For these web pages integration of justice and public safety information systems is best defined as the timely and accurate electronic sharing of information by two or more distinct justice or public safety entities. The degree to which information systems are considered “integrated” depends on who participates, what information is shared or exchanged, and how data are shared or exchanged within the system. However, successful sharing of justice information fundamentally depends on the development and adoption of accepted standards. There are three primary types of standards that govern data exchange for the justice and public safety communities:
Currently, there are disparate standards efforts within the justice community, as well as in other governmental sectors and private industry. To advance the sharing of justice information, it is essential to coordinate these various efforts. The Information Technology Initiative is primarily concerned with reconciling necessary information sharing standards, enabling the transparent integration of different systems (from legacy systems to those under development) allowing the seamless flow of information across the justice and public safety communities.
The success of this information sharing is greatly facilitated by the development and adoption of a standards coordination process that permits the transparent integration of disparate systems.
In early March 2001, the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recognized this coordination imperative. They then sponsored the Justice Information and Technology Standards Coordination Meeting, which consisted of more than 20 professionals dedicated to facilitating justice information sharing. Of the standards categories discussed, the group determined information sharing standards as the category with the most urgent need for accelerated development.
There are three reasons why information sharing is so vital to the justice community:
Though the integration of justice information is a relatively new concept, a set of standards exists that should be considered when developing a comprehensive justice information system. In order for the justice and public safety communities to provide service among other such communities, standards of data entry and nomenclature must be adhered to.
Integrated systems share different kinds of data. Some justice systems include only adult criminal justice data whereas others include juvenile, family, domestic relations, and social service data. Some systems address all operating requirements, such as court revenue management systems, whereas others limit the database to case management information requirements. However, information is increasingly more than just raw data elements; it includes images, audio, video, substance-abuse test results, DNA profiles, and fingerprint minutiae, to name a few.
Formal standards exist for a wide variety of information technology fields, and the standards are written by a variety of different sources. The following list contains examples of various accepted formal standards:
The benefits of integration include responses to fulfilling federal and state mandates, using technological advances, responding to public expectations, and providing the courts and justice system agencies with the data they need to do their jobs effectively and efficiently. Integration will yield the following benefits:
Refer to the Report of the National Task Force on Court Automation and Integration, compiled by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) in July 1999, which presents a state-by-state assessment of court automation. Each state’s profile covers the status of automation from the state’s highest court down to courts of limited jurisdiction, such as traffic courts.
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