Court Technology Services
The implementation of court technology systems can greatly reduce case time in courtrooms, thus saving time and money, and increasing the dockets a court can handle within a given year. Court technology consultants design systems such as video arraignment that can save not only the costs of transporting prisoners, but can reduce the potential danger to the community during actual transportation.
• Recommendations for millwork and room layout for seamless and effective integration of audio-visual technology
• Infrastructure requirements
• Discipline coordination for specialty systems
• Room adjacencies
• Speech reinforcement
• Audio evidence presentation
• Teleconferencing
• Local and remote interpretation systems
• Digital and analog electronic recording
• ADA-compliant assistive listening systems
• Distribution to ancillary areas
• Broadcast feeds
• Video evidence presentation:
• Switching and distribution
• Annotation
• Presentation lecterns
• Remote arbitration
• Courthouse video distribution
• Video streaming
• Video capture and archiving
• Video on demand
• Electronic signage, docket displays, kiosks and wayfinding
• Press pool/broadcast
• Remote hearings
• Video remote arraignment
• Remote arbitration
• Alternative dispute resolution
• Calendar/conference
• Court training rooms
• IP- and ISDN- based solutions
• Portable and fixed systems
Judicial facilities and courtrooms increasingly rely on advanced audio and video technology to streamline their operations and to provide the official record of the proceedings. With this increased reliance on recording technology, courtroom acoustical concerns now resemble those of recording studios. Great care needs to be taken with the room acoustics, sound isolation, and mechanical noise control to facilitate the operations of the court.
Acoustical services offered by Newcomb & Boyd include:
• Architectural acoustics
• Sound isolation
• Testing and analysis
• Speech privacy
• Acoustic modeling
A holistic approach to court-related security is invaluable. Rather than focusing on just one or two aspects of security, our team addresses the entire system through the following services:
• Vulnerability assessments
• Physical systems design
• Exterior lighting
• Security program development
• Integrated system design
• Security staffing and procedures
• Facility hardening
• Intrusion detection
• Closed circuit TV
As videoconferencing use increases in judicial facilities, and the broadcast of proceedings (either public or private) becomes commonplace, great care must be taken when addressing lighting requirements. The lighting for courtrooms, conference rooms, assembly areas, and even detention facilities must support the requirements of television and videoconference cameras. Care must be taken to provide adequate, even lighting so as to avoid the feeling that the court is a television studio.
More than just the telephone, communications systems today support and unify a wide variety of judicial systems. For example, audio, video, security, lighting, case management, electronic filing and building automation systems can utilize the communications structured cabling system and networks. This, in turn, creates a truly flexible judicial environment.
Our technology experts offer multiple court communications services, including:
• Structured cabling
• Fiber optics
• Computer systems
• Wireless transmission
• High-speed data links
• IP telephony/CTI
• LAN/WAN
• RF, microwave and satellite antennas
Court Technology Clients
Greenville Federal Courthouse
Architect: Duvall Decker Architects, P.A.
Associate Architect: Eskew+Dumez+Ripple
A federal courthouse housing one District courtroom, one Magistrate courtroom, office space for the United States Courts, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Probation Office, the Federal Public Defender, the United States Attorney’s Office, and the GSA’s Public Buildings Service. The building will pursue LEED Gold and SITES Silver.
San Antonio United States Courthouse
Client: Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC
Architect: CBRE | Design
Court technology systems for the San Antonio United States Courthouse. The project will pursue LEED Gold certification.
Tomochichi Courthouse Annex
Architect: Page
Addition of the Savannah United States Courthouse Annex for the Tomochichi United States Courthouse. The building, located in the historic district of Savannah, houses one United States Bankruptcy courtroom, as well as office space for United States Bankruptcy courts and the United States Probation Office. The design enables future conversion of the Probation Office to a second courtroom.
Fred D. Thompson Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse
Architect: Fentress Architects
Design Architect: Michael Graves & Associates, Inc.
A six-story federal courthouse for Middle Tennessee’s United States District Court offices and related operations. The building features eight courtrooms, eleven chambers, and underground parking.
Robert S. Vance Federal Building and United States Courthouse
Architect: Quinn Evans Architects
Renovation of the Robert S. Vance Federal Building and United States Courthouse, originally constructed in 1921, to allow for increased public functions and increased security, all while complementing the Beaux Arts character of the original building. Audio-visual systems including court technology, audio and video presentation, electronic court recording, video conferencing, as well as structured cabling and Voice over IP systems were provided for three bankruptcy courtrooms, one historic district courtroom, a grand jury hearing room and a bankruptcy hearing room.
Atlanta City Court Facility
Architect: Turner Associates Architects & Planners, Inc.
The Atlanta City Court Facility houses ten courtrooms and twelve different law enforcement agencies, and includes a 300 car parking deck. The Atlanta City Court is the second largest, centrally located traffic court in the nation.
Douglas County Courthouse
Architect: Cooper Carry, Inc.
A four story, eight courtroom facility housing judicial and support space, a twenty-three cell prisoner holding area, administrative offices, a fifty seat cafeteria, a 260 seat commission chamber, and a 600 car parking area. Court technology systems include paging and audio-visual systems including data and video projection presentation, remote audio monitoring, ADA hearing impaired system, and acoustical provisions for speech intelligibility and privacy.
