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Montgomery County Maryland Family Justice Center

Montgomery County Maryland Family Justice Center. Innovative Court Practices. Video conferencing between the Montgomery County Family Justice Center and the Montgomery County Courts 12 th Annual International Family Justice Center Conference New Orleans, Louisiana April 17 – 19, 2012.

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Montgomery County Maryland Family Justice Center

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  1. Montgomery County Maryland Family Justice Center

  2. Innovative Court Practices Video conferencing between the Montgomery County Family Justice Center and the Montgomery County Courts 12th Annual International Family Justice Center Conference New Orleans, Louisiana April 17 – 19, 2012

  3. MCFJC Reception Area

  4. MCFJC Giving Tree

  5. FJC Interview Room

  6. Video Conferencing • Began in December 2010 as a pilot project • Used only for temporary ex-parte orders • Offers privacy to the petitioner • Doesn’t expose the children to the testimony • In a secure location with Sheriff’s deputies

  7. First Steps • Know the RULES for your state • Identify your Judge Scrivener to approach your chief judges • Find funding • Identify your partners and bring them in • Map your current process with your partners • Identify the benefits to the judiciary and let them take credit for the project

  8. Funding • Verizon Wireless for Montgomery County • Our system cost $60,000 to equip the courtroom of every family judge (14 judges) and 4 interview rooms at the MCFJC • FJC absorbed all the costs - wiring, Ethernet, fiber optics.

  9. Finding the Judge • Has prior history in making the process easier for domestic violence victims • Not necessarily the one with the most tech knowledge

  10. Identify your partners • The judges • Court administration • Court staff processing the orders • Law enforcement • Advocacy programs • Pro bono attorneys

  11. Map Your Current Process • What steps does a petitioner go through now? • What steps does the court staff go through • Create a cheat sheet for the FJC staff with all steps in the process and the phone numbers

  12. MC Process Map for District Court

  13. MC Process Map for Circuit Court

  14. Circuit Court Process (Cont’d)

  15. Identify the Benefits to the Judiciary • Improved access to justice • Flexibility in scheduling hearings • Multiple judges could schedule hearings • No children in the courtroom • Petitioners are in a secure location, possibility of encountering the offender is nearly eliminated • Errors in an order are detected immediately

  16. Video Hearing with Judge Scrivener

  17. Challenges • Different rules for different courts • Distribution of video hearing between the courts • Only 16 - 20% of the hearing originate from the FJC • Police are still directing callers to the courts • Petitioners are offered the opportunity to begin at the FJC; few do so. • Getting the first responders on board • Scheduling meetings/tours with the district station commanders • Including a site visit for cadets at the Training Academy • Incorporate it into officer certification training

  18. Contact Information • Jo Ann Ricchiuti Jo.ricchiuti@montgomerycountymd.gov 240-777-7077 • Hannah Sassoon Hannah.sassoon@montgomerycountymd.gov 240-777-7099 • Judge Louise Scrivener Lscrivener@mcccourt.com

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