To learn more about the evolving role of voice and video technology in judicial settings, Poly spoke with Bob Kelley, Sr. Video Applications Engineer for the Supreme Court of Virginia. Kelley\u2019s department is responsible for providing primarily technical support, planning, enhancements, advisory functions, and capabilities for videoconferencing for the court system in the state of Virginia.<\/p>\n
WHY POLY? <\/strong><\/h3>\nStarting in 1998, the Virginia judicial system procured a grant for 12 Poly (then Polycom) video units to test how videoconferencing could work in a justice setting. The technology needed to provide robust, consistent audio and video to facilitate virtual judicial functions in safe and secure locations for instances in which in-person hearings or meetings were not possible. When asked why Kelley chose Poly all those years ago, he explained that the decision was based on their ability to support open architecture, ensure ease of deployment, device reliability, remote device management capabilities, consistent user interfaces (UI) across devices and workspaces, and interoperability with different video platforms.<\/p>\n
In addition to meeting all of their technical specifications, Kelley underlined that \u201cit was [Poly\u2019s] willingness to work with us to help customize the product to our needs at the time that no other vendor would do. That let us know we had found a partner we could count on. This was a great decision that we have never regretted thanks to the consistency of the product and service.\u201d <\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nESTABLISHING THE NETWORK<\/strong><\/h4>\nOnce the original pilot program was proven successful, the Virginia State legislature decided that its Supreme Court should lead the way in using video technology. As the network of video endpoints gradually began to spread throughout the different courts and associated agencies, Kelley needed to establish a way for all the endpoints deployed to be able to connect to the court\u2019s central systems. Additionally, some devices were not<\/em> part of the court\u2019s network that needed to be \u2018tied in\u2019 to the court\u2019s system. Therefore, the state judicial system established a network infrastructure that includes components of Poly RealPresence Clariti<\/a><\/span> with two RMX bridges<\/a><\/span>, two Distributed Media Applications or \u2018DMAs\u2019<\/a><\/span> and Access Director<\/a><\/span> to handle border proxy and outside the network duties.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/IMG_0377.jpg\")
<\/h3>\nALL SYSTEMS IN PLACE<\/strong><\/h3>\nFast-forward to present day, Virginia\u2019s statewide deployment includes over 800 endpoints \u2013 primarily Poly Group Series<\/a><\/span>, 310<\/a><\/span>, 500<\/span>,<\/a> and 700<\/a><\/span>. Devices are located in all corners of the justice system, including courthouses, jails, magistrate offices, hospitals, juvenile detention homes, one in a concert venue, and another used for entertainment functions on a mobile device. All video endpoints create the ability for courts, law enforcement, corrections, and hospitals to all be able to communicate easily.<\/p>\nOPEN ARCHITECTURE & EASE OF USE<\/strong><\/h4>\nThe fact that Poly\u2019s open architecture \u201cplays\u201d nice with all devices gives the court the ability to tie in with the public and attorneys when they can\u2019t be physically present in the courtroom. \u201cWe\u2019d always had the ability to bring in witnesses from remote locations for cases [\u2026] But when COVID hit, what we found was we need to have something a little bit easier for us to utilize. So, thanks to the tie-in with <\/em>Poly and Webex<\/em><\/a><\/span>, we\u2019ve been able to do Webex for public [hearings]\u2026 Our court of appeals is utilizing [Microsoft] Teams for writ panel hearings, we\u2019re utilizing Web Suite and the bridge for all the Supreme Court hearings… Because we already had everything in place, the impact on us was pretty low as far as infrastructure goes<\/em>,\u201d said Kelley.<\/p>\nKelley stated that without the videoconferencing network that they already had in place, the onset of COVID-19 would have incited \u2018chaos\u2019. Explaining, when you find yourself in a desperate position, you lose your ability to plan and find yourself \u2018grasping at straws\u2019 to patch together systems just to keep things moving. Thorough planning is required for identifying technology that is appropriate for use in judicial settings as security and privacy are especially important. Kelley recommends that if states haven\u2019t already begun, they should start planning their video infrastructure immediately so that they can establish something that will work for them in the long run \u2013 the next five to seven years.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nACCESS TO JUSTICE: THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM\u2019S ADOPTION OF VIDEO <\/strong><\/h3>\nAs of late October 2020, the state of Virginia was already 125,000 video hearings ahead of where they were at the same time last year. Meaning, Kelley\u2019s department has needed to order more video units to accommodate social distancing \u2013 sometimes hundreds more per month. Talk about Digital Acceleration!<\/p>\n
