Video Appearance Center

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

The Maricopa County Video Appearance Center (VAC) improves citizen access to justice and mitigates cost by leveraging technology to reduce time spent in jail waiting to see a judge in low-level misdemeanor cases. We took an unused storage area in a courthouse basement and converted it into a new courtroom to be used just for in-custody appearances. Inmates are brought there via underground tunnels leading from the jail. They see a judge on site or via web cam, depending on the case. This procedure allows detainees to see a judge faster than ever before, allowing decisions to be made and cases to proceed with much less delay. The goal is to prevent citizens from falling into a ‘black hole’ of legal processes, from which it is incredibly difficult to emerge. When they are released sooner, they are far less apt to lose jobs, housing, or other connections to resources.