New technology allowing prisoners to appear in court while still confined to prison grounds will be introduced into Tauranga courts next year.

Audio-visual links will be installed into 14 district courts and nine prisons throughout the country during the next two years, with the system scheduled for Tauranga in September, 2014.

Tauranga District and High Courts on Cameron Road.

Corrections Minster Anne Tolley and Courts Minister Chester Borrows announced the $27.8million expansion this week.

The new technology is expected to be used in a significant number of the 40,000-odd remand court appearances made each year and reduce risks of escape, says Anne.

'There are enormous benefits to be gained by using AVL to allow prisoners to appear before a judge without leaving the secure confine of prison grounds.

'The risks associated with transporting prisoners outside the wire - to the public, corrections and court staff – are completely removed, along with any risk of escape.”

She says AVL means police do not have to spend valuable time planning, carrying out, or funding escort duties from prison to court and back again.

'It also removes the risk of contraband being smuggled back into prisons.”

The audio-visual links are already in place various prisons, including Mt Eden, Waikeria, Christchurch Men's and Whanganui.

Chester says the drive to modernise the court system is about using technology to deliver court services in ways which are better, faster, cheaper and easier.

'The AVL programme is a joint initiative of the Department of Corrections and the Ministry of Justice and is enabled by the Courts (Remote Participation) Act.”

AVL is funded from baseline, with an installation budget of $18million for district courts (with $9million of capital from the department of corrections and $9million of operational funding from the Justice Sector Fund). A further $9.8million is budgeted for the installation in prisons, funded by the Department of Corrections.

Judges will continue to have discretion to require prisoners to appear in court.