The court system\u2019s use of professional-grade technology has been the conduit enabling the courts to stay on track as individuals are now allowed to \u201ccome in\u201d via video to handle minor offenses. Additionally, they are creating ways to meet with individuals who are isolating to prevent exposure to the virus. An example of this is that some jails have utilized the Poly RealPresence mobile function with iOS<\/a><\/span>, bringing an iPad to a prisoner\u2019s jail cell to allow them to have their day in court despite exposure to the virus. This mitigates potential exposure to the virus while keeping the courts from getting backed up with cases and fewer people awaiting their court date from jail.<\/p>\nWhen asked what feedback they have received about the expansion of their video program, Kelley reported, \u201cLarge corporation hospitals are grabbing onto this technology to increase their access to justice<\/em>.\u201d Explaining that because many people who are admitted to the hospital come in for medical and<\/em> mental health concerns, there is a judicial process involved in these instances. The ease of access to justice that video brings is something that \u201c\u2026has been really important to them. Enough for them to make investments in it, which we hadn\u2019t seen in the past,\u201d<\/em> he continued.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/IMG_0036.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
As for law enforcement, Kelley quickly stated, \u201cI think that everybody sees the advantage to it.\u201d<\/em> Explaining, when they have videoconferencing easily accessible, officers can save a significant amount of time that would have been dedicated to traveling between different locations such as the magistrate, judges, courthouses, and jails \u2013 this speeds things up significantly. Additionally, by using video, jails don\u2019t have to send multiple cars and deputies for long-distance transports because of the severity of the person they are transporting. This results in increased safety and savings because anytime officers aren\u2019t on the road, they can do their other work.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/strong>STATE-WIDE SAVINGS\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h4>\nIn addition to the protection of public health and safety that video makes possible, Kelley noted that the state has also been able to significantly decrease spending on judicial processes. \u201cWhat we\u2019ve found with videoconferencing is, the fact that we can save the state a tremendous amount of money in travel costs as well as the intangible amount of public safety that you have from not having to transport prisoners out of secure areas<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\nKelley referred to an interaction he had with a Sheriff about what value the use of video had been to him. The Sheriff reported that he went from 1,100 prisoner transports a year to 100 and that the savings from that alone have been immense. \u201cSo, you look at that and there\u2019s a value. And, it\u2019s a value that you can\u2019t put prices on by breaking the numbers down very easily. But you can tell that you\u2019re saving a huge amount of money on transportation costs, manpower, and hours. So, the return on investment is huge<\/em>\u201d Kelley explained.<\/p>\nWILL THESE CHANGES LAST?<\/strong><\/h3>\nWith so much change within a small period of time, it\u2019s interesting to ponder what is next for tech in the court system. Kelley predicts that as we move into a post-COVID future, some things will go back to the way they were, but the pandemic will ultimately cause a permanent change across the board. As far as the state\u2019s court systems go, Kelley expects to stay on the same track they are on. Noting that as technology changes, so do people\u2019s expectations and he anticipates that there will also be a transformation in people\u2019s thought process that allows change to take place. He believes that people will grab onto the tech we are using today and maybe even expanded upon it to ultimately make everyone\u2019s lives easier in the future.<\/p>\n
<\/h4>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES<\/strong><\/h4>\nBrochure: <\/strong>Audio and Video Solutions for Criminal Justice<\/p>\nA look at Poly audio and video solutions designed for remote arraignments, lawyer-defendant communications, remote trial proceedings, remote visitation, and telemedicine. Download brochure<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/a>[i]<\/u><\/sup> Judiciary Authorizes Video\/Audio Access During COVID-19 Pandemic<\/span><\/a>, March 31, 2020.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The global pandemic has been a catalyst for digital acceleration […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4621,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1745,1724,548],"tags":[299,300,301,302,303,304,305,306,307,308,309,264,310,311,312,313,314,232,52,214],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4617"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4617"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4617\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
