NCJ Number
80721
Date Published
1981
Length
95 pages
Annotation
The implementation and operation of the Attorney Management Information and Casefile User Support (AMICUS) system, designed for use in defender offices, is discussed, with special attention given to the core system of nine forms and two reports.
Abstract
The system gathers and monitors case and client information and produces reports on case progress and case results. The system is tailored to handle trial-level misdemeanors and felonies. The system assists in opening a case, recording attorney activities, tracking a case event, closing a case, producing reports, and answering a telephone inquiry. Subsidiary functions are reporting to attorneys their own activities, organizing an initial interview, starting investigations, keeping statistics in short cases, and organizing a case file. Steps for implementing the system include selecting an implementation manager, reviewing office procedures, informing and training staff, reviewing data collection forms, recording what has been implemented, and evaluating the system's effectiveness. In addition, staff must be motivated, and implementation time and scope requirements should be carefully considered. Forms used in the system include a client interview form, a chronological case logbook, a case opening form and case jacket, a and case log continuation sheet, a case closing sheet with information for statistical reports, a case index card for filing purposes, and a central calendar to record future events. In addition, a case closing summary indicates the results of cases closed during a report period, and the case turnover summary shows the number of cases moving through the defender office. The quick action card is used to record case events which are impractical to handle by open-and-closed case procedures. For successful implementation, the implementation manager must carefully monitor the use of the system by staff, conduct frequent staff meetings to air grievances, and include attorneys and secretaries in system evaluation. Sample forms are supplied. See NCJ 80722 for volume 2 of this report.