Defendants held in Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) facilities around the state can now appear remotely for hearings in Comal County’s 466th Judicial District Court.
The new Virtual Court Program reduces costs and minimizes security risks associated with transporting inmates from prisons to New Braunfels.
The court used the program for the first time last week.
“We are excited to initiate this program in Comal County,” said District Court Judge Stephanie Bascon. “It allows us to conduct pleas via Zoom and eliminates the necessity of transferring Defendants hundreds of miles across the state and housing them in our jail, to conduct what is typically a 15-minute hearing just to transfer the defendants back to their unit. This program greatly improves the efficiency of our court and improves the safety of everyone involved in the process.”
The program also reduces the need for bench warrants and lowers the county’s costs for both transportation and housing of TDCJ inmates while they await plea hearings.