News

Houston courts rely on kiosks to 'decentralize court services'

Houston (Texas) Municipal Court announced the additon of new traffic ticket kiosks to the Clear Lake and Kingwood areas.

September 12, 2014

 Houston (Texas) Municipal Court announced the additon of new traffic ticket kiosks to the Clear Lake and Kingwood areas, according to the Houston Chronicle.

"These kiosks, conveniently open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week, will allow residents to pay traffic tickets without having to drive to the municipal courts location downtown," said City Councilman Dave Martin in the article.

The city has had success with a kiosk installed in 2010 at the Herbert W. Gee Municipal Courthouse. New kiosks will be installed in Houston Police Department Substations. The kiosks have cardless payment options for traffic tickets and charge a $2 usage fee. However, the kiosks will not accept juvenile case payments.

The kiosks are part of a larger effort by the city to "decentralize court services" and "increase access to justice," for residents involved in the 1 million civil and criminal cases each year,  the article said.

"We want to make this as citizen-friendly as possible," said Charlotte Booker, deputy director clerk of courts, in the article.