ESTABLISHING THE NETWORK<\/strong><\/h4>\nOnce the original pilot program was proven successful, the Virginia State legislature decided that its Supreme Court should lead the way in using video technology. As the network of video endpoints gradually began to spread throughout the different courts and associated agencies, Kelley needed to establish a way for all the endpoints deployed to be able to connect to the court\u2019s central systems. Additionally, some devices were not<\/em> part of the court\u2019s network that needed to be \u2018tied in\u2019 to the court\u2019s system. Therefore, the state judicial system established a network infrastructure that includes components of Poly RealPresence Clariti<\/a><\/span> with two RMX bridges<\/a><\/span>, two Distributed Media Applications or \u2018DMAs\u2019<\/a><\/span> and Access Director<\/a><\/span> to handle border proxy and outside the network duties.<\/p>\n<\/h3>\nALL SYSTEMS IN PLACE<\/strong><\/h3>\nFast-forward to present day, Virginia\u2019s statewide deployment includes over 800 endpoints \u2013 primarily Poly Group Series<\/a><\/span>, 310<\/a><\/span>, 500<\/span>,<\/a> and 700<\/a><\/span>. Devices are located in all corners of the justice system, including courthouses, jails, magistrate offices, hospitals, juvenile detention homes, one in a concert venue, and another used for entertainment functions on a mobile device. All video endpoints create the ability for courts, law enforcement, corrections, and hospitals to all be able to communicate easily.<\/p>\nOPEN ARCHITECTURE & EASE OF USE<\/strong><\/h4>\nThe fact that Poly\u2019s open architecture \u201cplays\u201d nice with all devices gives the court the ability to tie in with the public and attorneys when they can\u2019t be physically present in the courtroom. \u201cWe\u2019d always had the ability to bring in witnesses from remote locations for cases [\u2026] But when COVID hit, what we found was we need to have something a little bit easier for us to utilize. So, thanks to the tie-in with <\/em>Poly and Webex<\/em><\/a><\/span>, we\u2019ve been able to do Webex for public [hearings]\u2026 Our court of appeals is utilizing [Microsoft] Teams for writ panel hearings, we\u2019re utilizing Web Suite and the bridge for all the Supreme Court hearings… Because we already had everything in place, the impact on us was pretty low as far as infrastructure goes<\/em>,\u201d said Kelley.<\/p>\nKelley stated that without the videoconferencing network that they already had in place, the onset of COVID-19 would have incited \u2018chaos\u2019. Explaining, when you find yourself in a desperate position, you lose your ability to plan and find yourself \u2018grasping at straws\u2019 to patch together systems just to keep things moving. Thorough planning is required for identifying technology that is appropriate for use in judicial settings as security and privacy are especially important. Kelley recommends that if states haven\u2019t already begun, they should start planning their video infrastructure immediately so that they can establish something that will work for them in the long run \u2013 the next five to seven years.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nACCESS TO JUSTICE: THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM\u2019S ADOPTION OF VIDEO <\/strong><\/h3>\nAs of late October 2020, the state of Virginia was already 125,000 video hearings ahead of where they were at the same time last year. Meaning, Kelley\u2019s department has needed to order more video units to accommodate social distancing \u2013 sometimes hundreds more per month. Talk about Digital Acceleration!<\/p>\n
The court system\u2019s use of professional-grade technology has been the conduit enabling the courts to stay on track as individuals are now allowed to \u201ccome in\u201d via video to handle minor offenses. Additionally, they are creating ways to meet with individuals who are isolating to prevent exposure to the virus. An example of this is that some jails have utilized the Poly RealPresence mobile function with iOS<\/a><\/span>, bringing an iPad to a prisoner\u2019s jail cell to allow them to have their day in court despite exposure to the virus. This mitigates potential exposure to the virus while keeping the courts from getting backed up with cases and fewer people awaiting their court date from jail.<\/p>\nWhen asked what feedback they have received about the expansion of their video program, Kelley reported, \u201cLarge corporation hospitals are grabbing onto this technology to increase their access to justice<\/em>.\u201d Explaining that because many people who are admitted to the hospital come in for medical and<\/em> mental health concerns, there is a judicial process involved in these instances. The ease of access to justice that video brings is something that \u201c\u2026has been really important to them. Enough for them to make investments in it, which we hadn\u2019t seen in the past,\u201d<\/em> he continued.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
