Report of the National Task Force on Court Automation and Integration

Our nation's court systems have been affected in recent years by developments that have necessitated a change in the way they conduct business. Budget allotments have been reduced at a time when high-profile crimes, such as domestic violence and sexual offenses, are attracting increased public interest in court activities. This public attention has resulted in legislation that mandates increased and automated disposition reporting to state and federal repositories. To comply with new legislative sentencing strategies such as three-strike laws and diversion programs, courts must have access to a range of information sources not necessary or available in the past. Although information technology provides useful tools for responding to these increased demands, it brings a new set of responsibilities for justice agencies such as law enforcement, prosecution, public defense, and corrections. These agencies must develop: Ground rules, protocols, and priorities to govern the exchange and security of data that each previously maintained using their own standards; New funding and procurement procedures to guide the acquisition, maintenance, and upgrade of integrated information systems used by separate agencies that are often under the control of different government entities; New standards to ensure that the complexities of the justice process are protected as information services move into the electronic realm. As part of the Court Information Systems Technical Assistance Project, a National Task Force on Court Automation and Integration was formed to identify the key issues of and challenges to justice system automation and integration from the perspective of the courts. From late 1997 to mid-1998, the task force conducted a series of extensive discussions-augmented by an integration survey sent to more than 150 court administrators and information services managers nationwide and a state-by-state assessment of court automation-to determine the status and direction of court automation and integration. From these activities, the task force compiled a list of nine findings and four broad categories of recommended strategies that court system administrators may use to guide automation and integration projects in their jurisdictions.