Despite the challenges facing court systems right now, local district, circuit and family court judges are doing their best to make things work. Instead of packing together in a crowded courtroom, technology is now being used to conduct arraignments and hearings for inmates at the Daviess County Detention Center.
District Court Judge Misty Miller is using Skype to hold arraignments and hearings for inmates. Since being sworn in on March 17, she has never gotten to conduct in-person court appearances.
“Nobody has ever dealt with this before, so we’re having to feel our way through this,” Miller said.
A Kentucky Supreme Court order issued through the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) determined essential cases must be continued during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those essential cases pertain to inmates whose liberties are at higher risk, Miller said.
This blockade on the court system is in effect until at least May 1. The Morton J. Holbrook Judicial Center is open to essential personnel and cases only until that time, which has forced judges across the board to adjust their schedules and postpone court appearances until summer.
“I scheduled a lot today toward the beginning and end of June out of an abundance of caution,” Miller said. “We don’t know where this will end.”
Eight different essential employees, including Miller and her staff, two defense attorneys, a prosecutor, and probation/parole officers met online Wednesday morning to conduct court appearances for 15-20 inmates at DCDC. Most inmates wore face masks and gloves as they spoke with Miller and their attorneys via video.
Most of the staff involved worked from home on their laptops, though Miller and one other worked from the judicial center. Aside from a few minor changes, things ran as normally as they did in the courtroom.
“This technology will be great down the road,” Miller said, using an ice storm as an example of a large-scale event that could temporarily shut the court systems down in the future. “It takes everyone to make this work. I hope it makes us appreciate face-to-face contact when we have it again.”
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