AUTOMATED COURT-CASE MANAGEMENT, PART 1

• NCJ Number: 56288
• Journal: Journal of Systems Management Volume: 29 Issue: 7 Dated: (1978) Pages: 22-29
• Author(s): G H BYRNE
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 8 pages
• Corporate Author: Assoc for Systems Management
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

ISSUES TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A LOW COST, COMPUTER-BASED SYSTEM FOR A DISTRICT PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE ARE DISCUSSED.

Abstract

THE KEY ADVANTAGE OF A COMPUTERIZED CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OVER A MANUAL SYSTEM FOR A PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE IS THAT THE AUTOMATED SYSTEM WILL REQUIRE LESS DATA ENTRY AND WILL PROVIDE QUICKER RESPONSE THAN ANY MANUAL SYSTEM. THE DEGREE TO WHICH THE AUTOMATED SYSTEM WILL OUTPERFORM THE MANUAL SYSTEM WILL DEPEND LARGELY ON HOW WELL THE MANUAL SYSTEM IS ORGANIZED AND THE VOLUME OF CASES INVOLVED. CLEARLY, AN OFFICE WHICH HANDLES ONLY A FEW HUNDRED CASES A YEAR IS UNLIKELY TO BE IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY BY AN AUTOMATED SYSTEM, WHILE OFFICES WITH AN ACTIVE CASELOAD OF MORE THAN 1,000 DEFENDANTS AT ALL TIMES ARE LIKELY TO BENEFIT SUBSTANTIALLY. THE FIRST STEP TO BE TAKEN BY ANY PROSECUTOR CONSIDERING COMPUTERIZED CASE MANAGEMENT IS TO MAKE A SYSTEMS ANALYSIS OF HIS ENTIRE OPERATION. A PRELIMINARY REPORT SHOULD THEN BE PREPARED DESCRIBING THE EXISTING OFFICE OPERATION, THE FLOW OF CASES THROUGH THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE AND THE COURTS, AND PINPOINTING THE CRITICAL AREAS AND BOTTLENECKS. THIS DOCUMENT SHOULD ALSO DESCRIBE THE MAJOR TASKS AND FUNCTIONS THAT AN AUTOMATED SYSTEM WOULD PERFORM. IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT THE EXISTING MANUAL SYSTEM OPERATING TO MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY CANNOT HANDLE THE CASELOAD, THEN THE FOLLOWING STEPS SHOULD BE TAKEN: (1) DETERMINE WHETHER THERE ARE ANY EXISTING COMPUTERIZED SYSTEMS WHICH COULD REASONABLY BE TRANSFERRED TO THE OFFICE; (2) SCRUTINIZE THE LISTS AND REPORTS PRODUCED BY THE SYSTEM TO DETERMINE IF THE FORMAT AND CONTENTS ARE WHAT ARE NEEDED FOR THE OFFICE IN QUESTION; (3) DETERMINE COSTS FOR INSTALLATION AND OPERATION; AND (4) DETERMINE HOW AND WHERE THE SOFTWARE WOULD BE INSTALLED. DURING THE EARLY FALL OF 1977 THE SUFFOLK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, LOCATED IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, COMPLETED A TWO-YEAR COOPERATIVE PROJECT TO DESIGN, IMPLEMENT, AND INSTALL A PROTOTYPE, LOW-COST, COMPUTER-BASED PROSECUTOR'S CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION STEPS ARE DESCRIBED FOR THIS SYSTEM, WHICH REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT ADVANCE IN FUNCTIONAL DESIGN FOR AUTOMATED CASE MANAGEMENT IN SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZE OFFICES. (RCB)