Video Court

The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG) allows states and units of local governments, including tribes, to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime based on their own state and local needs and conditions. Grant funds can be used for state and local initiatives, technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, and information systems for criminal justice, including for any one or more of the following purpose areas: 1) law enforcement programs; 2) prosecution and court programs; 3) prevention and education programs; 4) corrections and community corrections programs; 5) drug treatment and enforcement programs; 6) planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs; and 7) crime victim and witness programs (other than compensation).

The city of Marysville will use the 2009 JAG funds to install and implement a video court system in the Marysville Municipal Court and Jail. The system will link, via fiber-optic cable, Marysville Municipal Court with both Marysville Jail and Snohomish County Jail. The video court system will include cameras, monitors, and audio equipment that will be placed in the courtroom and jail hearing room. The goal of the project is to reduce the amount of time an inmate remains in custody prior to either a probable cause hearing or arraignment. This will help reduce the jail population and free-up jail space for inmates that are not eligible for release. Transportation time will be reduced and delays for hearings will be all but eliminated.

NCA/NCF