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In Tarrant County

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"In Tarrant courts, new electronic system should speed felony docket," is Martha Deller's report in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.On any given Thursday morning, about 40 defendants fill all but two rows in Criminal District Court No. 4. Another 20 wait in holding cells for their turn on Judge Mike Thomas? weekly docket.Some defendants wait hours to consult with their attorneys, sign paperwork, be sworn by the court clerk, be sentenced by Thomas, and meet with a probation officer, if necessary. But by summer, those proceedings should move more quickly and efficiently after the county implements the latest phase of its $5.3 million electronic felony court case management system.The big transition will include online plea negotiations between prosecution and defense attorneys and online handling of pleas, sentences and judgments, as well as an electronic fingerprinting system being piloted by the state...continue to full post

Full post as published by StandDown Texas Project on March 10, 2009 (boomark / email).