As for law enforcement, Kelley quickly stated, \u201cI think that everybody sees the advantage to it.\u201d<\/em> Explaining, when they have videoconferencing easily accessible, officers can save a significant amount of time that would have been dedicated to traveling between different locations such as the magistrate, judges, courthouses, and jails \u2013 this speeds things up significantly. Additionally, by using video, jails don\u2019t have to send multiple cars and deputies for long-distance transports because of the severity of the person they are transporting. This results in increased safety and savings because anytime officers aren\u2019t on the road, they can do their other work.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/strong>STATE-WIDE SAVINGS\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h4>\nIn addition to the protection of public health and safety that video makes possible, Kelley noted that the state has also been able to significantly decrease spending on judicial processes. \u201cWhat we\u2019ve found with videoconferencing is, the fact that we can save the state a tremendous amount of money in travel costs as well as the intangible amount of public safety that you have from not having to transport prisoners out of secure areas<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\nKelley referred to an interaction he had with a Sheriff about what value the use of video had been to him. The Sheriff reported that he went from 1,100 prisoner transports a year to 100 and that the savings from that alone have been immense. \u201cSo, you look at that and there\u2019s a value. And, it\u2019s a value that you can\u2019t put prices on by breaking the numbers down very easily. But you can tell that you\u2019re saving a huge amount of money on transportation costs, manpower, and hours. So, the return on investment is huge<\/em>\u201d Kelley explained.<\/p>\nWILL THESE CHANGES LAST?<\/strong><\/h3>\nWith so much change within a small period of time, it\u2019s interesting to ponder what is next for tech in the court system. Kelley predicts that as we move into a post-COVID future, some things will go back to the way they were, but the pandemic will ultimately cause a permanent change across the board. As far as the state\u2019s court systems go, Kelley expects to stay on the same track they are on. Noting that as technology changes, so do people\u2019s expectations and he anticipates that there will also be a transformation in people\u2019s thought process that allows change to take place. He believes that people will grab onto the tech we are using today and maybe even expanded upon it to ultimately make everyone\u2019s lives easier in the future.<\/p>\n
<\/h4>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES<\/strong><\/h4>\nBrochure: <\/strong>Audio and Video Solutions for Criminal Justice<\/p>\nA look at Poly audio and video solutions designed for remote arraignments, lawyer-defendant communications, remote trial proceedings, remote visitation, and telemedicine. Download brochure<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/a>[i]<\/u><\/sup> Judiciary Authorizes Video\/Audio Access During COVID-19 Pandemic<\/span><\/a>, March 31, 2020.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The global pandemic has been a catalyst for digital acceleration […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4621,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1745,1724,548],"tags":[299,300,301,302,303,304,305,306,307,308,309,264,310,311,312,313,314,232,52,214],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4617"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4617"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4617\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/h3>\nALL SYSTEMS IN PLACE<\/strong><\/h3>\nFast-forward to present day, Virginia\u2019s statewide deployment includes over 800 endpoints \u2013 primarily Poly Group Series<\/a><\/span>, 310<\/a><\/span>, 500<\/span>,<\/a> and 700<\/a><\/span>. Devices are located in all corners of the justice system, including courthouses, jails, magistrate offices, hospitals, juvenile detention homes, one in a concert venue, and another used for entertainment functions on a mobile device. All video endpoints create the ability for courts, law enforcement, corrections, and hospitals to all be able to communicate easily.