Inside America's High Tech Courtrooms, ExhibitOne - Audiovisual Engineers

Audiovisual Engineers

“The ExhibitOne team designs, builds and supports industry leading presentation and telepresence technologies customized to the individual needs of the court client,” said Kevin Sandler, chairman and CEO, Exhibit One.  He said that one of the biggest things courts should remember when thinking about employing this type of technology was that the earlier they contact an audiovisual engineering firm, the better.  “Don’t wait until the concrete is poured to get us involved,” Sandler said.  “We recently visited a beautiful old courthouse in CA that had just built a brand-new annex.  I asked them what was under the floor and found out that it was ¾” conduit that ran from the wall to the judge’s bench.  A job that should have cost them $5,000 ended up costing about $25,000.”

If they had called him six months earlier, Sandler said he could have saved the court a lot of money.

TrialView is ExhibitOne’s premier in-court presentation system – offering courtroom access to a video display system, audio system, videoconferencing, a master control system monitored by court personnel and digital audio court recording.  Other optional features include an LCD projector and tension screen, gallery monitors and video printers, as well as custom millwork furniture to hide wiring and computer components.  ExhibitOne also provides courthouses a portable system solution called TrialView Express, or TVX, which does everything the permanent system can do except videoconferencing.

“We ask the courts what their end game is,” Sandler said.  “What does the court want this technology to do for them?”  For example, in evidence presentation cases, will the judge allow an image of a gun to be displayed or does he/she want the gun physically present in the courtroom to be passed around?  We ask the court how they want to handle remote arraignment.  Some judges believe that remote arraignment is not equivalent to the right to face your accusers, whereas another judge will leave the suspect incarcerated and have a camera put on him.

It’s our job to listen to the court about what they want and to zero in on what they’re trying to accomplish,” Sandler continued, “then design and deploy technology that meets their budget requirements.”

The Computer-Integrated Courtroom

Senior Judge Roger G. Strand presides over the Phoenix, AZ Computer-Integrated Courtroom (CIC).  The common denominator in all high-tech courtrooms is the capability to present evidence electronically, which can be transmitted anywhere in the world.  An increasing number of technology-friendly courtrooms also include the capability for remote, two-way testimony via teleconferencing.  Judge Strand’s courtroom is equipped to do it all.  “Technology is constantly evolving, which can be a huge challenge to the justice system as well as an extremely valuable tool,” said Judge Strand.

When it comes to the debate about the impeachability of digital evidence, Judge Strand said that the adversary system would alert people to a contention of manipulation of digital evidence.  “I’ve always been of the view that lawyers are considered officers of the court and therefore their integrity is such that it makes one comfortable in using digital images brought forward into evidence.  “Most judges hold a pre-trial conference directed to the use of technology at trial,” Judge Strand said.  “Everything is discussed at that time.”

One area that hasn’t been brought up enough, in Judge Strand’s opinion, might have to do with annotating documents and displaying them digitally.  “If an attorney puts an electronic exhibit in front of a witness and asks him to comment, naturally the witness will be drawn to whatever has been highlighted on the document, which might be considered leading the witness under direct examination,” Judge Strand said.  “Theoretically, the highlighted text could be considered a form of witness leading.”

Still, Judge Strand wouldn’t go back to the old days.  He believes that the Majority of judges coming through the ranks will embrace the opportunities afforded by using this type of technology to streamline court operations.  For example, Judge Strand cited the videoconferencing option of remote testimony as a clear benefit to the justice system.  “This technology makes an otherwise unavailable witness available that same day, in real-time,” Judge Strand said.  You can believe that as new technology becomes available, you’ll find it in use in high tech courtrooms across the country.  “Using cutting-edge technology in the courtroom is fascinating,” added Judge Strand.  “And it will keep judges and attorneys on their toes for years to come.”

The Future Is Now

So what’s out there on the horizon in terms of cutting edge AV applications for courts?  Could it be Virtual Reality?  VR replaces what a person normally sees and hears with computer-generated images and sounds, making the user feel as if he or she has entered another place.  In the not too distant future, will jury panels wearing VR headgear be taken on tours through virtual crime scenes?  “That’s maybe a bit too Star Trek, but there are other cutting-edge applications – like streaming video technology to broadcast arguments live on the Internet, in an effort to make the court system more accessible to the public,” said Kevin Sandler of ExhibitOne.  “That’s happening now.”

-used with permission from ‘Courts Today’ magazine July/August 2006