“My Justice Portal” a new inmate system could help decrease Dougherty Co. case backlog
ALBANY, Ga. – A new system could be coming to the Dougherty County Jail in the near future. One that would streamline the ability for inmates to be able to speak with their lawyers.
Chief Jailer, John Ostrander says the system, known as “My Justice Portal” would allow for inmates and their lawyers to speak on matters through secure telecommunications, instead of needing to meet face-to-face in the jail…
Something Col. Ostrander tells us takes a massive amount of man hours as is.
“We’ve calculated over 5,000 man hours are dedicated just to attorney visitation per year in the Dougherty County Jail alone. These are all man hours that, if we could do this electronically, those man hours could be reinvested in to other things that are enhancements to safety and security,” said Col. Jon Ostrander, Chief Jailer, Dougherty Co. Jail.
Dougherty county is one of the most backed up counties in the state of Georgia, with around 10 thousand cases on standby thanks to COVID-19 shutdowns, and the courthouse flooding requiring a year of renovations.
In that time, Ostrander says the inmates need a way to securely consult their attorneys.
“I’ve worked here for 35 years. And, in my entire time, this has been the one major complaint from all inmates. It’s that they haven’t had a chance to see their lawyer, they haven’t had a chance to talk with their lawyer, they haven’t heard back from their lawyer; it’s a constant problem. And, it’s not just a problem here in Dougherty county. It’s like this in every jail that I’m familiar with…” said Col. Ostrander.
And, some may wonder why doesn’t the jail just use regular telecommunication means, such as Skype or Zoom?
Well…Ostrander tells us they aren’t secure networks to discuss court proceedings.
“The problem is there’s no guarantee of confidentiality. Attorney-client privilege has to have total confidentiality. And, even though the vendor for that system tried to work around to grant some level of confidentiality, that’s all it was: a work around in a system that wasn’t designed for that…” said Col. Ostrander.
The implementation for “My Justice Portal” has been brought before the county commission, and should it get the approval, it will be implemented into the jail shortly thereafter.
“We’re still working on some of the technical aspects of how to get it deployed. Once we get those ironed out, it should be ready to be deployed immediately,” said Col. Ostrander.
Ostrander says that a system like this could prove to be a real difference maker in jails not just locally or across Georgia, but across the country as well.
Ostrander told us that funding for “My Justice Portal” may even come from the state level, in addition to being funded by Dougherty county.
Brian Roche reporting.
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