Performance of the District Courts

Fiscal Year 2014 - 2015

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GOAL 4: TO MAINTAIN JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE, WHILE OBSERVING THE PRINCIPLE OF COMITY IN ITS GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS AND ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE PUBLIC


Objective

4.5 To recognize new conditions or emerging events and to adjust court operations as necessary.

Intent of the Objective

Effective trial courts are responsive to trends and emerging public issues. This objective requires trial courts to recognize and respond appropriately to such issues. A court that moves deliberately in response to these issues is a stabilizing force in society and acts consistently with its role in maintaining the rule of law and building public trust and confidence. One significant trend is the emergence of technology in both the public and private arenas. Courts should employ technology to improve court processes and decrease operating costs while maintaining data security and constitutional protections, especially those guarantees of privacy, due process, and a fair trial.

Responses To Objective

  1. Technologies installed or implemented by the courts in FY 2014-2015.

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QuestionIdQuestionStatementResponse
857691197What kinds of technologies, if any, did your court install or implement in FY 2014-2015?Technologies installed or implemented by the courts in FY 2014-2015.
(Hover on the chart for more information and click on the chart to see which courts chose that response.)
Technologies installed or implemented by the courts in FY 2014-2015.
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Additional actions taken by the courts to address this objective
2nd JDC
The 2nd JDC installed new audio-visual equipment in the new Bienville Parish courthouse.
14th JDC
The 14th JDC applied for a grant to implement aiSmartBench judicial case processing dashboard technology. aiSmartBench will help the judges gain access to better information from other agencies.
16th JDC
The 16th JDC continued to employ an information technology manager, who coordinated the 16th JDC Technology Integration Task Force. The task force is an interagency effort to foster communication and data sharing among agencies.

The court continued to contract for the services of a network administrator service provider, who supplied preventative maintenance and repair services for the court’s servers and personal computers. The court regularly purchased new personal computers and peripheral equipment to replace outdated and inoperable equipment.

The court maintained audio-visual equipment in Iberia and St. Martin Parish courtrooms and planned installation in St. Mary Parish, all to enhance evidence presentation. The court also maintained a document camera in the St. Martin Parish courthouse to allow litigants to project paper evidence into the digital video display system. Further, the court installed audio-visual equipment in the family court hearing officer conference rooms to facilitate the parties’ visualization of figures in community property partition worksheets. The equipment also provided visual aid as parties mediate family law issues.

The court maintained a fiber WAN/LAN system in all three parishes, which includes judges and staff, visiting judges, offices, courtrooms, the court administrator and staff, and the family court hearing officers and staff. The system provides Internet and email access to all judges and employees and provides enhanced efficiency and the ability to manage future applications.

The court continued to subscribe to Westlaw for legal research online. The court maintained expanded email service technology to provide for a more efficient and flexible communication application and maintained centrally-managed-and-monitored anti-virus software on every court computer.

The court also standardized backup digital recording equipment in all three parishes. Audio recordings were centrally stored and remote access provided to judges via a Virtual Private Network system. The court incorporated court recorded audio data into the court’s redundant backup system and expanded court storage systems to allow for audio recording storage for an estimated additional ten years.

The court maintained servers in all three parishes for the processing and storage of court data and maintained redundant backup systems to ensure data integrity and provide for the recovery of data in the event of a disaster. Also, the court upgraded infrastructure data storage systems.

The court maintained video conferencing arraignment systems in all three parishes and continued to develop a video conferencing system to allow for remote video conferencing by judges and to provide for remote appearances. The court maintained video camera equipment for video presentations regarding Boykin pleas and to inform juveniles and criminal defendants of their rights. In addition, the court purchased software to host webinar meetings and to manage projects and continued to maintain and develop the 16th Judicial District Court website.

The court maintained wireless network access in all three courthouses and maintained wireless microphones in courtrooms to enhance sound systems where wired microphones could not be accessed. Also, the court identified wireless audio systems, compatible with courtroom audio equipment, to accommodate individuals with hearing impairments.

The hearing officers also used the available audio-visual technology with Google Translate for non-English speaking parties when a translator was not available, with Skype when a party was allowed to attend a conference from a remote location, and for demonstrating the use of software/apps to which the parties were ordered to subscribe. St. Mary Parish Family Court routinely required the use of the family communication software, “Our Family Wizard”, in high-conflict cases with the families being ordered to subscribe to the service with professional access by the Hearing Officer. The parties were aware their communication can be monitored and are encouraged to maintain civility in communication.

