vices, produce jury management reports, provide automatic payroll, and more. Scalable for large and small courts, WebGen can adapt to any user environment. www.jurysystems.com, 1.805.285.5800

Electronic Filing Technology TurboCourt iFiling is reported to be one of the most advanced, costeffective, configurable electronic filing technology for Self-Represented Litigants, Self-Help Centers and Courts. Their award-winning mod-

Case Management Software Justice Systems, Inc. develops and implements case management soft-

IMAGE COURTESY OF THE GAYLORD NATIONAL RESORT & CONVENTION CENTER )

JURY+ Web Generation (WebGen), the browser-based JMS system has all the necessities courts need for Jury Management. WebGen has the ability to: process juror source lists, send questionnaires and summonses, form jury panels, record juror ser-

NADCP’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON THE LATEST TRENDS AND TOOLS FOR DRUG COURTS

ular design guides filers through easy-to-follow online interviews, automatically selects and prepares the required forms that are custom-tailored to your court’s procedures and rules. It offers 24x7 access, virtual self-help support, embedded quality controls andis ECF4 compliant. http://info.turbocourt.com, 1.877.260.1792

M

ore than 5,000 criminal justice and treatment professionals convened from July 9-12 in Washington, D.C., for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals’ (NADCP) Annual Drug Court Training Conference. The largest conference in the nation focusing on substance abuse and crime also featured Vet Court Con.

The National Association of Drug Court Professionals was held at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor from July 9 through 12.

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Held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, the conference offered over 30 tracks with hundreds of educational sessions from world leaders in Drug Courts, DWI Courts, Veterans Treatment Courts, Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts, Mental Health Courts, Juvenile and Family Drug Courts.

The NADCP Annual Training Conference also featured the Justice For Vets Mentor Corps Boot Camp, a training course that teaches volunteer veterans how to effectively mentor struggling compartriots participating in a veterans’ treatment court.

In addition, the conference offered a wide collection of exhibitors that ran the gamut from companies specializing in drug testing and alcohol monitoring, to treatment providers and pharmaceutical companies. Here are a few that were on the show floor:

Systems Integration FivePoint Solutions specializes in systems integration, federated searches and portal queries, which allow agencies to query local, state, and federal databases and consolidate search results into a matched,

merged, scored, and parsed userfriendly format. FivePoint Solutions also focuses on: payment processing, bulk e-Filing, accountability court case management for drug and treatment courts, document management and workflow, con-

tract management and document and data conversion services. www.myfivepoint.com, 1.803.951.2094

Case Management Assessments The Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI) is a fully functioning case management tool and assessment that measures the risk and need factors of late adolescent and adult offenders. This tool measures a number of key areas including alcohol/drug problems.

The LS/CMI

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is the most widely used risk/needs assessment in the world. www.mhs.com, 1.800.456.3003

Synthetic Cannabinoid Testing Immunalysis offers comprehensive, cost-effective solutions for drug and alcohol testing at your laboratory. 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,

unit that analyzes the fingerprint sample, providing a positive or negative result for each drug in the test. https://smartox.com, 1.888.711.9906

Mobile Testing The IN-HOM Sobriety Monitoring and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) Mobile is a battery-powered, handheld, portable alcohol-monitoring device that offers unparalleled conve-

time, two-way communications with clients.

Simply put, this means case managers and supervision officers can call participants at any time without having to worry about disconnected phones, inactive wireless plans, or prepaid phones with no remaining minutes.

In addition, AIR’s use of smartphone technology provides agencies with a far more efficient approach to supervising and interacting with clients. www.corrisoft.com, 1.859.271.1190

Ignition Interlock Devices

ensure you have the necessary tools to keep pace with the changing trends of drug abuse. www.immunalysis.com, 1.888.664.8378

Drug Screening From Fingerprints The Smartox fingerprint-based Drug Screening System is non-invasive, dignified and screens for multiple drug groups simultaneously.

Fingerprint sample collection takes five seconds and results are available in less than 10 minutes. The twopart system comprises: Intelligent Fingerprinting Cartridge—a small, tamper-evident, fingerprint sample collection cartridge that screens for four groups of drugs: amphetamines, cocaine, opiates and cannabis, and the Intelligent Fingerprinting Reader 1000, which is a portable, touchscreen-operated

nience. 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. www.smartstartinc.com/, 1.800.880.3394

Intoxalock is an industry leader in advanced technology ignition interlock devices. With camera verification, GPS tracking and real-time reporting, Intoxalock’s eLERT device is said to be ideal for courts that require or recommend advanced

Technology Solutions Corrisoft’s Alternative to Incarceration via Rehabilitation (AIR) program combines a customized smartphone with a webbased management platform in order to both deliver proactive communication capabilities and serve as a tool that more efficiently facilitates support resources. The AIR program affords problem-solving courts with the ability to engage in real-

technology. Courts and monitoring authorities can require pre-scheduled random testing intervals with the eLERT device in order to enforce complete sobriety. www.Intoxalock.com, 1.888.283.5899

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BY MI C H A EL G ROH S , CO N T R I B U T I N G E D IT O R

Planet of the Apps By latest count 2.2 million apps were available at the app store.

Now courts are joining in the growing phenomenon.

People are constantly looking at their phone. There are, it seems, apps for everything except alerting the person ahead of you that the light is green. If you are sitting in a crowded restaurant and a song comes on the radio, and no one at your table can remember what it is, there are apps that will immediately and accurately recognize and tag it. As of May 2017, there were 2.2 million apps available in the App store, up 200,000 from what it had been eleven months before. It is estimated that by 2020 there will be 5 million. In May 2017 alone, 48,231 apps were released. The legal system has certainly not been left behind when it comes to app technology, and it is being embraced by people at every stage from utilizing court services, avoiding court, being in court, and being followed up by courts.

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Shadowtrack’s voice biometric community supervision package includes a suite of comprehensive compliance services.

Some apps are meant to be used before the court proceedings begin.

One company that provides apps for the criminal justice system and community improvement is Citrus Heights, Calif.-based LogicTreeIT Solutions. Seth Weinger, national director of Sales, initiated the app in a Neighborhood Watch capacity in an attempt to empower communities. LogicTreeIT works with communication apps. “Ours is about mass notification,” he notes.

Among them is USPDhub, which is a community outreach tool for today’s law enforcement agencies.

USPDhub provides critical two-way communication between law enforcement and the communities they serve, assisting police and sheriffs engage with communities and help lower crime. The app allows law enforcement agencies to send information to their communities via smartphone or tablet.

