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Kentucky

Overview

  • The Kentucky Judiciary is a state-funded court system.   Its appropriation was increased from $328.8 million in FY11 to $354.3 million in FY12.  The Kentucky courts will be able to maintain the number of judges and staff and maintain spending on operating expenses.
  • To reduce spending, Kentucky has frozen the salaries of judges and staff and imposed staff layoffs.  They have delayed filling judicial vacancies and vacancies in the clerks’ offices and in judicial support positions. 
  • The Kentucky courts have implemented a number of technology initiatives, including e-citation and e-payment of fees and fines.  Enhanced use of these technologies has helped to provide the same or enhanced level of court services despite the reductions to the Kentucky courts’ budget during this and previous fiscal years.
    • E-payment technology offers users the option of paying court fines and costs without the necessity of appearing in court or at the clerk’s office and has resulted in approximately $2 million per year in collections.
    • E-warrants have decreased the amount of time involved for the preparation and presentation of warrants to a judicial officer and has substantially increased rates of service of warrants. A pilot project in an urban jurisdiction seeks to include emergency orders of protection in the e-warrants system, which will expand the convenience and increased service rates to domestic violence cases.
    • E-citations reduces the amount of time necessary for circuit clerks to enter in traffic citations into the court’s case management system, eliminating duplication of efforts and human errors in data entry.
    • The availability of multi-function printers in most court offices has increased the use of scanning/emailing for internal purposes. Although the civil rules do not currently allow for distribution of orders by email, this is being explored for the future, as is e-filing technology which will bring anticipated ease-of-use and cost savings for litigants and the courts.
  • Other technology developments that have helped to enhance services within KCOJ and to community partners and the public include:
    • VINE/Court Notify services which provide information to crime victims of upcoming court appearances and offender release information;
    • a process for performing monthly background checks for applicants seeking a license to carry concealed deadly weapons, benefiting the Kentucky State Police;
    • a pilot to electronically subpoena law enforcement officers for court dates;
    • AOC forms which are provided online in a format which can be typed in and printed;
    • access to “Courtnet” (data from the court’s case management system) at different levels for the justice community, bar association, and public;
    • an online procurement system for purchasing equipment and supplies for the Court of Justice;
    • the ability for users to request assistance from the AOC Help Desk immediately online;
    • “Benchpro,” a tool which allows the judges and clerks to quickly and directly enter information into the case management system from the bench;
    • increased availability of laptops for all KCOJ, which enhance mobility and efficiency of operations;
    • expansion of phone services through voice over internet protocol (VOIP); and the implementation of instant messaging and online meeting software to reduce travel, training and communications costs.

Reports and Articles

 

 

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