Evolvement of Automation for Use by Corrections Managers (From National Workshop on Prison Population Forecasting, P 45-59, 1982, Charles M Friel, ed. - See NCJ-85289)

• NCJ Number: 85292
• Author(s): A H Lammers
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 15 pages
• Sale Source: SEARCH Group Inc.; National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Available on microfiche as NCJ-85289

Annotation

This article traces the development of the following automated correctional information systems: Offender-Based State Corrections Information System (OBSCIS), the State Corrections Resource Management System (SCRMS), and the Jail Administrators Management System (JAMS-II).

Abstract

OBSCIS was initiated in 1974 by 10 States to identify guidelines and standards for the development of correctional information systems. Approximately 40 States have since elected to use parts or all of OBSCIS for developing their own systems. OBSCIS's initial phase produced a five-volume publication that has become the foundation for subsquent development. OBSCIS is designed as a flexible model which States can adapt to their particular needs. Phase II assessed the actual experience of implementing OBSCIS. Problems confronting the OBSCIS grant projects included State personnel policies impeding the creation of new positions and uncertainty regarding continued Federal funding. A Phase III formal review of all data elements in 23 participating States produced a refined data dictionary, a national seminar, and a basic software system package. Common implementation problems involved political constraints, data file conversion strategies, centralized versus decentralized systems, and recruiting skilled staff. SCRMS supports the nonoffender-based information requirements of corrections managers, using many techniques which contributed to the success of OBSCIS. It emphasizes personnel management, budget control, inventory control, prison industries, transportation, maintenance, and food services. Future plans call for the consolidation of OBSCIS and SCRMS. JAMS-II was undertaken to extend minicomputer and microcomputer technology to jails which previously had been unable to afford automated data processing. After assessing the requirements of small to medium-sized jails, a software package is being refined to include the following functions: booking, updating, record inquiry, daily log/audit trail, medical accounting, classification, inmate cash accounting, and billing.