<\/p>\nOPEN ARCHITECTURE & EASE OF USE<\/strong><\/h4>\nThe fact that Poly\u2019s open architecture \u201cplays\u201d nice with all devices gives the court the ability to tie in with the public and attorneys when they can\u2019t be physically present in the courtroom. \u201cWe\u2019d always had the ability to bring in witnesses from remote locations for cases [\u2026] But when COVID hit, what we found was we need to have something a little bit easier for us to utilize. So, thanks to the tie-in with <\/em>Poly and Webex<\/em><\/a><\/span>, we\u2019ve been able to do Webex for public [hearings]\u2026 Our court of appeals is utilizing [Microsoft] Teams for writ panel hearings, we\u2019re utilizing Web Suite and the bridge for all the Supreme Court hearings… Because we already had everything in place, the impact on us was pretty low as far as infrastructure goes<\/em>,\u201d said Kelley.<\/p>\nKelley stated that without the videoconferencing network that they already had in place, the onset of COVID-19 would have incited \u2018chaos\u2019. Explaining, when you find yourself in a desperate position, you lose your ability to plan and find yourself \u2018grasping at straws\u2019 to patch together systems just to keep things moving. Thorough planning is required for identifying technology that is appropriate for use in judicial settings as security and privacy are especially important. Kelley recommends that if states haven\u2019t already begun, they should start planning their video infrastructure immediately so that they can establish something that will work for them in the long run \u2013 the next five to seven years.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nACCESS TO JUSTICE: THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM\u2019S ADOPTION OF VIDEO <\/strong><\/h3>\nAs of late October 2020, the state of Virginia was already 125,000 video hearings ahead of where they were at the same time last year. Meaning, Kelley\u2019s department has needed to order more video units to accommodate social distancing \u2013 sometimes hundreds more per month. Talk about Digital Acceleration!<\/p>\n
The court system\u2019s use of professional-grade technology has been the conduit enabling the courts to stay on track as individuals are now allowed to \u201ccome in\u201d via video to handle minor offenses. Additionally, they are creating ways to meet with individuals who are isolating to prevent exposure to the virus. An example of this is that some jails have utilized the Poly RealPresence mobile function with iOS<\/a><\/span>, bringing an iPad to a prisoner\u2019s jail cell to allow them to have their day in court despite exposure to the virus. This mitigates potential exposure to the virus while keeping the courts from getting backed up with cases and fewer people awaiting their court date from jail.<\/p>\nWhen asked what feedback they have received about the expansion of their video program, Kelley reported, \u201cLarge corporation hospitals are grabbing onto this technology to increase their access to justice<\/em>.\u201d Explaining that because many people who are admitted to the hospital come in for medical and<\/em> mental health concerns, there is a judicial process involved in these instances. The ease of access to justice that video brings is something that \u201c\u2026has been really important to them. Enough for them to make investments in it, which we hadn\u2019t seen in the past,\u201d<\/em> he continued.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
As for law enforcement, Kelley quickly stated, \u201cI think that everybody sees the advantage to it.\u201d<\/em> Explaining, when they have videoconferencing easily accessible, officers can save a significant amount of time that would have been dedicated to traveling between different locations such as the magistrate, judges, courthouses, and jails \u2013 this speeds things up significantly. Additionally, by using video, jails don\u2019t have to send multiple cars and deputies for long-distance transports because of the severity of the person they are transporting. This results in increased safety and savings because anytime officers aren\u2019t on the road, they can do their other work.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/strong>STATE-WIDE SAVINGS\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h4>\nIn addition to the protection of public health and safety that video makes possible, Kelley noted that the state has also been able to significantly decrease spending on judicial processes. \u201cWhat we\u2019ve found with videoconferencing is, the fact that we can save the state a tremendous amount of money in travel costs as well as the intangible amount of public safety that you have from not having to transport prisoners out of secure areas<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\nKelley referred to an interaction he had with a Sheriff about what value the use of video had been to him. The Sheriff reported that he went from 1,100 prisoner transports a year to 100 and that the savings from that alone have been immense. \u201cSo, you look at that and there\u2019s a value. And, it\u2019s a value that you can\u2019t put prices on by breaking the numbers down very easily. But you can tell that you\u2019re saving a huge amount of money on transportation costs, manpower, and hours. So, the return on investment is huge<\/em>\u201d Kelley explained.