Technology has been expanding faster than it can be implemented. In no industry is that more true than the public sector. With bidding processes, budgetary restrictions and contracts, it slows down advancement. Compare that to the private sector where speed and adaptability are the keys to success, it creates a mismatch that grows every year. There are many tech tools made for the private sector that can be repurposed to revolutionize the court system.
The first and possibly most useful product is called Twilio. Twilio provides programmable tools that allow users to send texts through code. This opens up a ton of possibilities and we utilized this at my old County by creating a text reminder system. All litigants were able to find a case in our public case access and click a button to sign up for text reminders. The day before any upcoming event for that case, a text is automatically sent to the party to remind them of the upcoming event, reducing the number of no shows. This can also be used to send texts about unclaimed property or even notify a defendant that they have been served automatically.
With remote hearings becoming normal across the nation, what is the best way to capture the event on video? Owl Labs has a revolutionary smart camera system that is built using AI. This AI is trained to give the impression of having a professional cameraperson behind the camera. It will automatically move the camera to view whoever is talking, as well as detect and capture motion. Done so well, it is nearly impossible to tell that someone is not behind the camera. It also has full 360 degree vision as well as a built-in speaker. Installing one in a courtroom will make remote hearings that much easier.
Computers have found their way into every courtroom in America. Clerk's are trained to quickly find referenced documents and display them to the judge on their screen. This has worked very well but what if the defendant or the lawyer wanted to see that document? The answer to this problem is more screens! Installing a TV in a courtroom can increase visibility for all parties.
In Illinois, legislation was passed stating that all fines and fees must be acknowledged by the defendant and the judge before being paid. The solution we came up with at our courthouse was to add two tablets to each criminal courtroom. One would face the judge and one would face the defendant. The clerk would pull up the full financial outline on both tablets and the defendant was then able to agree to it. This also doubled as a way to display relevant documents to both parties at once.
Innovation does not need to start from a blank slate. Taking existing ideas and integrating them into pre existing systems is another form of innovation. For example, when the first motorcycle was created, they did not reinvent the wheel. They used the same type of wheels that cars were using and made them smaller to fit their needs. Just because something is not in a courtroom today does not mean it can't be tomorrow.