The St. Mary Parish Hearing Officer also emailed to subscribing parties (via an email address that cannot be replied to) information on best practices in the area of maintaining proper communication between the parents and dealing with issues of raising children after a divorce. Parents of young children in St. Mary Parish Family Court were provided with the Sesame Street “Little children BIG challenges: divorce” packet containing a Sesame Street DVD for children to understand divorce, a guide for parents and caregivers, and a children’s storybook for use with young children. Parents with cases in St. Mary Parish Family Court were routinely provided with a copy of the Arizona Chapter of the AFCC “Co-Parenting Communication Guide” when they left the Hearing Officer Conference.
17th JDC
The 17th JDC installed, maintained and upgraded aiSmartBench judicial case processing dashboard technology. The court demonstrated this technology to personnel from at least ten other district courts and staff from the Supreme Court Judicial Administrator's office.
24th JDC
As it does annually, the 24th JDC upgraded a portion of its computers, to take advantage of emerging technology and software, and maintained a state-of-the-art evidence presentation system in each courtroom. The court also installed a wireless aspect to its presentation system this year to allow for attorneys to present evidence from their laptops, iPads, etc.

The court upgraded and installed a new audio recording system in all courtrooms. The court also installed wireless internet throughout the building and have made available to all attorneys who are in trial.
East Baton Rouge Family Court
The court installed aiSmartBench judicial case processing dashboard software.
Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court
The 24th JDC continued to consult with the Jefferson Department of Juvenile Services, which handles electronic monitoring for the court, to ensure that electronic monitoring includes GPS tracking technology. The court also instituted a text alert system for non-support cases.
ResponseResponse_Court
Acquired or updated legal research materials40 courts (1st JDC, 2nd JDC, 3rd JDC, 4th JDC, 6th JDC, 7th JDC, 9th JDC, 10th JDC, 11th JDC, 12th JDC, 13th JDC, 14th JDC, 15th JDC, 16th JDC, 17th JDC, 18th JDC, 19th JDC, 21st JDC, 22nd JDC, 23rd JDC, 24th JDC, 25th JDC, 26th JDC, 28th JDC, 29th JDC, 30th JDC, 31st JDC, 33rd JDC, 34th JDC, 35th JDC, 36th JDC, 38th JDC, 40th JDC, 42nd JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, Orleans Parish Juvenile Court)
Additional actions taken by the courts to address this objective7 courts (2nd JDC, 14th JDC, 16th JDC, 17th JDC, 24th JDC, East Baton Rouge Family Court, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court)
Bought additional personal computers37 courts (1st JDC, 4th JDC, 6th JDC, 7th JDC, 9th JDC, 10th JDC, 11th JDC, 12th JDC, 13th JDC, 14th JDC, 15th JDC, 16th JDC, 17th JDC, 18th JDC, 19th JDC, 20th JDC, 21st JDC, 22nd JDC, 24th JDC, 26th JDC, 29th JDC, 30th JDC, 31st JDC, 33rd JDC, 34th JDC, 35th JDC, 38th JDC, 39th JDC, 40th JDC, 42nd JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, East Baton Rouge Family Court, East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, Orleans Parish Juvenile Court)
Bought mobile devices such as smart phones or tablets36 courts (1st JDC, 3rd JDC, 4th JDC, 7th JDC, 9th JDC, 13th JDC, 14th JDC, 15th JDC, 16th JDC, 17th JDC, 18th JDC, 19th JDC, 20th JDC, 21st JDC, 22nd JDC, 24th JDC, 25th JDC, 26th JDC, 28th JDC, 29th JDC, 30th JDC, 31st JDC, 32nd JDC, 33rd JDC, 35th JDC, 36th JDC, 38th JDC, 40th JDC, 42nd JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, East Baton Rouge Family Court, East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, Orleans Parish Juvenile Court)
