By Rusty Nixon Correspondent
PLYMOUTH — Marshall County will continue to move toward video arraignment for prisoners.
The Marshall County Council voted to make funds available to continue to pursue the project that will allow prisoners in the Marshall County Jail to be at certain court hearings without leaving the facility. The measure is projected to bring a cost savings to the county by minimizing the amount of transport necessary. The hookup will also allow certain hearings to be conducted with the Indiana Department of Corrections as well, cutting down on the number of prisoners transported from state correctional facilities.

The measure also brings a level of safety to all involved doing away with much of the prisoner transportation necessary for court hearings. Law enforcement officials say that those moments in transport are the ones that many times lead to dangerous situations.
The county budgeted funds into the special CAGIT that built the jail, thus making the purchase of equipment to proceed with the project available in the budget. The Marshall County courts had also offered money from Probation User fees to make the project proceed, keeping the cost out of the general fund.
The Council’s decision rested on whether or not to tap into Probation User fees – a fund that does not regenerate itself quickly – or to stay with money from the special CAGIT for the current purchase.
The Marshall County Commis-sioners had requested $90,000 from the CAGIT, with a similar $90,000 request coming from the courts from the user fees.
Council members expressed concern in using the Probation fees line item since it does not regenerate funds quickly. Council person Judy Stone pointed out that the line item was also going to be used to pay for pay raises for probation officers – that were mandated by the State government – as well as purchase a new vehicle for the department.
Concerned that the extra $90,000 would drain the account too quickly, the Council voted to use money already budgeted through CAGIT for now and wait to see if further funds might be necessary.
Much depends on the status of the Metronet fiber optic system in Marshall County. The system would provide the security of a “closed” hookup with the courts and the jail, as opposed to what the judiciary sees as an unsecure wireless hookup.
If the Metronet fiber optics are not available the county will pursue a secure T1 line through Century Link at a cost of $10,000 a year.