<\/p>\nWILL THESE CHANGES LAST?<\/strong><\/h3>\nWith so much change within a small period of time, it\u2019s interesting to ponder what is next for tech in the court system. Kelley predicts that as we move into a post-COVID future, some things will go back to the way they were, but the pandemic will ultimately cause a permanent change across the board. As far as the state\u2019s court systems go, Kelley expects to stay on the same track they are on. Noting that as technology changes, so do people\u2019s expectations and he anticipates that there will also be a transformation in people\u2019s thought process that allows change to take place. He believes that people will grab onto the tech we are using today and maybe even expanded upon it to ultimately make everyone\u2019s lives easier in the future.<\/p>\n
<\/h4>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES<\/strong><\/h4>\nBrochure: <\/strong>Audio and Video Solutions for Criminal Justice<\/p>\nA look at Poly audio and video solutions designed for remote arraignments, lawyer-defendant communications, remote trial proceedings, remote visitation, and telemedicine. Download brochure<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/a>[i]<\/u><\/sup> Judiciary Authorizes Video\/Audio Access During COVID-19 Pandemic<\/span><\/a>, March 31, 2020.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The global pandemic has been a catalyst for digital acceleration […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4621,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1745,1724,548],"tags":[299,300,301,302,303,304,305,306,307,308,309,264,310,311,312,313,314,232,52,214],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4617"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4617"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4617\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Fast-forward to present day, Virginia\u2019s statewide deployment includes over 800 endpoints \u2013 primarily Poly Group Series<\/a><\/span>, 310<\/a><\/span>, 500<\/span>,<\/a> and 700<\/a><\/span>. Devices are located in all corners of the justice system, including courthouses, jails, magistrate offices, hospitals, juvenile detention homes, one in a concert venue, and another used for entertainment functions on a mobile device. All video endpoints create the ability for courts, law enforcement, corrections, and hospitals to all be able to communicate easily.<\/p>\n The fact that Poly\u2019s open architecture \u201cplays\u201d nice with all devices gives the court the ability to tie in with the public and attorneys when they can\u2019t be physically present in the courtroom. \u201cWe\u2019d always had the ability to bring in witnesses from remote locations for cases [\u2026] But when COVID hit, what we found was we need to have something a little bit easier for us to utilize. So, thanks to the tie-in with <\/em>Poly and Webex<\/em><\/a><\/span>, we\u2019ve been able to do Webex for public [hearings]\u2026 Our court of appeals is utilizing [Microsoft] Teams for writ panel hearings, we\u2019re utilizing Web Suite and the bridge for all the Supreme Court hearings… Because we already had everything in place, the impact on us was pretty low as far as infrastructure goes<\/em>,\u201d said Kelley.<\/p>\n Kelley stated that without the videoconferencing network that they already had in place, the onset of COVID-19 would have incited \u2018chaos\u2019. Explaining, when you find yourself in a desperate position, you lose your ability to plan and find yourself \u2018grasping at straws\u2019 to patch together systems just to keep things moving. Thorough planning is required for identifying technology that is appropriate for use in judicial settings as security and privacy are especially important. Kelley recommends that if states haven\u2019t already begun, they should start planning their video infrastructure immediately so that they can establish something that will work for them in the long run \u2013 the next five to seven years.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n As of late October 2020, the state of Virginia was already 125,000 video hearings ahead of where they were at the same time last year. Meaning, Kelley\u2019s department has needed to order more video units to accommodate social distancing \u2013 sometimes hundreds more per month. Talk about Digital Acceleration!