Marion Criminal Courts 20 and 21 to Launch Pilot Project for Combined Initial Hearings February 28

On Tuesday, February 20, 2018, Criminal Courts 20 and 21 will be launching a pilot project for their combined initial hearings. During the project, inmate defendants will no longer be transported to the City-County Building for the initial hearings; instead, they will participate in video conferencing with the court while remaining at the Marion County Jail. Defendants will view a pre-recorded version of the advisement of rights and then individually appear before the judicial officer via video conferencing. Deputy Prosecutors will continue to be present in court during the initial hearings. Attorneys and paralegals from the Marion County Public Defender Agency will be present at the Marion County Jail. Any private attorney appearing on behalf of an inmate defendant will continue to be present in court.  Any inmate defendant who requires an interpreter will be transported to court from the Marion County Jail. Courts 20 and 21 would like to thank the Marion County Sheriff’s Department, Marion County Public Defender Agency and Marion County Prosecutor’s Office for their collaboration during this project. If you have any questions, please direct them to Judge Shatrese Flowers or Judge Alicia Gooden.

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