Case Study: Hall County Magistrate Court achieves faster initial court appearances and reduced transportation costs with Lifesize

Local Court System Uses LifeSize for Initial Court Appearances

Hall County Magistrate Court in Gainesville, Georgia, serving a rapidly growing community with a newly expanded jail, faced the challenge of conducting timely initial court appearances while minimizing security risks, transportation time and taxpayer costs. State law requires defendants’ first appearances within 48–72 hours of booking, and moving inmates to court was labor-intensive, risky and slow—especially when attorneys, translators and family need to participate.

Southern Business Communications installed LifeSize HD video systems across roughly 10 sites (jail, courthouse, public defender and indigent defense offices) with rugged enclosures, a magistrate touch‑screen controller, an MCU and IPVCR for recording. The virtual hearings cut transportation needs, sped processing—now 30–35 initial appearances per hour versus nearly a full day previously—and reduced costs while ensuring faster access to due process.

Hall County Magistrate Court

Josh Thompson

Court Information Systems Manager