Hamilton County Criminal Court releases new smartphone application | Local News

The new smartphone application, Hamilton County Judicial Services for the following: notifications of the accused, daily sessions and criminal court lists, court locations and payment of court costs and fines.

“One of the things that has become clear is that we could do a better job of speeding up the decision-making process, and the number of no-shows in court has been significant,” said David Sharpe, Hamilton County's 6th District Commissioner.

About 10% of the detentions are due to No-show Penalties. This adds up to a whopping $100,000 out of taxpayers' pockets.

“It could and has improved upon failures in other communities. We hope to implement it here, and today we have done that,” Sharpe said.

Once a defendant is released from the Hamilton County Jail, he or she receives a text notification of the upcoming court hearing.

Another feature that helps people avoid having to go to court is that they no longer have to come to the fee payment office. This can be done directly through the app.

“This will improve efficiency in our courtrooms and help people stay in their jobs and at home with their families and be more productive citizens,” Sharpe said.

In addition, the Victim Notification Network VINEis integrated into the app.