On-line Justice
Database provides bigger picture for court officials.
by T.J. Becker
THE INFORMATION POOL is getting deeper and wider for officials in Georgia's state, superior and juvenile courts. Beginning this summer, several counties will be the first to get online access to a management information system developed by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This access will mark the first time Georgia counties have been able to systematically pool information, including that on criminal activity.
photo by Stanley Leary
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Although the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) maintains an electronic database, its information focuses on sentencing and dispositions. The new database goes beyond that, making a wealth of case-related data readily available to Georgia court officials via the Internet. It was designed by senior research scientist Lisa Sills and her team in the Information Technology and Telecommunication Laboratory at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). Composed of a TCP/IP network, the database can be used by account holders -- primarily judges and clerks -- anywhere they have Internet access.
"The more information we have, the better decisions we can make," says Judge Hilton Fuller, a DeKalb County Superior Court judge and chairman of the Georgia Courts Automation Commission, which is funding the project.
Complete Records
Until now, Georgia courts have not had electronic access to criminal activity information from other counties. With the new database, officials will be able to obtain more complete information about a suspect's record, Sills says. For example, the suspect may have a history of violent behavior or be under warrant for arrest in another county. The database would quickly reveal this, alerting intake officers not to let that person out on bail.
Previously, the only way to get information from another county has been via telephone, which is time-consuming and offers no guarantee of details. "Even if you pick up the phone, there's no way to really know the extent of the problems," Fuller says. "State-collected data, by the nature of the current collection process, is often quite stale and always limited."
Our mobile society also adds to the problems, Fuller adds. "We no longer have to ride a mule to get to south Georgia. It is not unusual for litigants to be or to have been involved in civil or criminal matters in several Georgia counties."
The new database offers information in two major sections: one for juvenile court and one for state and superior courts. Information can be tracked either by a case docket number or the names of the individuals involved. Under case history, the database indicates whether a bench or jury trial was held, specific events of the trial, outcome and any changes in original sentencing. Entries for individuals also include date of birth, gender, known aliases and a complete record of charges.
Juvenile Justice
The juvenile section tracks dates of foster parents along with "interested persons," who might include parents, guardians and attorneys. "It's helpful for officials to know who watches out for a child on a daily basis, something that changes frequently," Sills says. "If kids aren't at one location, this gives an alternative place to look." The database also tracks gang information, which is becoming increasingly important as gang activity spreads, she adds.
Having such information at their fingertips enables officials to view a case from a broader perspective. For example, a juvenile judge might be able to discern that a shoplifting incident resulted from deprivation rather than delinquency. The net result is that justice is better dispensed, Sills says.
The database also can be used as a "confidence level test," enabling a judge to ask questions about a defendant's history and see if the person is answering truthfully.
Some other aspects of the database are:
Civil suits are tracked in the state and superior court portion, revealing a
complete listing of plaintiffs and defendants. One advantage to having this data is
the ability to see whether a particular individual is prone to involvement in
lawsuits.
There's also a prototype of a public component. Certain forms for probate
court are being automated, beginning with decedent estate management. This will
allow citizens access to forms via the Web so they can fill them out at home rather
than having to go to a courthouse.
Sills expects production release of the database to begin in June with six counties on-line in the state and superior courts section, and five in the juvenile court section.
"Our ultimate goal is to have the whole state, but we're targeting the counties with the greatest number of filings," says Sills, noting that 30 of the 159 counties generate 85 to 90 percent of the state's annual filings. "If we can get those counties on line, almost all criminal and civil activity will be tracked."
Because courts throughout Georgia vary in computer sophistication, the database was designed to be user-friendly. "There's a lot of flexibility when searching for information," Sills says. For example, officials can search for cases by either their docket number or by an individual's name. If officials don't know a person's full name, they can still locate the individual by using a partial or phonetic spelling.
Data Collection
Researchers also installed several links to outside agencies and information resources. If an official does not remember what "16-13-31(a)(1)(A)" means, he or she can click on a link to the Official Code of Georgia (Unannotated) and view a full description of that statute. The database can also display telephone and fax numbers for county personnel. "We're trying to make it really easy for people to collect information. There may be times they have to make a phone call, but at least it won't be a blind query," Sills says.
Even though the database uses existing technology and network security, it remains a highly complex project that has been in the works for two years. "The method of capturing the data was extremely difficult," says Sills, explaining that information had to be imported from existing county systems, which required an automated system to be in place first. "There are many kinds of systems out there. . . . Integrating their data into ours is challenging."
Besides helping to administer justice, the database will assist in a variety of reporting functions, beginning with case counting. Done each year on a county-by-county basis, case counting reflects the changing needs of the courts. Up to now, it's primarily been done manually, which slows the paper chase to a veritable crawl. Now, a standardized electronic system will make reporting faster and more reliable.
"People probably assume this is being done already, but that is not the case," Fuller says. And record-keeping is no trivial matter. "A lot of federal grants depend on statistics. If Georgia doesn't have its statistics in order, then we don't qualify."
Information from the database will also flow back to GCIC. Again, its standardized format will pay off by reducing reporting time and increasing accuracy. With different counties using different software packages, there is greater chance for error. "By bringing some standardization, we can rely better on all the data that comes in," Fuller says.
The database will also serve as a communication system, he adds. "We'll be able to pass information between the courts, as well as the database. That's also an important part of this tool."
For more information, contact Lisa Sills, Information Technology and Telecommunications
Laboratory, Georgia Tech Research Institute, Atlanta, GA 30332-0832 (Telephone: 404/894-8957)
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