Long sought tech upgrade aims to improve courtroom communication across Georgia

The Fulton County Superior Courthouse is seen, Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Georgia judges will soon have access to a new tool that they say will help them hand down more accurate, appropriate sentences to the defendants standing before them.

Currently, every county in Georgia has its own platform that tracks, manages and moves documents for its court system, making it difficult for them to share information across districts, such as defendants’ criminal histories, previous mental health treatment and case dispositions. And, it’s primarily up to the defendants to volunteer that information.

But on Tuesday, Georgia Supreme Court Justice Charlie Bethel told a House subcommittee that a newly-created statewide management system funded through federal pandemic relief aid is coming online in January.