Remand prisoners will be able to appear before a Tauranga judge without leaving jail as part of a national $27.8 million technology upgrade.
New audio-visual links (AVL) between prisons and courts are being rolled out across the country and mean prisoners can stay in prison and appear before the courts using television screens. Defendants will be able to see and hear what is happening in the court and see most of the public gallery who will also see and hear them.
The changes, expected to be introduced in Tauranga in September next year, will save money because fewer prisoners will need to be transported from remand cells to courts. The link allows prisoners to interact with the court via a television screen installed inside the prison.
It will be used for jury trial callover hearings, bail applications, suppression hearings, police list appearances, and post-committal appearances. It will not be used for trials or defended hearings.
Corrections Minister Anne Tolley and Courts Minister Chester Burrows say there are enormous benefits to be gained by using audio-visual links to manage daily court workloads.