Electronic access to criminal court cases could be a reality in Warren County by December.

The Mississippi Electronic Courts system will allow lawyers to file court documents any time of day and will allow better public access to records, Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice William Waller Jr. told members of Warren County Bar Association Monday.

“Hopefully, one day in the not-too-distant future, you’ll be able to log in and practice law all across the state,” Waller said.

A version of the program is in use in civil cases in Warren County and a few others around the state.

The criminal court program is still under development but should be ready for distribution in the pilot testing area, including Warren County, by December, Waller said.

With the electronic court system in place, most cases will be online for public view but some will not, Waller said. Domestic violence files, for example, will not be included or be heavily edited because of the amount of personal information they contain, he said.

“It’s huge because the general public will be able to access the case on the Internet,” he said. “It brings the courthouse, if you will, closer to the public.”

If the system is successful it will be launched across the state, he said.

“We’re very committed, if there is any way to, to having one system statewide,” Waller said.

Waller also called for continued support of the Ninth Circuit Drug Court Program that covers Warren, Sharkey and Issaquena counties.

“This is a really great innovation in our legal system,” Waller said.

The five counties where the pilot program is to be in place are Warren, Madison, Harrison, Holmes and Yazoo.

Drug courts are focused on rehabilitation of nonviolent, drug-addicted offenders. Participants must get clean and keep clean for the duration of their time in the drug court program and are allowed to live at home rather than in prison, Waller said.

“Once you send them to Parchman, if they weren’t criminals when they left, they’re sure criminals when they get back,” Waller said.

Offenders sentenced to drug court have paid $44,501.63 in fines and court costs this year to counties in the Ninth Circuit, Waller said. As of Monday 158 people were enrolled in Ninth Circuit Drug Court, and four people had graduated from the program since January.