Among those options are push notifications, a Cloud-based solution that is similar to the Amber alerts that are sent to every cell phone in a specified area. USPDhub allows public safety to quickly distribute information via push notifications to their communities regarding crime events, shelter-in-place orders, missing persons, and traffic incidents. Images also can be linked using a drag-and-drop feature.

Details can be sent to the media and updated as the situation evolves.

Administrators simply link images and automatically publish event details to social media at the push of a button. For example, the Lompoc, Calif., Police Department sends out a phone ring once a week. It might note that they plan on cracking down on speeders the following week and in which area. The idea, says Weinger, is not that the police are trying to give out tickets. They are trying to change the way people think and get them to discuss the matter around the coffee pot and not speed in the first place.

The app also allows citizens to identify issues in their community and help with investigations by providing crime tips (anonymously if they prefer), and sending messages and images. The anonymous tip aspect has proven useful. Weinger points out that oftentimes people who are trying to make improvements to their community by alerting authorities don’t know who to alert. People often call police for non-police related incidents, and when they are told “no,” the relationship with the police could then slightly degrade. If a person in the mall sees a suspicious bag, who do they call? Every minute that goes by lowers the chance of them doing anything about it. Now they can take a picture, and with the app it will be sent to the appropriate authority such as dispatch or mall security. It can be used for things

such as reporting graffiti, which is usually a prosecutorial crime, and there is now evidence to use in court for the prosecution. The anonymous tip feature is truly anonymous, says Weinger. It can’t be subpoenaed.

Courtroom Apps There are apps used in courtrooms. Broward County, Fla., has recently undergone a significant upgrade to their courtrooms. At an info session, Tara Cheever, product manager at LIT Software, LLC, noticed how many lawyers asked about hooking up iPads. Lawyers, she says, want to do trial presentations themselves. “This is a real signal that lawyers see a value in the technology.” Apps that run on iPads and tablets have enormous benefits.

They are mobile. With the company’s ass called TrialPad, an attorney can walk around the courtroom and hand it to a witness to work it up.

The attorney can then save the annotation and place an exhibit sticker on it. Users can store and access documents from an iPad. It includes presentation tools that can focus on sections of documents, highlight text, compare documents side by side, show and edit video clips, and add exhibit stickers to documents.

The app can also make organization for attorneys easier. Each matter is stored in a separate folder, and all documents and multimedia can be re-ordered and moved within the app. Cases and folders can be colorcoded or customized with icon options so the user will easily locate the specific matter or document. The archive tool backs up cases, complete with annotations and key docs, so that users can share a case with another user, duplicate the case onto a backup iPad, or store it in another location if the proceeding is delayed or continued. The app features full electronic presentation capability on an iPad and requires no companion

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desktop or cloud software.

Another app LIT Software offers is TranscriptPad, an app used to review, search, issue code, and summarize transcripts. TranscriptPad can be used to organize transcripts and exhibits and take them wherever they are needed for review. The app automatically places in folders and organizes according to deponent name and date, which makes it easy to locate a transcript. Exhibits are stored and accessed so users can review them without losing his or her page or train of thought. Users can select an exhibit in the built-in exhibits file, review it, and when he or she closes it, the transcript will be waiting.

The user can also read hands-free and in three or fewer taps assign issue codes, highlight, or flag and comment on any section of the transcript. Users can print or email individual transcripts with markups, or send an entire case folder with all issue codes and exhibits from an iPad to another TranscriptPad user for a second pass, which can save time, paper, and effort. Users reviewing the transcript can then search for key words through hundreds of transcripts in seconds. All results appear in context and can be easily organized. Users can carry all their transcripts in one app, create unlimited issue codes with color coding, highlight or underline designations to create deposition summaries, flag important sections and add notes, export customized reports of reviewed transcripts in PDF, text, or Excel formats, search one or all depositions of a witness (or all transcripts in a case), review exhibits as they read the transcript, send the case, with all designations and annotations, to other TranscriptPad users, email designations to co-counsel, expert witnesses, or clients, and quickly jump to any page and line of any transcript.

Shadowtrack is a Covington, La.based provider of solutions in corrections using voice biometric tech-

LIT Software offers TranscriptPad, an app used to review, search, issue code, and summarize transcripts.

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A 12.9-inch iPad Pro with the TrialPad app from LIT Software.

nology. Robert Magaletta says, “The Shadowtrack biometric platform is a powerful and complete community supervision package that includes a suite of comprehensive compliance services, that can be implemented individually, or as a complete solution, with no geographical restrictions.” The core elements of the app are voice verification, facial recognition, and mobile application. The core services include curfew management self-report (interactive voice interview), location verification, enrollee notifications with optional delivery verification, enhanced random drug test notifications with message verification delivery, random sobriety testing, and pretrial/diversion management.

Among the features is the curfew management module, which allows the user to verify that an enrollee is at a designated location at a specific time. The application uses voice verification and facial recognition during inbound/outbound curfew calls to identify the enrollee. The service allows the user to schedule random calls at a desired frequency, which will be placed outbound to the enrollee or the enrollee will be required to call into the system from

the designated location. The application uses a feature that will alert the user if the enrollee is calling from an unauthorized phone number. The user will be notified if the enrollee fails to successfully complete inbound/outbound curfew calls due to no answer, hang ups, busy signals, and voicemails.

The location services module allows the user to verify the enrollee is at a designated location. It utilizes cellular network tracking along with dual location verification technology and GPS positioning to determine the whereabouts of an enrollee. This service can be paired with voice verification and facial recognition to ensure the enrollee is in fact with the telephone device during location verification. The app allows the agency to monitor the location of an enrollee during a specific time frame and monitor if he or she is attempting to enter a restricted area. This can be done at a specific address or within an entire state. It can also detect location spoofing.

Other Shadowtrack features include the VeriTest module, which offers a turnkey solution to refine the entire drug testing process including payment collection, veri-

fied notifications, integration with testing facilities, and final test result integrated into the platform, and the tether device, which is paired with the app via Bluetooth. In the event that Bluetooth is disconnected, a verification call is prompted to ensure the enrollee is with their mobile device and verify Bluetooth connection with the tether device is reestablished. A non-compliance notification will be sent to the user if the Bluetooth signal is lost or there is any attempt to tamper with or cut the tether. The user will also be notified when a signal from the tether device is not received within a given a period of time or the enrollee is found to be outside the designated monitoring area.

