MARION COUNTY (IN) - MUNICIPAL COURT - SYSTEM SURVEY REPORT - LEAA REGION V - TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PROJECT

• NCJ Number: 44535
• Author(s): ANON
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 97 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: PRC Public Management Services, Inc
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

RESULTS OF A PROJECT TO TRANSFER CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION SYSTEM APPLICATIONS TO AN AGENCY IN MARION COUNTY, INDIANA, ARE PRESENTED; PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND RECOMMENDATIONS ARE ALSO NOTED.

Abstract

THE MUNICIPAL COURT OF MARION COUNTY, LOCATED IN INDIANAPOLIS, WAS ONE OF SIX MIDWESTERN AGENCIES SELECTED TO BE RECIPIENTS OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER IN A DEVELOPMENT SETTING. THE PROJECT INVOLVED FOUR PHASES: A SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS, WHERE AGENCY NEEDS WERE ASSESSED; A DONOR SITE SELECTION PHASE, WHERE ALTERNATIVE SYSTEMS FOR TRANSFER WERE SELECTED; A TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PHASE, DURING WHICH THE ACTUAL TRANSFER OF SOFTWARE TOOK PLACE; AND A DOCUMENTATION PHASE WHICH LASTED FOR THE DURATION OF THE PROJECT (BETWEEN EARLY 1974 AND DECEMBER 31, 1975) AND COLLECTED ALL AVAILABLE INFORMATION ON THE PROCESS OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER. THE MUNICIPAL COURT NEEDED A SYSTEM TO SUPPORT THE JUDICIAL PROCESSING IN THE COURTS, AND BY SO DOING, EASED THE PRESSURES OF AN INCREASINGLY HEAVY CASELOAD. A NUMBER OF COURT SUBJECT-IN-PROCESS AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS WERE STUDIED AND EVALUATED, AND A SITE VISIT WAS MADE FOR ALL SERIOUS DONOR CONSIDERATIONS. A SYSTEM ALREADY OPERATING IN THE MUNICIPAL COURT, TRANSMISSION AND RETRIEVAL OF AUTOMATED COURT INFORMATION (TRAC), BECAME THE NUCLEUS OF THE SYSTEM DESIGN, WITH SUBSEQUENT PROGRAMS SUPPORTING AND INTERFACING WITH IT. TRANSFER AT THE DESIGN, RATHER THAN THE CODE LEVEL, UTILIZING IDEAS FROM PARTICULAR PROGRAMS, GENERAL SCREEN CONCEPTS, AND SOME FILE IDENTIFICATION AND DATA ELEMENT DEFINITIONS, WAS MADE FROM THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION CONTROL (CJIC) SYSTEM IN USE IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. CJIC MODULES WHICH COULD NOT BE DIRECTLY APPLIED TO THE MUNICIPAL COURT NEEDS WERE ADAPTED TO TRAC ACCORDINGLY. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THE PROJECT YIELDED CONSIDERABLE BENEFITS TO BOTH LEAA AND THE MUNICIPAL COURT. THE TRANSFER EXPERIENCE AND PROCESS WAS DOCUMENTED AS A TRAINING AND PLANNING INSTRUMENT FOR OTHERS TO USE, AND A COURT INFORMATION SYSTEM WHICH PROVIDES THE ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF THE COURT REQUIREMENTS WAS IMPLEMENTED. A STEP-BY-STEP DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT IS PROVIDED, AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ARE APPENDED. (DAS)