“Our systems were very outdated; they were about 17 years behind,” said Larry Withrow, Butler County’s director of specialty courts. “It (the grant) was sought out to help us, help the community.”
Withrow said that the grant money will help the court and departments more effectively file paperwork, requests and other public needs. The money from the grant is also said to make the work of judges, lawyers, and any other faculty of the court, more effective as well.
“Any updates that we can obtain are going to benefit not only us, but those who rely on the services that the courts provide.” Withrow said.
The Butler County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations division will use grant money to fund projects to improve and update the technology within the court systems. The court received $109,440 for updates to case management systems and/or add new modules. There was also another $11,204 for “all other non-security related hardware, software or equipment.”
The Butler County Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Division received $78,800 for updates to case management systems and/or to add new modules as well.
Other courts in the county received grants as well, including more than $143,000 for Hamilton Municipal Court, more than $73,000 for Fairfield Municipal Court and more than $45,000 for the Twelfth District Court of Appeals in Middletown.
The grants to Butler County courts is part of about $8.6 million that was granted by the Ohio Supreme Court to a total of 143 local court projects around Ohio, which is a significant increase from previous years.
“If this pandemic taught us anything, it’s that remote technology is crucial to ensuring our courts are open for those who need to be there,” Chief Justice O’Conner told Court News Ohio. “And for the public and the press to be afforded virtual access to court sessions.”
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