People are constantly looking at their phones. There is not much they can’t do with them. The computer technology used to send people to the moon pales in comparison to what most people carry in their pocket. Time is saved, pressure is taken off personnel, files are organized, and paper is saved. There are few certainties in life, but every minute of each day, someone somewhere around the world can say there’s an app for that. CT

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BY BIL L S C H I FFN ER, C O N T R IB U T IN G E D I T O R

CTC 2017 to Feature the Latest in Courtroom Technology Keynote to concentrate on Cyber-crime, Dark Web

More than 1,500 court professionals from across the country will soon be heading to Utah to check out the latest in court technology trends, issues and solutions for the courtroom at CTC 2017; being held at the Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, from September 12 to 14.

The biennial conference provides court personnel with three days of networking and educational sessions as well as the latest in courtroom technology on display.

“Salt Lake City is increasingly becoming a hub for global innova-

tion, so we are excited to be bringing the world’s largest court technology conference to Utah this fall,” conveys Jesse Rutledge, vice president, External Affairs at National Center for State Courts (NCSC).

“Participants can choose from sessions across a variety of tracks, from traditional IT topics like innovations in case management systems, to how to develop and implement user-facing technologies to solve vexing business problems around access to justice and public trust,” he adds.

Keynote to Focus on Cyber-crime The keynote speaker will be Mark Lanterman, chief technology officer at Computer Forensic Services in Minneapolis, Minn. “Mark will be discussing recent high profile cybercrime events, including website breaches impacting manufacturers, retailers, banks, law firms and government agencies. He will also focus on particularly dangerous types of threats that might affect courts and individuals such as the Dark Web,

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the Internet of Things, phishing, and wi-fi attacks,” Rutledge points out.

Smartphone Supervision James Newman, vice president of Sales and Marketing at cFive Solutions, Inc., expects smartphoneenabled supervision will be a hot topic at the conference. “With more than four million U.S. adults on probation and parole today according to the report Probation and Parole in the United States from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, agencies need more resources. The good news is that today advancements in technology are creating opportunities for agencies that don’t require large staff and budgetary investments,” he says.

“For example, consider smartphone-enabled supervision. Agencies can interact with clients in ways never before possible. In addition to significantly increased communication opportunities, smartphones provide appointment notifications, location monitoring, even maps to appointment venues. For clients, it’s like having a personal assistant to support their rehabilitation efforts.”

Newman points out that agencies have the capacity to interact more often with clients, or the ability to reach clients that they could not previously, without adding more staff.

“And, because the average person checks their smartphone 46 times a day, according to a recent Deloitte 2016 global mobile consumer survey, it’s a good bet that clients will remain more aware of their obligations than traditional supervision tools allow,” Newman says. He adds that the Deloitte study also reports that the long-standing promise of delivering content to any screen is finally becoming a reality, enabled by advances in network technology and higher speeds.

AI Workflows “The National Center for State Courts agrees that using advanced machine learning to extract information and automate workflows can save courts significant time and money,” says Henry Sal, president of CSI. “The ability to place products such as Intellidact LBX technology into our customers’ hands allowing them to simply point and click on data that is of interest, and then have a machine learn how to find and classify such with high accuracy, will save our customers hundreds of thousands of hours in manual document processing cost.”

Easy Recording Solutions Casey Hall, vice president of Sales and Marketing for Extron Electronics, reports that court recording will still be an important topic for attendees.

“Products like our new StudioStation make it easier than ever to bring recording to courtroom environments,” says Hall. “These types of products are simple to set up and easy to operate, creating a recording solution for any legal institution,” he adds.

Tyler Purchases Modria “We are excited to add Modria’s offerings and expertise to Tyler’s portfolio,” conveys Bruce Graham, president of Tyler’s Courts & Justice Division. “ODR provides our clients yet another powerful technology tool to help them transform the way justice works in their jurisdictions.

Modria is the clear leader in online dispute resolution, and, when combined with Odyssey Guide & File for self-represented litigants, Modria will provide our clients an even more efficient way to manage a large volume of cases,” he adds.

Modria will be featured at Tyler Tech’s booth and will be providing free demonstrations as well as a special Solution Showcase session.

Here are a group of some of the innovative products and technologies that attendees will see on the show floor.

SmartScreen Court Display System The Infax SmartScreen solution allows court patrons to view court information with the touch of a finger. Instead of asking staff for assistance, patrons now have instant

Other Emerging Trends “It wasn’t long ago that courtrooms just started using document cameras—now there are Visualizers, VC systems, integrated audio, digital evidence from smartphones—you even need a court technologist to manage it all.

We’re excited to see what the next product is and how it can help assist with the process,” comments Kyle Greetham, CTS communications manager at WolfVision, Inc. “We’re happy to showcase our product Cynap that can help simplify that process,” he adds.

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access to court directories, real-time case and juror information, maps with step-by-step directions, frequently asked questions, and other facility resources. Patrons can also check in for court appointments or jury duty with SmartScreen. www.infax.com, 1.770.209.9925

File will provide efficient handling of large volumes of disputes in automated fashion, through integration with Odyssey. It will help reduce the number of cases that need to be heard, thereby reducing court costs and unclogging backlog. www.tylertech.com or modria@tylertech.com

Online Dispute Resolution As stated above, Tyler recently acquired Modria, a leading specialist in online dispute resolution, to further advance court case automa-

tion. With Modria, Tyler’s Odyssey File & Serve and Odyssey Guide &

Mobile Supervision Management System The future of supervision, cFive Catalyst bridges the client-supervisor relationship with intelligent supervision management services and a client-facing mobile app to improve client accountability and lower FTAs. Catalyst’s automated event notifications ensure clients are aware of their obligations. Required acknowledgements provide courts a record, without extra data entry.

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Catalyst’s triggered alerts help officers stay apprised of critical events. www.cfive.com, 1.949.260.3002

Cynap Collaboration System WolfVision will be showing a new enhanced version of its vSolution Cynap collaboration system at the CTC. This unique all-in-one knowledge-sharing solution enables presenters, technologists, and meeting participants alike, to display, share, and collaborate with content material of all types, from any source.

Featuring a media player, recording,

streaming, comprehensive BYOD, and collaborative whiteboard and annotation options, Cynap solves the limitations of many similar solutions while providing the HD content that modern, tech-savvy court systems demand. Cynap is compatible with all iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac devices, and support for AirPlay, Chromecast, and Miracast protocols. This new version of Cynap’s whiteboard and annotation features allow up to 10 users to make on-screen notes and drawings on the main display, using smart devices or a touchscreen interface. www.wolfvision.com, 1.770.931.6802

recording technology, and new recorder, the P412, offering 12 input and output channels. www.javs.com, 1.800.354.JAVS (5287)

Case Management Software Journal Technologies supplies case management software and products to courts, prosecutors, public defenders, probation and other justice agencies. They serve over 500 courts and agencies in 42 states and three countries. Their configurable, browser-based solutions do not require clients to change processes to fit the product. Instead, they con-

figure the system to user’s needs.

