"Who drove the getaway car?" the lawyer asks, directing his question to a huge video screen. On the screen is a man, standing trial for being accessory to a bank robbery even though he is hundreds of miles away.

We've seen it work in movies - witnesses providing expert opinion even though they're in a different state - and there's no reason why it can't work in real life. Videoconferencing in court trials is predicted to be the next big thing in the justice system. When it hits town, it will hit hard, and will reshape the landscape of courtrooms everywhere.

Saving Time and Emotions It's easy to understand why technology-savvy courthouses are exploring the option of videoconferencing in court trials. After all, this technology is cost-efficient. Think of how much the state can save if it doesn't have to transport inmates to the halls of justices and back. Additionally, videoconferencing in court trials strengthens the safety of courtroom procedures. This is especially true of high-profile and highly volatile cases that involve emotionally-charged confrontations between the accused and the accuser.

Videoconferencing in court trials also allows defendants to maintain their dignity. The media frequently turns hearings into a circus if these involve celebrities and high-profile individuals. Videoconferencing in court trials saves defendants needless grief from negative media exposure.

Another benefit of using videoconferencing in court trials is time. By eliminating the need for personal appearances in the halls of justice, arraignment procedures can be much shorter and go much quicker. With use of videoconferencing in court trials, there'd be no need to postpone hearings just because the accused is set to undergo surgery, or is in rehab.

Saving Millions The idea that videoconferencing in court trials is feasible took root in U.S courts in the summer of 2006. At the time, court systems nationwide had only begun to realize the huge impact the technology can have on the over-all budget of the justice department. Since then, video conferencing in court trials have gained wide acceptance. In fact, it is used all the time in conducting legal procedures that involve lawyer - client consultations, depositions, police interrogations, and the safe processing of inmates.

Videoconferencing in court trials has enabled the justice department to save millions. As a matter of fact, within the first year of using video conferencing in court trials, the West Virginia Supreme Court saved the state a whopping $30 million in transportation costs.

Ruling in Favor of Videoconferencing Ultimately, videoconferencing in court trials not only opens up a whole new world of judicial enforcement, it also offers a potential solution to many of the most challenging issues surrounding the justice system and the legal profession the world over.

"We've only just begun to scratch the surface in terms of helping this market realize the full potential of the technology for reducing the costs and headaches of travel and boosting productivity," says Ron Goldman, founder of Video TeleCon's i2i Network, one of the tech mavericks who saw the need for technology that could meet lawyers' requirements for in-person communication despite distance and time constraints. Recently, some lawyers in different states have even already explored the use of videoconferencing in court trials to coordinate mass tort suites of national concern, such as those around diet drug, tobacco and asbestos litigation.

Indeed, for as long as videoconferencing in court trials continually proves its usefulness in the portals of court houses in serving justice quickly and without prejudice, it will see action in courtrooms even quicker than the judge can pounds his gavel.