Jail-to-courtroom video equipment remains unused
A small piece of equipment installed for a small price in a small room at the Oklahoma County jail could provide a big relief in transporting inmates to and from the courthouse.
Yet the $3,000 camera and video system, designed for defendants who don't necessarily need to be in the courtroom, and set up in a room the size of a closet near the jail’s receiving area, have not been used since it was installed in August.
While jail staff are eager to use the equipment, and those acquainted with the slow-churn of courthouse proceedings suggest the video system would help, the county’s justices are treading cautiously as they measure the benefits of technology against the
potential pitfall of legal violations.
“We’re trying to make things as efficient as we can, and protect people’s Constitutional rights,” Oklahoma County District Judge Timothy Henderson said. “If there are some things we can do over video, we’re going to try to do it. There are certain rights every criminal has — being in court during proceedings.”
Indeed, the Oklahoma County courts already make use of video technology for most initial appearances. Inmates enter rooms in the jail and listen to Special Judge Russell Hall, seated at his bench about a half-mile away, notify them of their offenses and bail amounts.
For those who remain in jail as their cases move through the system, trips to the courthouse are routine, but sometimes fruitless. Depending on a judge’s schedule, the Sheriff’s Office transports between 40 and 130 defendants each day from the jail to the courthouse. Vans can carry up to 14 inmates. The Sheriff’s Office may make 15 trips between the jail and courthouse each day, depending on the number of inmates to be seen by a judge.
Five deputies are used on 8.5-hour shifts to move the inmates back and forth. Sometimes, there are as many as seven deputies on the assignment. This is in addition to the deputies assigned to move the inmates from their cells into the vans.
Use of the video system would help ease the pressure of inmate movement, reduce risks and potentially trim the jail population, officials say.
“It helps a lot with the types of inmates that can cause security concerns, with transferring them to the courthouse all the time,” sheriff's department spokesman Mark Opgrande said. “With conditional release, it provides an opportunity to get some in front of a judge as soon as possible, on weekends and holidays. It alleviates stress on everybody, getting them in and out faster. A lot of these inmates, when they go over there, they don’t even see a judge.”
It was a fault found by the Vera Institute of Justice, which released a report on the local criminal justice system in 2016.
The report, commissioned by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, said there was a lack of coordination between the court and Sheriff’s Office around the transporting of inmates.
“Resource limitations at the jail make it difficult to transport all inmates whose cases are on the court calendar that day,” Vera researchers said. “The sheriff’s office will bring too many or too few to the courthouse, leading to logistical challenges and further delays at the courthouse. These issues may also be attributable, in part, to docketing issues on the court’s side.”
Since the Vera report was released, the courts and law enforcement have reduced the number of prisoner days in the jail by releasing more arrestees on their own recognizance, working with those who cannot pay bond on lowlevel crimes and cutting the number of arrests made of those who have warrants for unpaid criminal justice fees.
The jail was notorious for housing at least 2,500 inmates, or more than double the capacity for which it was designed. In December, the Board of County Commissioners announced the population stood at 1,560 inmates.
Use of the new video equipment could mark another step, however incremental, in criminal justice reform efforts in Oklahoma County.
The equipment couldn’t be used for hearings, trials and other instances where defendant advocacy is involved, but would be effective when court procedures are simply postponed, when a defendant wants more time to consider a plea and other instances “when they don’t need to be brought over here,” said Public Defender Bob Ravitz.
As a judge, Henderson is keenly aware of the inmate transportation issues. The problem spans beyond the county. While the courts figure out how best to use technology, the chief concern is ensuring people receive justice, he said.
“People are in prison all over the state, but they may have a case here,” Henderson said. “We need to protect people’s rights. We’re still trying to develop ways to do that.”
The sheriff’s office hopes that includes the use of video equipment at the jail.
“We’re excited for it to be put to use,” Sheriff P.D. Taylor said. “A lot of time and effort has been put into it. We’re looking forward to using it however they can utilize it in the courts.”