Cameras have already made their way into Minnesota courtrooms to document civil disagreements, but a new pilot program is now adding them to some criminal court proceedings.
The pilot project began yesterday, but it comes with certain restrictions. Under the program, cameras aren’t allowed in criminal court if:
- There is a jury present
- The case is a juvenile proceeding
- The case is about domestic violence or a sex crime
- It’s a specialized court for drug, mental health, veteran or DWI cases
The program came about after the Minnesota Supreme Court decided to expand access of media cameras and audio recordings in criminal proceedings. Prior to the program, cameras were only allowed in criminal cases if all parties consented to recording, which meant cameras rarely made it into courtrooms. In their latest ruling, the state Supreme Court said they wanted to test the pilot program in an effort to provide balanced coverage of a criminal proceeding and to showcase the fairness of the judicial system.
Some Split Over Cameras
While the move should certainly make cases more transparent, not everyone is on board with the cameras. One Stearns County attorney said she believes victims may now be less likely to report crimes out of fear that they might be recorded in the courtroom or while testifying.
Others, like Gabe Roth, manager of the Coalition for Court Transparency, believes cameras won’t be nearly as intrusive as some fear, and it will allow people to keep track of the case proceedings even if they live miles away.
“Having camera access doesn’t mean the media is demanding blanket coverage,” said Roth. “If you are in a city that’s hundreds of miles away from where an important case is taking place, you should be able to cover it by watching it on the Internet.”
It will be interesting to see how the camera situation plays out. The pilot program will be re-evaluated later this month, and it could be shelved if there is significant backlash. That said, cameras will almost certainly make their way into criminal courtrooms, at least on a temporary basis.
Related source: Star-Tribune