This includes courtroom processing, judicial dashboards, dynamic searches, public portals, and more. www.journaltech.com, 1.877.587.8927

Risk Assessment Software Court Recording Solutions JAVS, headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a global leader in digital courtroom recording solutions which are integrated in over 10,000 courtrooms throughout the U.S. and across four continents.

JAVS recently launched its newest A/V recording platform, Notewise 3.0, an innovative, cloud-based

The Northpointe Suite/Pretrial system by equivant includes scientifically-validated release risk assessment and community supervision management tools. Its pretrial-specific instruments assess risk of failure to appear and can be paired with assessments to determine risk of reoffense and risk of violence.

Detailed criminal activity and

appearance history views support judicial decisions and the software includes complete supervision and compliance tracking for people who are released to your community. www.equivant.com, 1.800.406.4333

System Integration JusticeTech by ImageSoft is a comprehensive eFiling, electronic workflow and eBench solution suite that enables courts and public safety organizations to transition to a paperless electronic workflow. JusticeTech integrates with any CMS to enable information to move efficiently through the judicial process. The result is improved efficiency, enhanced trans-

parency, greater accessibility, reduced costs and increased public safety. www.imagesoftinc.com, 1.248.948.8100

A/V Recording Station Extron Electronics’ StudioStation is a quick and convenient solution for one-touch recording of high quality video and audio presentations. To operate, simply insert a USB stick and press the record button. StudioStation is an ideal solution for any courtroom or legal application including depositions, hearings, distance collaboration,

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after action review, moot courts, or others. Connect any HDMI camera or video source and other components, such as lighting. When a USB storage device is inserted into the control panel, the system automatically powers up and is ready to use. www.extron.com, 1.800.633.9876

AI Software Artificial intelligence software is transforming the very nature of how courts process information, CSI points out. Intellidact LBX is an ideal AI software platform for court documents, converting unstructured document filings into structured data,

rapidly automating traditional court clerk processes. Intellidact software robots then perform application navigation and automated data entry, providing lights out 24x7x365 court document processing. www.csisoft.com, 1.407.598.1861

Judicial Tool Thomson Reuters Judicial Chambers is an in-chambers, off-therecord tool that supports the drafting, legal research and collaboration needs of judges and chambers staff.

Integrated with Westlaw, Judicial Chambers is a unique software solution that enables the judge and staff to access all relevant documents to help consider issues, draft orders, determine sentencing, and craft decisions. Simple workflow, notification and task-management tools help chambers staff manage priorities and ensure deadlines are met. http://legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.com/ law-products/solutions/judicial-chambers, 1.888.728.7677 Continues on page 42

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BY DONNA ROG ERS , E D IT O R

Homeless Court Programs and Veterans Treatment Courts, such as a pioneering one in San Diego, are turning lives around, one vet at a time.

Today

“Now vets are more vested in a healthy life,”says Steve Binder, San Diego Homeless Court Program.

Today there are at least 60 homeless courts in the country, and counting.

The plight of criminalization of homelessness is one of the biggest challenges they must overcome.

The homeless get arrested for public urination, public intoxication or sleeping in public, formally referred to as “illegal lodging,” and they get a criminal record for convic-

tions of these minor misdemeanors.

Unfortunately, they are often our military veterans who served our country. Little policy is in place to handle it with deliberation. Police are called in to deal with a social problem that is beyond them and all they can do is issue a citation or arrest the individual, says Steve Binder, a deputy public defender in San Diego

who also serves as Special Advisor to the ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty.

In 1989 San Diego established the first Homeless Court Program (HCP) in the nation, a special Superior Court session held at local homeless service agencies for homeless defendants to resolve misdemeanor criminal cases. Binder was

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at the heart of it. In his words, he was a frustrated attorney in the public defender’s office, often seeing the court sentencing homeless vets to a fine, that would increase and even lead to incarceration, if they returned with new offenses. The penalty would increase but their circumstances remained dire, exacerbated by the burdens of the criminal justice system. Many had outstanding bench warrants, but they were afraid to go to court.

Rewind to 1988 when Vietnam War veterans of San Diego created their first “Stand Down,” a threeday event held under a tent on an athletic field in the city. It was created to provide community and an opportunity for public services, including housing, health and employment to homeless vets.

The Superior Court decided to use this forum in working with vets, Binder explains, “The homeless veterans trust the Stand Down event, the court can build on that trust, [but] we need to go to them.”

There were details to iron out.

This included security and accountability—somehow rendering the dismissal of charges meaningful and long-term.

The court began their work, first, in conjunction with their “regular” caseload, developed the outline of a new innovative program, and in 1999 funded it with a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).

The idea, as it is with all homeless courts, was to counteract the effect of criminal cases pushing homeless defendants further outside society.

The San Diego court, and others across the country, combine a progressive plea bargain system, alternative sentencing structure, assurance of “no custody” and proof of program activities to address a full range of misdemeanor offenses.

We did not want to just dismiss their cases, but we wanted it to be meaningful to them and the com-

munity at large, says Binder. It’s collaboration among the community, two prosecuting agencies, the public defenders office, court administration, treatment providers, and the homeless services agencies that refer them. A bailiff attends every meeting. “We were doing something new and different and needed to be transparent with each other. We had to look out for each others concerns, for public safety and for the individuals safety,” he explains. “If anyone felt compromised it wouldn’t work.“ The court does not simply offer a blanket “amnesty,” details Binder.

Before any cases could be dismissed vets first had to work with the community and make a genuine effort through social service agencies. The Court clerk had to give assurance they would take care of the cases, processing them and recording judgement as done inside the courthouse. Binder says results were positive from the get-go. “When the court pronounced its order and the first participant left the hearing to return to the event, word got out that the paddy wagon didn’t take them away, they started poring in. And there were no security breeches.”

Today the program continues on a monthly basis with about 60 participants and 250 cases every calendar month. The court deals with a full range of misdemeanor cases (a formal hand-off takes place for felony cases). Cases can be conducted within an hour or two, Binder says, with defendants counseled a week in advance and all parties having reviewed the cases and prepared in advance.

When they arrive at “court,” participants (veterans and the general homeless population alike) already have documented proof on their accomplishments. They stand and look face to face with the judge, Binder notes, which encourages more candid conversation, where they can give an account of the tra-

vails they've been through and in turn share what their plans are for the future.

