NCJ Number
149103
Date Published
1992
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This report describes the methodology and presents the results of an audit designed to determine the completeness and accuracy of Utah's Criminal History Record System for the period July 1, 1990, to December 31, 1991.
Abstract
The auditors examined a sample of cases and performed a general controls review on the computer systems of both the Courts and Public Safety, which process and maintain data for the Criminal History System. General controls are procedures within the information systems department that ensure the computer programs operate properly and that unauthorized changes are prevented. Improperly controlled computer environments can expose a system to improper functioning and can result in errors. Although weaknesses in the system prevented statistical quantification of the audit results, the testwork still clearly showed that the Criminal History System is substantially incomplete. Approximately 50 percent of all felony cases on the Courts System will not be included in the Criminal History System due to the lack of offense tracking numbers for those cases. Thus, the Criminal History System is not a complete history of arrests and dispositions. The risk of law enforcement agencies and courts making improper decisions increases significantly because of incomplete histories of individuals' criminal activity. Recommendations for remedying the system's flaws are offered. This report also describes the status of follow-up action taken on the recommendations from the audit issued for the year ended June 30, 1990.