NCJ Number
145744
Date Published
1993
Length
84 pages
Annotation
This report describes the types of prosecutorial activities that are being automated, the new technologies being used, and the organizational changes required for a prosecutor's office to realize automation's benefits.
Abstract
The variation in local approaches to automation dictated a case-study approach for describing prosecutors' automation efforts. The systems in the three case-study sites have incorporated key principles of database design based on years of experience. One chapter describes the system in Macomb County, Mich. It is a dedicated micro-based case-tracking system with a database structure that is a streamlined version of the original PROMIS prototype. The system's most striking feature is the integration of case tracking with word processing. Automation efforts in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, the second case study, have involved the development and implementation of a sophisticated mainframe case-tracking system designed to meet the office's high level of information need. This need ranges from rapid access to case file information to a heavy volume of management reports. Automation in Marion County, Ind., the third case study, centers on a fully integrated systemwide criminal justice information system that uses state-of-the-art technology. The concluding chapter discusses the solution that many offices have devised to solve common automation problems. It also provides detailed explanations of the new technologies that are making automation easier and more cost-effective. Appended list of the names and addresses of individuals and organizations that can provide additional information