VIDEO TELECONFERENCING

The Delaware County Court has been utilizing video teleconferencing, which transmits the video-audio signal through ISDN telephone lines and allows witnesses throughout the nation to testify live in our court, since 1997. The Court saw it as a means to allow witnesses, especially professional witnesses and mainly in civil court, to testify without traveling great distances and as a way to save on costs associated with a trial or hearing.

The Court expanded video teleconferencing in 2001 for hearings with defendants housed at State Correctional Institutions (SCI’s) scattered throughout the state, eliminating not only the need to transport the prisoner to Delaware County for hearings but also saving the County any expenses associated with that transport, such as Sheriff’s salary, travel medium and lodging accommodations. Further, the County does not incur any housing charges for the inmates at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility.

All of the Delaware County courtrooms and hearing rooms have been wired with ISDN lines to accept live testimony in Court. Additionally, Juvenile Court uses video teleconferencing between Media and the Juvenile Detention Center in Lima for Right to Detain and other Hearings, saving additional transportation costs. As a further benefit of the system, the Court can conduct Review of Placement Hearings with statewide placement facilities which also have video teleconferencing equipment, as well as Individual Service Plan review and family visits.

The Upper Darby Adult Probation and Juvenile Court offices in Upper Darby, Chester and Sharon Hill have individual video teleconference units also. Court officers remain in their offices for Gagnon I hearings rather than making the time-consuming commute to Media for a Court hearing. There is then a three-way video teleconference between the Delaware County Courthouse, the remote site of the Probation Officer and either the Prison or Juvenile Detention Center.

Because of the Court’s success with video teleconferencing, Children & Youth Services and the Mental Health Department have purchased and have used the equipment for their many offices in the county and for statewide conferences. Additionally, District Judge/Bail Offices have installed video teleconferencing equipment in Delaware County’s western region and Chester region of District Judges and Police Departments for Bail interview and District Judge Arraignments. Further, an individual unit has been installed in the Radnor and Folcroft Courts.

Testimony in our Court has been given live or on videotape through video teleconferencing from almost every state in the country. Overseas testimony has been taken from Ireland, Hawaii, Germany, Poland, Hong Kong, China, Canada, South Africa and Puerto Rico.