New Remote Court Access Offers Protections to McDowell County Victims

The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia announced on December 10 that victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Mercer and McDowell counties will be able to file petitions and participate in court hearings remotely through the Remote Victim Outreach Program. The program gives petitioners the option of filing protective orders and taking part in hearings from a SAFE, Inc. family crisis center rather than appearing in court in person.

"The Remote Victim Outreach Program is designed to use remote video technology so that victims of domestic violence, stalking, rape or dating violence can seek the protections of the court in a safe, less intimidating setting," the announcement said. Under the expanded program, individuals in McDowell County may file petitions and attend magistrate and family court follow up hearings remotely from the local SAFE, Inc. center, eliminating a required in person visit to the magistrate court for initial filing.

SAFE, Inc. services in McDowell County will be available on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The McDowell County facility may be reached Monday through Friday at (681) 201-2138 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. For after hours assistance, SAFE, Inc. operates a regional hotline at (800) 688-6157 that is available around the clock. Mercer County residents can use the Mercer SAFE, Inc. facility on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and may call (304) 487-8484 during those hours.

Public demonstrations of the remote filing and hearing process were scheduled for December 11 in circuit courtrooms in Princeton and Welch, with SAFE, Inc. representatives appearing remotely to show how petitioning and remote hearings will work. The Mercer event was set for 10 a.m. in Judge Adam B. Wolfe’s Twelfth Family Court Circuit courtroom at 120 Scott Street in Princeton. The McDowell event was set for 1 p.m. in Judge Lisa K. Clark’s Twelfth Family Court Circuit courtroom at the McDowell County Courthouse at Court and Wyoming streets in Welch.

McDowell and Mercer become the 13th and 14th counties to adopt the program, joining counties including Cabell, Greenbrier, Harrison, Jefferson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Mason, Marion, Monongalia, Ohio, Wayne and Wood. For McDowell residents the expansion reduces transportation and safety barriers that often prevent people from seeking court protections, and it aligns local practice with wider statewide efforts to use technology to improve access to justice in rural communities.