Fentress has assessed over 1,200 court facilities throughout the U.S., and with that experience comes much knowledge and data. This data can be analyzed to help decision-makers plan for the long-term needs of their courthouses. 

I have to acknowledge a struggle I have been dealing with for the last two years as a court planner. Will courts embrace the technologies that arose during the pandemic and reduce the size and number of courtrooms, or will they maintain the status quo?

Over 35 years, we have helped courts and architects plan courthouse space needs in 1,212 court facilities. We have had the opportunity to work on federal, state, county, and municipal courts in every state in the country, as well as some international work. 

This experience has given us a national...

The term courtroom utilization is not common. A Google search of the term will yield very few mentions or papers and many of the limited results have more to do with electronic recording in the courtroom than with how often the courtroom is used. 

Grand juries convene in specialized suites within courthouses to hear and review evidence of alleged criminal conduct to determine if an indictment should be issued. This differs from trial juries, sometimes called petit juries, that decide both criminal and civil cases once they go to trial.