The Pennsylvania courts, under the direction of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and through the administration of the AOPC, have undertaken several modernization projects in recent years. These projects generally have involved taking advantage of technological innovations to enhance court services. PMC keeps the public informed about these developments and when opportunities for public comment on new court projects or policies arise, PMC weighs in.
Electronic Access To Court Records
The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts’ (AOPC) runs a public access system that puts in electronic form, available to the public, case information for criminal cases throughout the Commonwealth. The guidelines were the product of a lengthy public comment process, in which PMC participated. Since the implementation, PMC has continued to assist its partners in the public interest community communicate concerns about the operation of the public access system to AOPC.
Effective July 1, 2010, the public access policy was formally approved by the Supreme Court consistent with 42 Pa.C.S. § 4301(b).
Increasing Court Transparency
In 2007, the Supreme Court adopted some new rules that open up the courts to more public participation and observation. First, the application and appointment process for Supreme Court committees has become more open.
In addition, the Supreme Court adopted a new rule standardizing its procedures for making court financial records available to the public. In 2009, the Supreme Court amended the rule to include local judicial districts and required the creation of websites for contract postings. For information on accessing financial records, click here.
New Technology
E-Filing
Pennsylvania Courts are increasingly utilizing new technologies. Currently, e-filing is available in Philadelphia (Court of Common Pleas, 1st Judicial District), Allegheny County (Court of Common Pleas, 5th Judicial District), and Armstrong County (Court of Common Pleas, 33st Judicial District) (see Rule 205.4).
In addition, the AOPC’s Judicial Automation Department currently supports four statewide electronic access systems and several smaller extensions of those systems. For example, the Pennsylvania Judiciary's Web Application Portal provides Electronic Services for those assigned an account by Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System.
E-Pay
York County’s electronic payment system, ePay, allows court users to pay fines, court costs and, now, district judge offices online using a credit or debit card. Court Administrator Robert Chuk anticipates the system will “increase or at the very least speed up” debt collections.
In the past week, the County has collected about $3,000. Ideally, the system will also improve court efficiency by decreasing the need to visit offices and enter information manually. The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts provides the service to the court for free; users pay a $2.75 fee per transaction.
Electronic payment is available in 59 of 67 Pennsylvania counties and the remaining eight are expected to start using ePay including: Lehigh, Lackawanna, Erie, Luzerne, Allegheny, Montgomery, Dauphin, and Philadelphia.
Video Conferencing
More recently, video conferencing has become prevalent in Pennsylvania’s courts as a way to reduce cost, increase court efficiency, and improve safety. A survey conducted by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) demonstrates that over 15,700 proceedings per month are conducted by video conference including preliminary arraignments, warrant proceedings, and bail and sentencing hearings. The survey indicates that video conferencing saves taxpayers more than $21 million annually on court costs to transport defendants. As efforts to improve technology and training expand, Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille says he anticipates more savings in the future.
Social Media
Several courts have even branched out into social media. For instance, you can follow Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System, Philadelphia Courts, and Cumberland County on Twitter.