Fast forward to the present. This year’s annual Stand Down, which will occur July 21-23, will be San Diego’s 30th. As usual, vets will be given meals, showers and clothing as they arrive on the athletic field, but more than that, they will be actively engaged.

They will all be assigned a tent with two or three leaders each, Binder says. “And we build a cohesive community.”

People often confuse and blend the court name and hearing of proceedings at Stand Down, Homeless Court Program (HCP) and Veteran Treatment Court (VTC). Binder elaborates with a brief explanation for these problem solving, collaborative justice, treatment courts, saying, “I refer to the Stand Down court as an engagement court, the monthly Homeless Court as a ‘recognition court’ and Veteran Treatment Court as one which addresses serious felony offenses.”

Participation in these programs is meaningful, says Binder. “Vets are not doing busy work, not sweeping floors, but they've moved their lives along.

Addressing Serious Felonies “Because we’ve been collaborating for many years,” Binder continues, “the Veteran Treatment Court addresss serious felony cases including domestic violence, gunshot cases, cases of great bodily wounds, etc.” They work within the California penal code for restorative relief, he adds. All of these courts work to reconcile the behavior and circumstances of offender’s offense with treatment and services to address the underlying cause giving rise to the crime.

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The program allows participants to come face to face with the judge.

tion 1170.9(h), the restorative relief translates into an offense that is more than expunged—they are dismissed and sealed and don’t have to be reported to other law enforcement.

This helps immensely with future employment, he notes. If they have to plead to petty theft, even if it was for coffee and a Danish or a drink and cheese, with a conviction, they won’t be able to get a job.

By the Numbers The San Diego Court has proof in its numbers. According to Stand Down statistics supplied by the Court, nearly 2,000 participants resolved more than 7,000 cases in the HCP from 2009 to 2012. In monthly HCP proceedings, participants voluntarily spent an average of 291 days in program activities before appearing in the HCP. During that period, the average appearance rate of participants

increased to 91.58% in 2012 from 75.97% in 2009.

A few years after the southern California program began, an independent evaluation of the HCP by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) in 2001 reported a low 18% recidivism rate for veterans participating in the program. Another study conducted in 2013 by a JD/MSW graduate confirmed the 18% recidivism rate, which followed participants two years after finishing the program.

American Bar Association Assistance Replication Efforts In his work as special advisor to the American Bar Association’s Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, Binder has seen homeless

courts expanding to many other cities. The commission has been instrumental in this process through its technical assistance, development of approved policies for homeless court programs and educational resources.

Best estimates are that today 60 to 70 jurisdictions are operating homeless courts. Among these are Ann Arbor, Michigan, Bernalillo County, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Charleston, South Carolina, Denver and Salt Lake City. Over the past few years new courts have launched in Springfield, Missouri, Columbia, South Carolina and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Another long-established court, a program in Phoenix, is helping the city’s homeless address “one of the biggest obstacles to its quest for selfsufficiency: lingering fines and warrants, often for low-level violations, points out an Aug. 27, 2015, Huffington Post story.

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Veterans can wipe the slate clean, by participating in a Veterans Treatment Court that requires stringent adherence to reform in exchange for expunging misdemeanors from their permanent criminal records.

This Regional Homeless Court began as collaboration among the Phoenix, Tempe and Glendale Municipal Courts in 2006. It has since expanded to allow participation by all 26 Justice Courts in Maricopa County and all 23 Municipal Courts in the County and is now identified as the Maricopa County Regional Homeless Court (MCRHC).

The MCRHC was established with the goal of helping homeless individuals resolve their outstanding fines and warrants for victimless, misdemeanor offenses which would otherwise serve as an obstacle to their finding housing and employment. In order to qualify for having fines and warrants waived, participants must demonstrate their commitment to ending their homelessness.

MCRHC combines punishment with treatment and services in rigorous supervised rehabilitation programs, which typically exceed the sentencing requirements of similarly convicted defendants adjudicated in the normal court process.

All applicants to the program

must already be connected to a qualified service provider and be in transitional housing, actively seeking employment and completing community service, all of which counts as credit toward paying off their fines. Applicants also cannot have any prior felonies within the past decade, except for drug or DUI convictions, and background checks are performed, the Huffington Post reports. The court, prosecution and defense participate in reviewing eligibility for MCRHC. On the third Tuesday of every month, homeless court is convened inside the Lodestar Day Resource Center on the Human Services Campus, a one-stop-shop facility where Phoenix’s homeless can access a range of services from both public and private entities.

Full Participation Much has transpired in the way courts are handling the homeless population and our nation’s veter-

ans since San Diego established the first HCP in 1989. In its quest to quell the vicious cycle of homeless criminalization, the ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty has recently made presentations across locations in the Midwest and Southeast including Ann Arbor, Detroit, Battle Creek and Traverse City, in Michigan, as well as in cities in South Carolina that include Columbia, Charleston and Greenville, Binder points out.

It is not a free ride, however.

Participants must demonstrate a certain level of accomplishment in program activities that illustrate a commitment to real change and reform.

And the Stand Down/Homeless/ Veterans Treatment Courts must do their part to be collaborative and willing to absolve offenders from these crimes.

“It’s so much more than a criminal justice system that just prosecutes,” Binder emphasizes. “We are dedicated to making lives, and our communities, safer and better.” CT

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BY G .F . G U E R C I O, C ONTR I BU TI NG EDITO R

HEIGHTENING SECURITY Protecting the courts and all who enter requires greater safety measures as threats increase on all fronts. In light of recent incidents, what’s the alternative…? “ UNLIKE

TWENTY- FIVE

or thirty years ago, our country has the growing threat of gang and terrorist agendas. In addition, we have gun and drug issues which are out of control in every area of the country. All of these people are armed, very dangerous, and provide little or no notice to their intentions. Gang initiation, martyrdom, or drug craze cannot be easily defended unless physical security is in place. Any employee working in any state, county, or municipal building can be a target,” says Thomas R. Ermenville, president, Clear Security Systems. “These buildings and employees now require a higher level of protection than was acceptable in the past.”

The payment counters and windows at many courthouses have old quarter-inch glass, that either slide open, or have large speaker openings and pass-through holes where weapons can easily be pointed, or

threats made, he explains. “This lack of protection is now changing as those in charge of security are becoming aware of the increase of violent occurrences around the U.S.” Bullet resistant acrylic can be shaped into various speaker configurations which provide a high level of sound transfer between employees and the public, without the use of expensive and unsightly electronic devices. Whenever bullet-resistant glazing is being considered, bulletresistant fiberglass panels should also be included for the surrounding walls, as well as bullet-resistant doors.

