With the convenience of transporting a prisoner across Jefferson Street to the County Courthouse for arraignment about to vanish with the closing of the Trigg County Jail, District Judge Jamus Redd has found a way to potentially save Trigg County money. Rather than transport a busload of prisoners to Cadiz from Hopkinsville every Tuesday, Redd has proposed a novel solution, video arraignment.

In a letter dated March 22, 2006, Redd wrote the Administrative Office of the Court (AOC) to request equipment be installed in his Trigg County Courtroom for these purposes, citing increased security for the Jailer, and also a savings on transportation costs.

Discussed at Fiscal Court, the logistics were a bit uncertain. Jailer Randy Cunningham mentioned that the county might need to subscribe to an Internet service provider for high-speed access, though without a response from the AOC, specific requirements were not yet available.

“This is a service performed every day in Christian County, and we already take advantage of this service in Caldwell and Lyon Counties,” Redd described.

As for services and equipment needed, Redd did concur some sort of Internet access would be required, as well as cameras and monitors within the courtroom. “I assume that the Administrative Office of the Court will provide at least part of it, but I have not gotten a reply yet.”

for the rest of this story, read this week's Cadiz Record.