<\/p>\n The court system\u2019s use of professional-grade technology has been the conduit enabling the courts to stay on track as individuals are now allowed to \u201ccome in\u201d via video to handle minor offenses. Additionally, they are creating ways to meet with individuals who are isolating to prevent exposure to the virus. An example of this is that some jails have utilized the Poly RealPresence mobile function with iOS<\/a><\/span>, bringing an iPad to a prisoner\u2019s jail cell to allow them to have their day in court despite exposure to the virus. This mitigates potential exposure to the virus while keeping the courts from getting backed up with cases and fewer people awaiting their court date from jail.<\/p>\n When asked what feedback they have received about the expansion of their video program, Kelley reported, \u201cLarge corporation hospitals are grabbing onto this technology to increase their access to justice<\/em>.\u201d Explaining that because many people who are admitted to the hospital come in for medical and<\/em> mental health concerns, there is a judicial process involved in these instances. The ease of access to justice that video brings is something that \u201c\u2026has been really important to them. Enough for them to make investments in it, which we hadn\u2019t seen in the past,\u201d<\/em> he continued.<\/p>\n As for law enforcement, Kelley quickly stated, \u201cI think that everybody sees the advantage to it.\u201d<\/em> Explaining, when they have videoconferencing easily accessible, officers can save a significant amount of time that would have been dedicated to traveling between different locations such as the magistrate, judges, courthouses, and jails \u2013 this speeds things up significantly. Additionally, by using video, jails don\u2019t have to send multiple cars and deputies for long-distance transports because of the severity of the person they are transporting. This results in increased safety and savings because anytime officers aren\u2019t on the road, they can do their other work.<\/p>\n In addition to the protection of public health and safety that video makes possible, Kelley noted that the state has also been able to significantly decrease spending on judicial processes. \u201cWhat we\u2019ve found with videoconferencing is, the fact that we can save the state a tremendous amount of money in travel costs as well as the intangible amount of public safety that you have from not having to transport prisoners out of secure areas<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Kelley referred to an interaction he had with a Sheriff about what value the use of video had been to him. The Sheriff reported that he went from 1,100 prisoner transports a year to 100 and that the savings from that alone have been immense. \u201cSo, you look at that and there\u2019s a value. And, it\u2019s a value that you can\u2019t put prices on by breaking the numbers down very easily. But you can tell that you\u2019re saving a huge amount of money on transportation costs, manpower, and hours. So, the return on investment is huge<\/em>\u201d Kelley explained.<\/p>\n With so much change within a small period of time, it\u2019s interesting to ponder what is next for tech in the court system. Kelley predicts that as we move into a post-COVID future, some things will go back to the way they were, but the pandemic will ultimately cause a permanent change across the board. As far as the state\u2019s court systems go, Kelley expects to stay on the same track they are on. Noting that as technology changes, so do people\u2019s expectations and he anticipates that there will also be a transformation in people\u2019s thought process that allows change to take place. He believes that people will grab onto the tech we are using today and maybe even expanded upon it to ultimately make everyone\u2019s lives easier in the future.<\/p>\n Brochure: <\/strong>Audio and Video Solutions for Criminal Justice<\/p>\n A look at Poly audio and video solutions designed for remote arraignments, lawyer-defendant communications, remote trial proceedings, remote visitation, and telemedicine. Download brochure<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n The global pandemic has been a catalyst for digital acceleration […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4621,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1745,1724,548],"tags":[299,300,301,302,303,304,305,306,307,308,309,264,310,311,312,313,314,232,52,214],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4617"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4617"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4617\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}OPEN ARCHITECTURE & EASE OF USE<\/strong><\/h4>\n
ACCESS TO JUSTICE: THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM\u2019S ADOPTION OF VIDEO <\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/strong>STATE-WIDE SAVINGS\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h4>\n
WILL THESE CHANGES LAST?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/h4>\n
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a>[i]<\/u><\/sup> Judiciary Authorizes Video\/Audio Access During COVID-19 Pandemic<\/span><\/a>, March 31, 2020.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"