Officers, typically armed, are present to assist the public during the metal detection entry process, continues Ermenville. “These entrance areas can be protected with ballistic glazing systems where the officers stand behind protection and still provide the support needed for people to get themselves and their items through the detection system,” pro-

viding time to respond to a threat.

The latest advancements in detection include the ability to alarm for threat items such as guns and knives, while not alarming on innocuous items, like belts, watches, and keys, adds Luca Cacioli, director of operations, CEIA USA. “CEIA walk-through metal detectors have the lowest Nuisance Alarm Rate in the industry.”

CEIA products include the HI-PE Plus Walk-Through Metal Detector (WTMD) to detect guns, knives and cell phones; the SMD600 Plus WTMD that detects smallest, most challenging threats and is National Institute of Justice Standard compliant; the PD140E Hand-Held Metal Detector (HHMD) that operates indoors and outdoors. The PD240 HHMD has a wide search area with operator signaling features, and provides floor rebar rejection, and the EMIS-MAIL tabletop detects concealed metal threats in mail and parcels including detonators, batterJune/July 2017x

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Upgrading Security

BY M A RC U S L OG A N , S E N IO R P R O D U CT M A R K E T I NG M ANAG E R , HON EY W E L L SE C U R IT Y P R O D U CT S A M E R IC A S

When the Butler County Judicial Center was built in 2003 in El Dorado, Kansas, the security system had 17 analog cameras and a PLC-controlled access control system. As time went on, the systems began to show their age and became difficult and expensive to maintain.

Butler County Sheriff’s Office worked with 4PC in Augusta, Kansas, to upgrade the Judicial Center’s security management system. Not long after the initial investment, the Sheriff’s Office, responding proactively to an escalating security risk that was affecting judicial facilities across the U.S., inquired about the full capabilities of Honeywell’s Pro-Watch system. The upgrade and expansion allows remote access of pertinent personnel to the system.

“Providing judges and district attorneys access to the Judicial Center’s video feeds has really helped increase the safety of the courtroom staff,” says Butler County Sheriff Kelly Herzet. “From their desk they can easily and quickly verify if a person or a group is waiting to speak with them in the hallway or outside in the parking lot. It’s a significant safety and security benefit during high profile court cases.”

As an integrated security system, the Pro-Watch platform is helping deputies keep records of employees and visitors entering and leaving the building through video surveillance and electronic access control.

“Previously, we identified people in the footage from the color of their clothes and physical mannerisms. Now with the new high-definition cameras we can see faces clearly and zoom in on objects so finely as to read handwritten words on a piece of paper,” says Herzet.

4PC also configured four Apple iPad devices for the sheriff, undersheriff, and shift supervisors at the Judicial Center and Adult Detention Facility to access the video surveillance system remotely. “Equipping our shift supervisors with iPads gives them the flexibility to be away from their desk and interact with deputies working in the field,” says Herzet.

“The iPads are set up to access the video surveillance systems at both facilities and can be used anywhere there’s Wi-Fi access.”

Butler County Judicial Center upgraded and expanded its security system to provide remote access through Honeywell’s MAXPRO VMS so judges and district attorneys can view the camera feed from their desktops in high-profile cases.

ies, trigger circuits and other metal components of parcel bombs without false alarms for non-threat items such as metal staples, paper clips and binding spirals, he explains.

“Metal detectors need to work in a variety of locations that present unique challenges,” furthers Cacioli.

Electrical and mechanical interferences can disrupt screening operations as they are seen as noise by the metal detectors. “CEIA metal detectors have built-in functions to recognize these noises and filter them without affecting screening operations.”

And, no longer is duress protection available only in static locations such as under a desk or on a wall, says Craig Badrick, CEO, Turn-key Technologies, Inc. (TTI): The Guardian solution allows complete mobility as the small wireless duress fob is kept on the staff member and is always within reach. “Furthermore, the Guardian solution has advanced functions that can address staff who work alone and may have medical or safety concerns. The man-down alarm will raise an alert even if the user is incapacitated and unable to manually raise an alarm.”

No Strings Attached Court systems may have older, hard-wired duress solutions which can be expensive to upgrade or replace, Badrick notes. The TTI Guardian is completely wireless, thus there is no need to pull cables, take rooms out of service, or have a long, protracted installation. It also provides numerous methods of alarm delivery: to a manned security center, to LED signs, as a text message, to emails, and even to twoway pagers on the Guardian system.

“The Guardian solution is using the newest innovations in wireless technology, including the Zigbee IEEE protocol to create a self-organizing, self-healing wireless network that protects staff anywhere

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required so as not to look guilty,” he says. “But if the defendant chooses to lunge at the judge, or anyone, it’s just a one button hit and they will go down. It’s better than thumping them on the head or shooting them with a gun in front of the jury, better than any of the alternatives.”

Myers furthers, “For our eleven years of business, we have never had any litigation with the device or the use of it. This is chiefly due to the dataport which is important for accountability.” Each time it is fired it records the date, time and duration so if the detainee says it was

Turn-key Technologies, Inc.’s components for wireless duress protection can also protect outside and in parking complexes.

they roam, including outdoors, if required,” Badrick notes.

He relates a story about a recently completed installation for a county court complex in New Jersey.

“The customer was so impressed with the solution, that they expanded the scope of the project two times, even before the initial installation was complete. Coverage was added to include outdoor spaces between buildings as well as the judges parking complex.”

Concealed Electric Deterrent Also conveying a story of a safety solution, Brad Myers, owner and president of Myers Enterprises, Inc., maker of Stun-Cuff, refers to a detainee who kept acting up as he was being readied for trial. “So they demonstrated the Stun-Cuff, you just hit the button—you see and hear the electric current—the detainee didn’t give them any trouble. That’s the beauty of this; you rarely have to activate it. Just the demonstration and wearing it is the biggest deterrent. It’s enough to make bad boys into choir boys.”

He reiterates that “the product is 99.9 percent deterrent, but it is effective if they do try anything.

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Officers who assist the public during the metal detection entry process can be protected with Clear Security Systems’ bullet-resistant glazing giving them the time to adjust to a threat and act accordingly.

fired twice, you can pull up the information and see it wasn’t fired at all, or that it was fired once coinciding with a security risk.

Performing Threat Assessments Courthouse designers must consider all security risks: threats to the internal workings of the facility, such personal assault, biological or chemical attack, or cyber threats; as well as exterior risks like bombs, vehicles, or firearm attacks, says Will Fagan, marketing manager, CGL Architects, Inc. The needs differ when applied to local courthouse or federal courthouse design. “Though the functions are similar, the differing user

groups and the security assessments are very different between the two courthouse types. Federal courts are more likely to be targets for terrorist attacks and large-scale dangers.

