NCJ Number
166726
Journal
Alternatives to Incarceration Volume: 2 Issue: 5 Dated: (September/October 1996) Pages: 20-21
Editor(s)
K G Distler
Date Published
1996
Length
2 pages
Annotation
Using videoconferencing for routine court hearings for Lincoln Hills School, a maximum-security juvenile correctional facility in Irma, Wisc. has reduced costs, saved time, improved safety for the youths and the community, and enabled juvenile offenders to stay in school with its classes and counseling.
Abstract
The school is located in a remote area of north central Wisconsin and serves only males. A grant and an innovative videoconferencing solution from Ameritech enabled the facility to link the facility to the Milwaukee County Children's Court in Wauwatosa. Lincoln Hills uses the system for uncontested hearings required to lengthen a juvenile offender's stay at the facility. The hearings typically take 5-10 minutes. In contrast, the nearly 480-mile roundtrip to Milwaukee County often took 2 days, required lodging from correctional and police personnel, and cost about $500. The system involves a virtual courtroom in which the juvenile, a social worker, and an acting bailiff meet via videoconferencing with the judge, court clerk, district attorney, and attorney for the offender, who appears as usual in the actual courtroom. A fax machine in the room can provide copies of any needed documents. The system saves money and the potential dangers to the youth, juvenile justice personnel, and the community associated with vehicle transport.