Pitfalls Of Court Hearings On Zoom

Court hearings are going virtual in response to COVID-19. Studies show they can lead to harsher outcomes for defendants. Some jurisdictions have held some types of hearings over video for years. Video hearings have been most commonly used for pretrial initial appearances (also called bail hearings), or bond hearings. People are more likely to be deported in immigration hearings if they appear on video than in person, people applying for asylum in person. People seem like less like people when seen through a screen, this has an impact on outcomes.