Local courts are more prone to

spontaneous, less predictable violence, such as domestic assault or an attack on an individual. These differing threat analyses require vastly different security measures; however, courthouses must perform threat assessments as a whole and implement multi-level security solutions into the building’s design.”

The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts has worked with the United States Marshall’s Service and the General Services Administration to implement specific security measures in federal courthouse designs including building setbacks 50-100 feet, site barriers, blast resistant structures, ballistic glazing on the first floor, restricted parking underneath/adjacent, and CCTV perimeter control. Local courthouses are not required to meet these specific security standards.

But there are common precautions taken, he notes: “All courts, federal and local, implement many similar security measures in the design process,” including metal detector and x-ray systems, separate restricted prisoner circulation, CCTV, duress alarms, single public entry, and separate judges’ entry.

Ballistic Protection “Throughout the past several years, we have witnessed increased security measures at courthouse entrances, as well as within the

The Stun-Cuff from Myers Enterprises, Inc., deters unwanted activity during court appearances and is undetected under the pants leg; an “innocent-until-proven-guilty” appearance judges often prefer.

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Letter bomb and IED detector for mail and parcel inspection is a table-top unit by CEIA USA.

courtrooms and payment centers, says Cassie Schlosser, southeastern representative, Insulgard Security Products. “By reducing the number of entrances accessible to the public and increasing security at those entrances, several potential threats are mitigated.”

Many use the combination of metal detectors and security officers, as well as secured vestibules hardened with ballistic materials.

“Even with these improvements, security can be breached, which explains the increased demand for ballistic protection within the courtrooms,” she says. “We recommend armoring the judges' benches, witness and clerk boxes with ballistic-lined millwork utilizing bullet-resistant fiberglass panels. Insulgard provides rigid sheets of woven fiberglass that can be retrofitted and attached to existing courtroom furniture, or we can provide the actual millwork for installation into a new courtroom.”

Other areas within the courts where hardened security is useful include council or meeting rooms, judges' chambers and payment windows. “When the public attends public meetings, tempers tend to flare depending on the topic at hand, so many courthouses armor the dais with ballistic fiberglass and may include a counterline (secondary) barrier to protect committee members.”

With recent and burgeoning threats on all fronts, she says, “I believe increased court security will be mandated for all new, and possibly existing, courts to allow for equal protection throughout each county and state.” She anticipates more money will be allotted for security improvements among judicial buildings in the coming years, as has been the case lately. Better than the alternative…. CT

Security Requirements for Federal Vs. Local Courthouses Federal Courts

Local Courts

Building setbacks: 50-100 feet

Usually no setbacks required

Site barriers

Frequent use of site barriers, no consistent requirement

Blast resistant structure

Usually not blast resistant structure (large metropolitan areas may implement blast-resistant designs)

Ballistic glazing on first floor

Ballistic glazing rarely used

Restricted parking underneath/adjacent

Restricted parking underneath/adjacent (local decision)

CCTV perimeter control

CCTV perimeter control (local decision)

Federal Courts’ security standards as shown by CGL Architects, Inc., with local courthouses not required by statute but often implemented in the design process.

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BY FR A N K G R EE N E, F A IA A N D E N R I Q U E M A C IA , AI A, LE E D AP

Adaptive Reuse of Old Buildings for New Court

Functions WOODRUFF BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY

T

he expectation that courthouses will be iconic structures distinguished by their civic prominence, and with a grandeur befitting their elevated place in the public mind suggests a convergence with adaptive reuse of heritage structures that have outlived their original purpose. This can be true for prestigious National Register landmark structures, for buildings notable for their historic significance more than aesthetic appeal, or even older buildings that are well suited for public convenience including adequate parking.

A key imperative of siting a new courthouse is proximity to the existing civic district, for significant advantages for the public, for the

The new home of the Appellate Court for the State of Connecticut occupies a former life insurance company headquarters.

legal community, and for the urban vitality of the civic district. Few undeveloped sites may exist in these districts, however, many of which may contain existing and land-

marked structures. In many cases, the fit between the features of a protected heritage building and the demanding functional program of a courthouse is unable to be bridged,

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WOODRUFF BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY

bench, and commissioned a glass artist to provide glass and lighting for the opening under the legislated percent-for-art program. The building masonry was cleaned, repaired and repointed, provided with state-ofthe-art building services, and a new entry forecourt. The major intervention permitted by the State Historic Preservation Office was carving Appellate Court into the frieze of the main façade, indicating that this was to be its the permanent home.

The judges’ bench design in the Connecticut Appellate Court is based on the House of Lords court in Colonial Williamsburg, Va. The law clerks housed in the upper mezzanine are behind the etched glass walls.

but in certain cases, cleverness and flexibility may be employed to deliver a successful outcome.

Appellate Court, Hartford, Connecticut A classic match of civic presence and judicial prestige is the Appellate Court for the State of Connecticut.

An intermediate court established in the 1980s to speed appeals of the trial courts, it was lodged on the attic floor of the Hartford Courthouse and had little public identity, with facilities that were inadequate to its busy docket. The state acquired a building on the Hartford Green that was originally built in the early 20th century as the home of an insurance company. Over the years, the noble neoclassical structure had been used as a government office building, and suffered from antiquated building services and haphazard renovations.

Aside from the Palladian revival front façade, the building was most notable for its grand insurance hall, colonnaded with two-story Corinthian columns, with administrative clerks on a 6,000-square-foot floor below, and their managers on a flanking mezzanine above. The challenge of placing a courtroom for

appellate proceedings within this space was considerable, as the space was both too large and too small, with a courtroom program of only about 2,400 square feet, to be fitted within the large floor, and a judge bench capable of seating up to 15 judges to be located in the narrow space between the rows of columns.

CGL’s solution was to insert a series of low walls within the large space defining space for the judges’ bench and the spectator seating area, with a focus on the attorney podium where oral arguments were delivered.

Providing ADA accessibility, proper acoustic and lighting performance, and insertion of central air conditioning and heating within the historic volume required close coordination between the architects and their engineering consultants. The upper mezzanine was separated from the courtroom below by minimally detailed etched glass panels, to become the offices for legal research attorneys.

