Just-in Newsletter Fall 2002

Increasing safety through courtroom videoconferencing
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Conference listings
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Messages from...
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A first in Canada: A-Link
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News Briefs
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Keeping the peace on the Reserve
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Law Day: Learning about Alberta's justice system
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Co-ordinator for family violence initiatives appointed
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Suspected rapist nabbed by probation officers
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The Autopsy: The real story
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Changes flow from corrections review
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Staff in the Community
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Victims training manual captures silver medal
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Crime Prevention Week 2004
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Staff recognized for long service and merit
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In our courts
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Increasing safety through courtroom

videoconferencing

Photo of Solicitor General Heather Forsyth and Justice Minister Dave Hancock standing at a podium
Solicitor General Heather Forsyth and Justice Minister Dave Hancock answer
media questions at official launch.

Technology is everywhere you and your family are—in your home, at work, in your child's school, at your family doctor's office—the list goes on and on.

With Alberta being a front-runner in using technology to provide enhanced programs and services to Albertans, adding the province's courts to the list is a natural course of action.

A nine-month videoconference pilot project is now underway that connects the regional courthouses of Bonnyville, Camrose, Cold Lake, Leduc, St. Paul, Stony Plain, and Wetaskiwin to and from the Edmonton Remand Centre (ERC) in an effort to increase safety and to streamline the docket court process. The pilot also includes linking the Calgary Young Offender Centre to and from the Calgary Provincial Family and Youth Court.

The technology being used in the project transmits video and audio to and from the courtroom and eliminates the need for prisoners to be physically transferred to court to deal with routine procedures such as first appearance for plea and bail hearings.

A demonstration provided at the videoconferencing launch, hosted by Justice Minster Dave Hancock, Solicitor General Heather Forsyth, and Provincial Chief Judge Ernie Walter, displayed how the technology allows for proceedings to be conducted as if the accused was in the courtroom, with body language, eye contact and facial expressions all clearly visible through the monitors. Real-time two-way conversations are important as it helps to ensure the rights of the accused are maintained.

“We are piloting this technology to see how videoconferencing can help make our communities and courtrooms safer while at the same time streamlining the court process,” said Justice Minister Hancock at the videoconference launch. “The preliminary results are impressive. Once evaluation of the project is complete, it will be determined if videoconferencing will become a permanent part of Alberta's justice system.”

The Ministers and the Chief Judge reaffirmed that videoconferencing is expected to greatly reduce the number of prisoners transferred to and from court. For example, during the months of February through to the end of June, more than 900 accused appeared through videoconferencing, in turn significantly reducing the number of transfers from the ERC to the seven participating courthouses.

“Our main focus is to ensure Alberta has safe communities,” Solicitor General Heather Forsyth stated at the conference. “Videoconferencing has the potential to reduce court delays and increase public safety.”

The pilot project is an Alberta cross-ministry initiative involving Justice, Solicitor General, Innovation and Science and Infrastructure supported by the judiciary and the RCMP. The cost of the project is $1.2 million.

The Government MLA Corrections Review, released in March, recommended the expansion of videoconferencing pending the outcome of the pilot study.

More information about the project including equipment in the courtroom and the ERC is available through the “Videoconferencing on-line in Alberta Courtrooms” June news release at either Alberta Justice www.justice.gov.ab.ca, or Alberta Solicitor General www.solgen.gov.ab.ca.

Each courtroom has:

  • A flat-panel display on the judge's dais that shows the prisoner at the remand centre.
  • A camera on the judge's dais that shows a picture of the judge to the prisoner at the remand centre.
  • A camera above the judge's dais that is used to show the lawyers and the gallery to the prisoner at the remand centre.
  • A flat-panel display on the clerk-of-the-court's desk that shows the prisoner at the remand centre.
  • A ceiling-mounted projector and a wall mounted white screen that shows the prisoner to the lawyers and the court gallery.
  • All the videoconferencing equipment is integrated with the existing digital recording equipment used in courts to record the court proceedings.

In addition, each courthouse has a videophone that links to a similar videophone at the remand centre.

  • The videophones provide private and confidential communications between lawyers who may be located in the remote communities and their clients located at the remand centres.

The remand centre video facility has:

  • A camera that shows the prisoner to the court.
  • A split-screen display that shows the judge and the lawyers and gallery to the prisoner.
  • In addition, the remand centre staff can listen to each courtroom to take instructions from the clerk or the judge.

photo of a court room with a camera man filming and a tv screen showing a police man
"Reducing delays and improving courtroom safety is significant to the justice process. The court will use this technology for all accused who are in custody and are required to appear for bail hearings, adjournment applications, entry of elections plea, preliminary hearings and trial scheduling in all courthouses participating in the project."
Chief Provincial Judge Ernie Walter

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