National Evaluation Program - Phase I - Summary Report Prosecution Management Information Systems

• NCJ Number: 90083
• Author(s): S H Brounstein; J M Firestone; J W Hogg; J S Robinson; J A Roth
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 138 pages
• Contract Number(s): J-LEAA-024-78
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Westat; Ctr for Management and Policy Research, Inc
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report includes discussions and findings on the nature and scope of the use of the Prosecution Management Information Systems (PROMIS), the state-of-the-art in PROMIS use, the transfer potential of PROMIS projects, the funding of PROMIS systems, the organization of PROMIS projects, the availability of evaluation data, and the feasibility of PROMIS evaluations.

Abstract

For this study, a PROMIS is defined as the people, procedures, hardware (e.g., office and computer equipment), and software (e.g., computer programs and associated documentation) used by a prosecutor to create and use case information to achieve prosecution goals. The study found that integrated systems supported by a centralized computer facility serving multiple criminal justice agencies that share the data base are the most common and effective type of PROMIS. Existing automated systems are generally being used effectively to support prosecutors' daily case-processing operations; however, few prosecutors, with the exception of PROMIS users, are using PROMIS as a strategic management tool to support their policy development and decisionmaking processes. PROMIS transfer has not yet proven less costly than development from scratch as a means of acquiring an automated system. Federal funding has been a primary factor in both the transfer and local development of PROMIS projects. Data for PROMIS cost-benefit analysis and feasible methods for measuring PROMIS impact on the criminal justice system are available to support indepth PROMIS evaluations. The appendixes contain 33 references, a literature search, and a list of persons interviewed at PROMIS sites. Tabular and graphic data are included. (Author abstract modified)