The process of discovery in investigation of the historic resources of the original structure revealed an original Palladian window that had been covered over during earlier renovations and additions. The designers re-opened the window, located behind the new judge

Multnomah County Central Courthouse, Portland, Oregon A very different relationship between finding new life for a landmark structure and meeting the needs of the court drove the design for the Multnomah County Courthouse, now under construction in downtown Portland, Oregon.

One quadrant of the site for the 450,000-square-foot program was occupied by the original power station for the streetcar system in Portland, known as Jefferson Station.

The 12,000-square-foot, early-20thcentury structure was notable for its role in modernizing the city’s infrastructure and for being an early reinforced concrete structure, but it was not aesthetically significant.

The square 200-by-200-foot blocks characteristic of Portland make for a lively pedestrian experience, but make fitting a large courthouse program onto the site a challenging proposition, particularly where one quadrant has a threestory landmark building. The solution proposed by SRG Partnership and CGL was to align the floors between the new and old buildings, making a seamless experience for the public, while taking full advantage of some dramatic original features that had survived numerous renovations.

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Left: The existing Central Courts building in downtown Portland, Oregon, is a three-story landmark building, which housed the original power station for the streetcar system.

Below: The new 17-story tower (center) incorporates the existing building, designed so floors align between the new and old buildings, making a seamless experience for the public.

crane that will be retained as a memory of its original purpose.

The restored Jefferson Station building, designed by Petretti Studio, is fully integrated with the new 17-story courts tower, as the first three floors are the location of the high public contact portions of the courthouse, connected by a prominent public stair in the open atrium. Security screening, the public service counter, clerk offices for the various courts, high-volume courts, legal resource center/law library, court child care, jury assembly, and a café are all accessed from this easily navigable space. The Jefferson Station’s identity as a heritage industrial structure is preserved by making it the home of the high-volume courts (small claims, landlord tenant, and traffic) and utilizing the large original high bay space as the location for an innovative alternative approach to conferencing and settling minor matters outside the courtrooms.

The necessity of an L-shaped plan for the tower, the result of the footprint of the Jefferson Station, was turned into a significant asset, resolving the conflict between the judges’ desire to have immediate access to their courtroom and the efficiency of a collegial arrangement of judges’ chambers. Placing four

courtrooms along the long leg of the site, and a five-chamber suite on the short leg, allows all of the judges convenient access to all of the courtrooms should they need a larger spectator area, additional technology capability, or an accessible bench.

This arrangement also means that public access to the chambers suite is directly off of the elevator lobby, with a common reception counter— a significant improvement in public service over separate chambers reached through long corridors.

The urban benefit of preserving a historic three-story building in a district where full-block, 20-story towers have become the norm is evident in maintaining a sense of human scale and variety of incident in the streetscape. The cues from this structure carry forward into the development of the public entry sequence into the tower, where the solid-looking three-story block of Jefferson Station is mirrored in the clear glass-fronted atrium “void” visible on approach to the entrance,

and then becoming the unifying element of the public experience in moving through the building to the desired destination. The public spaces such as the café, jury assembly, and the court waiting areas are oriented toward the dramatic views of the Willamette River and snowcapped Mt. Hood in the distance.

Decker Center, Richland County, South Carolina A clever adaptive re-use of existing resources is the recently opened Decker Center in Columbia, South Carolina, unusual in that the new court facilities are housed in a former strip mall and Kroger grocery store. Designed by The Boudreaux Group and CGL for Richland County, the project successfully overcame the many challenges inherent in elevating the public perception of the site and building.

Located along a stretch of Decker Boulevard known as the International Corridor, the Richland

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The recently opened Decker Center in Columbia, South Carolina, is unusual in that the new court facilities are housed in a former strip mall and Kroger grocery store.

County Decker Center is a 112,000square-foot multi-use facility housing the Central Magistrate Court and a Sheriff’s Department sub-station.

In addition to meeting the functional needs of the Court and sheriff one of the County’s major goals was to help revive the languishing Decker Boulevard commercial corridor. The high-volume courtrooms in the facility will draw large numbers of visitors and users, which will revitalize the businesses on Decker Boulevard.

Community outreach was another major goal of the county. A community room is available for use by local organizations and community groups. The county has also organized tours of the facility as part of its “Richland 101,” a free multi-week course on the basics of county government. A unique innovation takes advantage of the courthouse’s suburban site by programming the newly re-surfaced and landscaped parking lot as a space for outdoor community events and fairs. Generally empty on the weekends, the provision of additional electrical power sources in the parking lot creates a place well suited for small community outdoor festivals and events.

The new facility houses the Central Magistrate Court, formerly located in an outdated 12,000square-foot facility, and now includes eight courtrooms within its 76,000 square feet, four of which are criminal trial capable. One of the biggest planning challenges in the project was achieving separate circulation systems

for judges and staff, detainees and the public in only a one-story building.

This was solved by taking advantage of the high floor-to-ceiling height in the former grocery store portion of the building to extend a small existing mezzanine as a second floor secure corridor to move detainees from the new central holding to the four criminal courtrooms. The high existing structure allowed 14-foot ceiling heights for the four large courtrooms and the jury assembly room, an important element of proportions that create a proper sense of dignity and grandeur to the proceedings. To allow for flexibility, the jury assembly room was designed to be able to function as a future courtroom with a millwork staff bench similar to those of the courtrooms.

The large floor plate of the existing strip mall allowed for extensive open, uncluttered office areas for court administration and other support staff, and generous light-filled lobbies, court waiting and entry screening areas. The existing building was re-clad with new façade panels and glazing to create an elegant, contemporary new image for Magistrate’s Court, communicating a message of responsive, effective service to the public.

These three examples of adaptive reuse of existing buildings, whether landmark or disused shopping center, show the range of possibilities for transformation of image and function. It is worth noting that in each case, the original purpose of

the building as communicated by its architecture is entirely appropriate to its new use: For the Appellate Court, the permanence of the classical elements were cleaned and repaired, with the new elements respectfully interacting with them in a dialogue of new and old.

For the new Multnomah County Central Courthouse, the use of the historic industrial structure as the location for innovative processes designed to improve public service and “process justice” makes effective use of the exposed brick, concrete frame, and wood windows as a more informal, people-oriented setting for justice services.

And at the extreme end of public convenience, the Decker Center brings justice services to the people in a market setting that’s accessible, and with public benefit extending to weekend community events.

The projects illustrate how governments across the country, in partnership with the people they serve, have looked outside the box to provide new life to old buildings, while increasing the perception that the justice system is effective and relevant. CT Frank Greene, FAIA, is executive vice president & director of design with CGL Companies, which provides facility planning and design, program management and facility maintenance.

Enrique Maciá, AIA, LEED AP, serves as senior vice president.

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