Are more video court appearances (and eventually cyber-courts) inevitable as cost-cutting innovation?

This new AP article, headlined "Courts nationwide hold hearings with video," highlights how tight budgets are leading to new types of court appearances.  Here are some of the specifics:

George Villanueva, charged with first-degree murder in the death of an NYPD officer, will not leave jail for months of pretrial hearings.  Instead, he'll be beamed into the courtroom via video as lawyers discuss his case in front of the judge.

Villanueva's case is part of a surge in court appearances done by video in New York and around the country, as cash-strapped communities look for ways to boost efficiency and cut costs. The tools are used in courts large and small, and the savings for some are staggering: $30 million in Pennsylvania so far, $600,000 in Georgia, and $50,000 per year in transportation costs in Ohio....

Advocates say the virtual hearing is easier on defendants, who don't have to get up at 4 a.m. to be shuttled with other criminal suspects to court, only to wait hours standing and handcuffed for an appearance.  Judges say their cases are moving faster.  And civil liberties groups say the practice raises no red flags.

"The technology is really exploding. It's gotten much cheaper and easier to run, and states are reporting a huge range of savings," said Jim McMillan of the National Center for State Courts, which studied the use of video in courts in the U.S.

About 166 court systems — or more than half the country's — responded to the group's survey six months ago.  The survey found that video use has vastly increased in the past five years. Initial appearances, mental health hearings and status conferences are among the most frequently conducted via video, according to the survey.

The video systems vary in cost but are all built on the same principles: A webcam or video camera is used in the courtroom, and a station is set up at the jail or detention center where suspects are held.  Defendants go to a secure room and appear via a secure Internet connection....

In 2008, the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts began a three-year initiative to provide video conferencing equipment, and more than 400 courts have it.  Court officials estimate that it will save about $20 million annually statewide on security and transportation costs.  Philadelphia alone has reported a savings of more than $30 million over five years.

It's not just about the savings.  In Oregon's Multnomah County, which includes Portland, court officials have set up a closed-link system at a domestic violence shelter where women can apply for a protective order from their abusers without having to risk leaving the safe house.  Utah uses the video to deliver classroom training for clerk staff and to hold meetings, saving some employees five-hour drives.

At least 750 statutes govern the practice.  In some places, like New York, the defendant must consent to holding hearings this way.  Others don't require consent but need a judge's ruling.