Interface Among Criminal Justice Information Systems - An Analysis and Assessment

• NCJ Number: 85852
• Author(s): J C Calpin; B Kreindel
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 250 pages
• Grant Number(s): 78-SS-AX-0036
• Sponsoring Agency: National Criminal Justice Information & Statistics Service
• Corporate Author: Mitre Corporation
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This document reports the current status of interface (information exchange) among four types of criminal justice information systems: the Computerized Criminal History System, the Offender-Based State Corrections Information System, (OBSCIS), the State Judicial Information system, and the Prosecutor's Management Information System (PROMIS).

Abstract

Data were gathered through site visits and discussions with LEAA program monitors, system developers, and criminal justice professionals involved in the implementation and operation of the above systems. The report presents information on the nature and extent of system interface and on the influence of privacy and security regulations and the operational status of these systems in 14 States. Findings indicate that the establishment of interface among criminal justice information systems suffers from both purely technical as well as organizational and institutional problems. The former include compatibility of hardware and software, commonality of data elements, and specification of positive identifiers. Among the latter are officials' disagreements over the need for accuracy, timeliness, and completeness of the systems, exacerbated by the fundamental differences in the primary goals for which these systems were developed. Other factors affecting interface are the extent to which the design, implementation, and operation of the individual systems have been coordinated, the occurrence of intrasystem conflicts, and the development of local level systems independent of State efforts. Some basic policy issues need resolution before the future status of interface can be determined. These include the continuing need for criminal history record information, the lack of congruence between State and national level views on information system goals, the impact of privacy and security regulations, and the trend toward developing systems transferable among jurisdictions. Footnotes, tables, and a 22-item bibliography are given.