Court video conferencing yields savings for taxpayers
Video conferencing preliminary arraignments and other court proceedings in Delaware County and Philadelphia pays off — literally. The Philadelphia Business Journal cites a report by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg that says video conferencing use saves Philadelphia taxpayers $550,000 annually. Delaware County taxpayers save $271,000 annually.
The annual statewide savings is $21 million, with Philly and Delco saving the most. The state’s magisterial district and Common Pleas courts save an estimated $1.7 million each month by using video conferences to administer about 15,700 monthly proceedings. Video conferencing in court proceedings has been allowed since 2003 when the Supreme Court’s criminal procedural rules were amended.
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