Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Canadian Courthouse Getting a Digital Makeover

When the North Bay, Ontario courthouse had an analog recorder malfunction during its last sentencing, the Ministry of the Attorney General finally decided that it was time to think about getting digital voice recorders to replace the old cassette tapes. 

According to The Nugget, a hearing for a pedophile was suspended for two hours after the cassette recorder that the courtroom used failed to work. The facility actually had two backup devices, but surprisingly, those failed to operate as well. 

A few people, including the defense attorney, voiced concerns about the accuracy of the transcripts from the outdated cassette recorders. The lawyer also added that the delays are hindering the courtroom's productivity and could be an issue with clients as well, the news outlet added. 

Brendan Crawley, ministry spokesperson, explained that the Ministry of the Attorney General is actually in the process of replacing all of the outdated devices around the province with brand new digital voice recorders and that the North Bay courthouse is expected to have its equipment replaced in the fall. 

Paul Ross, of American Dictation Corp., can relate to this issue directly. "Analog parts and replacements are becoming nearly impossible to find" He goes on further to state:  "There are two types of analog dictation and transcription users: those that are converting to digital, and those that will be converting to digital.  It is just a matter of time before technology overcomes familiarity."


1 comment:

Digital Dictaphone said...

Yep. I certainly agree with this digital makeover. Cassette tape recorders had its moments but there is clearly a need for an upgrade when it comes to recording and processing data in a very important place such as the courthouse.

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