Continued to address this objective through the actions indicated below, or implemented the following new actions in FY 2014-2015 to address this objective as indicated below:48 courts (1st JDC, 2nd JDC, 3rd JDC, 4th JDC, 5th JDC, 6th JDC, 7th JDC, 8th JDC, 9th JDC, 10th JDC, 11th JDC, 12th JDC, 13th JDC, 14th JDC, 15th JDC, 16th JDC, 17th JDC, 18th JDC, 19th JDC, 20th JDC, 21st JDC, 22nd JDC, 23rd JDC, 24th JDC, 25th JDC, 26th JDC, 27th JDC, 28th JDC, 29th JDC, 30th JDC, 31st JDC, 32nd JDC, 33rd JDC, 34th JDC, 35th JDC, 36th JDC, 37th JDC, 38th JDC, 39th JDC, 40th JDC, 42nd JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, East Baton Rouge Family Court, East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, Orleans Parish Juvenile Court)
Created or updated a court website31 courts (4th JDC, 5th JDC, 6th JDC, 9th JDC, 10th JDC, 11th JDC, 13th JDC, 14th JDC, 15th JDC, 16th JDC, 17th JDC, 19th JDC, 21st JDC, 22nd JDC, 23rd JDC, 24th JDC, 25th JDC, 26th JDC, 29th JDC, 30th JDC, 31st JDC, 33rd JDC, 35th JDC, 38th JDC, 40th JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, East Baton Rouge Family Court, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, Orleans Parish Juvenile Court)
Did not address in FY 2014-20150
Installed or updated digital audio/video28 courts (1st JDC, 5th JDC, 6th JDC, 8th JDC, 9th JDC, 10th JDC, 11th JDC, 14th JDC, 16th JDC, 17th JDC, 18th JDC, 21st JDC, 22nd JDC, 24th JDC, 25th JDC, 26th JDC, 27th JDC, 29th JDC, 34th JDC, 35th JDC, 36th JDC, 42nd JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, East Baton Rouge Family Court, East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court)
Installed or updated electronic monitoring16 courts (6th JDC, 14th JDC, 15th JDC, 17th JDC, 18th JDC, 29th JDC, 31st JDC, 36th JDC, 39th JDC, 40th JDC, 42nd JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, East Baton Rouge Family Court, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court)
Installed or updated e-mail/internet32 courts (1st JDC, 2nd JDC, 3rd JDC, 6th JDC, 9th JDC, 10th JDC, 11th JDC, 12th JDC, 13th JDC, 14th JDC, 15th JDC, 16th JDC, 17th JDC, 21st JDC, 22nd JDC, 25th JDC, 26th JDC, 28th JDC, 29th JDC, 31st JDC, 33rd JDC, 34th JDC, 36th JDC, 38th JDC, 40th JDC, 42nd JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, East Baton Rouge Family Court, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, Orleans Parish Juvenile Court)
Installed or updated legal research software30 courts (2nd JDC, 6th JDC, 7th JDC, 9th JDC, 10th JDC, 11th JDC, 14th JDC, 15th JDC, 16th JDC, 17th JDC, 18th JDC, 22nd JDC, 23rd JDC, 24th JDC, 25th JDC, 26th JDC, 29th JDC, 33rd JDC, 36th JDC, 37th JDC, 38th JDC, 40th JDC, 42nd JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, East Baton Rouge Family Court, East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, Orleans Parish Juvenile Court)
Installed or updated new audio-visual equipment27 courts (1st JDC, 2nd JDC, 5th JDC, 6th JDC, 9th JDC, 10th JDC, 11th JDC, 14th JDC, 16th JDC, 17th JDC, 18th JDC, 22nd JDC, 24th JDC, 25th JDC, 26th JDC, 27th JDC, 28th JDC, 29th JDC, 33rd JDC, 36th JDC, 40th JDC, 42nd JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, East Baton Rouge Family Court, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court)
Installed or used video-conferencing/arraignment system33 courts (1st JDC, 5th JDC, 7th JDC, 9th JDC, 10th JDC, 11th JDC, 12th JDC, 14th JDC, 15th JDC, 16th JDC, 17th JDC, 18th JDC, 21st JDC, 22nd JDC, 24th JDC, 25th JDC, 26th JDC, 27th JDC, 28th JDC, 29th JDC, 30th JDC, 32nd JDC, 33rd JDC, 34th JDC, 35th JDC, 36th JDC, 40th JDC, 42nd JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, East Baton Rouge Family Court, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court)
Upgraded word processing software24 courts (1st JDC, 2nd JDC, 3rd JDC, 6th JDC, 9th JDC, 10th JDC, 11th JDC, 13th JDC, 15th JDC, 16th JDC, 17th JDC, 18th JDC, 22nd JDC, 24th JDC, 26th JDC, 29th JDC, 36th JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, East Baton Rouge Family Court, East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, Orleans Parish Juvenile Court)
Used social media5 courts (11th JDC, 25th JDC, 36th JDC, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, Orleans Parish Civil District Court)

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