Pulaski County jail inmates will soon be able to appear in court by video conference. Circuit Court Judge Mary Welker told the county commissioners last week that video equipment has been installed in her courtroom, and electronic hearings will be able to start as soon as the equipment is set up on the jail end.
“So what that will do is not only keep jailers from having to come across the street with prisoners when we don’t have to, but some of the prisons and other county jails are also set up so that we can do Skype hearings, so we don’t have to send a jailer to go pick someone up to bring them back for a 20-minute hearing,” Welker explained. “And so I think that we’re getting really close on having all of that done.”
Welker said there was funding in the 2019 Circuit Court budget to install equipment in Superior Court, as well. Sheriff Jeff Richwine has repeatedly voiced concerns with transporting jail inmates across the street for Circuit Court hearings. That has prompted the commissioners to explore the idea of moving the court to the Justice Center, as a longer-term solution.
