In January of 2015, Court Innovations launched pilot projects in two Michigan courts: Washtenaw County and Bay County. These two courts led the way and embraced the opportunity to resolve their high-volume lesser criminal/traffic offense cases through Matterhorn, our online resolution platform.
To start 2016, we are happy to report that we are working with eight courts across the state and the MI State Court Administrative Office. Not only have we added courts to our platform, we have expanded our product vision beyond online case resolution to intervention and compliance. The court of the future is not simply a geographic location; it is an expanding set of services and functions where fairness and justice are easily accessible. With Matterhorn, courts are starting to offer citizens access to justice anytime, anywhere.
We are pleased to be working with the following MI courts:
- 14A District Court in Washtenaw County (website)
- 74th District Court in Bay County (website)
- 30th District Court in Highland Park (website)
- 54B District Court in East Lansing (website)
- 54A District Court in Lansing (website)
- 61st District Court in Grand Rapids (website)
- 29th District Court in Wayne City (website)
- 63rd District Court in Kent County
National excitement has been building as more courts learn about the Matterhorn platform. We are eager to provide solutions to courts and communities across the nation. In addition to the case types already active on our platform, we are currently building solutions for amnesty programs, plea by mail, additional civil dispute resolutions, Friend of the Court services, and penalty compliance modules. We are eager to see how these modules can solve pressing issues in communities across the country. We have had great success with Matterhorn’s existing solutions, which include:
- Active civil infractions, including traffic violations and parking violations, for review and negotiation
- Delinquent cases BEFORE a warrant needs to be issued
- Warrant Failure to Comply cases, to resolve outstanding warrants
- License Restoration with Driving with License Suspended (DWLS) cases
However, implementing courts and adding solutions is only one measure of success. Making a positive difference for courts, law enforcement, and the citizen is also a main priority. The outcomes from the past year suggest we are accomplishing that goal. Initial results show that case turnover is significantly faster. The online platform has reduced closure rates from weeks/months to just days across all courts. Also, all cases going through the platform are being resolved – cases are not left outstanding.
While working with the University of Michigan, our research and development team is exploring and measuring additional outcomes. These include evaluating the cost and labor savings within the court ecosystem. For example, by taking certain court processes online, how many hours of labor from court personnel are saved? These types of savings are valuable in every community. Additionally, the team is looking at citizen’s online behavior and usage, tools to communicate with citizens more effectively, and the overall impact of court’s online decisions. We look forward to sharing these results as they become available.
Our success has not been without great effort. We have expanded the Court Innovations team, which has enabled us to exceed expectations. In the past year, we have added valuable talent to both our development and product teams. In addition, we recruited experienced team members as solutions consultants and customer operations specialists. It has been inspiring to work with such accomplished, enthusiastic individuals. Our team is passionate about working with our courts, law enforcement, and prosecutors while also making a difference in citizens’ lives.
We look forward to another fantastic year of growth, learning, and innovative solutions. Our New Year’s resolution is to provide continued impact to our courts and communities – wherever they may be.