February/March 2017
Vol. 15 No. 1
Drug Testing Advancements New Roadside Reliability Ruling
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Courts Today 69 Lyme Road, Hanover, NH 03755
Workflow Systems Smooth Operations A Plan for Security
with alternative & diversion programs
Publisher & Executive Editor Thomas S. Kapinos Assistant Publisher Jennifer Kapinos
F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 017
Editor Donna Rogers
VOLU M E 15 N U M B E R 1
Contributing Editors Michael Grohs, Bill Schiffner G.F. Guercio, Kelly Mason
F EATU R E S
Art Director Jamie Stroud
8 Courts in the Media 12 A Plan for High-tech Security 16 Workflow Breaks Down Barriers, Provides Smooth Operations
Marketing Representatives Bonnie Dodson (828) 479-7472 Art Sylvie (480) 816-3448 Peggy Virgadamo (718) 456-7329
23 Wayfinding: Signs of the Times 26 Drug Testing Advancements New Roadside Reliability Ruling
30 APPA & NACM Post-show Technology Wrap-ups
with alternative & diversion programs
is published bi-monthly by: Criminal Justice Media, Inc PO Box 213 Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 310.374.2700 Send address changes to: COURTS TODAY 69 Lyme Road Hanover, NH 03755 or fax (603) 643-6551
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C O U RTS I N T H E M E D I A PRETRIAL JUSTICE INSTITUTE CELEBRATES 40 YEARS WITH REFRESHED GOALS The Pretrial Justice Institute celebrated its 40th anniversary March 79 2017 in Washington, DC, at its Worldwide Pretrial Innovators Convention, or Pi-Con (see http://picon.pretrial.org). The Pretrial Justice Institute supports the use of data-driven, evidenceinformed policies and practices across the juvenile and adult pretrial justice continuum in order to eliminate outcomes that are influenced by race, gender, social class or economic status. Some of its initiatives are: The University of Pretrial (UP), PJI’s state-of-the-art online learning community where policymakers and pretrial professionals can learn
about the latest data-driven pretrial policies and practices; and 3DaysCount, a nationwide initiative that aims to reduce unnecessary arrests and replace money bail with practical risk-based decision-making. Their goal is to achieve the latter in 20 states by 2020. PJI serves as the convener of the Safety and Justice Challenge Network, a five-year $100 million grant to reduce over-incarceration by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails. The initial grant response garnered a total of 191 applications from jurisdictions spanning 45 states. In 2015, 20 were selected to participate. In 2017, 20 jurisdictions were selected to join the Challenge Network through the Challenge Innovation Fund. For more information, visit www.safetyandjusticechallenge.org. MARYLAND’S HIGHEST COURT OVERHAULS THE CASH BAIL SYSTEM Maryland’s highest court voted unanimously on Feb. 7 to overhaul the state’s bail policies, essentially abolishing a system in which poor people could languish behind bars for weeks or months before trial because they could not post bond, reported the Washington Post. The rule change, which takes effect July 1, requires judges to impose the “least onerous” conditions when setting bail for a defendant who is not considered a danger or a flight risk. That means Maryland will join a handful of states, including New Mexico, Kentucky and New Jersey, that have moved away from bail as part of a larger criminal-justice overhaul movement. For the first time judges will be asked to consider whether a defendant can afford to pay the bail, and whether they are a high risk to reof-
fend or to fail to appear. According to the Post, Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D), who has been pushing for an overhaul of the system, called the rules change a “huge step forward” that will lead to “more justice in Maryland.” “Nationally, about 47 percent of felony defendants who are required to post bond remain jailed before their cases are heard because they cannot come up with the required amount,” the article furthered. “In Maryland, more than 46,000 defendants between 2011 and 2015 were detained more than five days at the start of their criminal case, according to a 2016 report by the Maryland Office of the Public Defender. Of those, more than 17,000 were held on less than a $5,000 bail,” the newspaper reported. Bail bondsmen in Maryland have vehemently opposed changing the state’s system, either through the court’s rules committee or through legislation in the State House in Annapolis. On Feb. 7, Vinnie Magliano, president of East Coast Bailbonds, said the court was “moving one million miles an hour in the wrong direction.” Magliano, a member of the Maryland Bail Bonds Association, said the industry will consider pushing the legislature to roll back the court’s decision. “I’m advocating for sensible reform,” he said. “I think this goes too far.” In January, the judges heard more than five hours of testimony about the merits of reforming the system, including from former U.S. attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr., and about the benefits of keeping the current policies in place. Maryland’s legislature has been debating whether to limit or eliminate cash bail for more than a decade, with critics of the current system calling it discriminatory and potentially unconstitutional.
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C O U RTS I N T H E M E D I A Frosh, a former state senator who had pushed for change in the legislature without success, asked the appeals court late last year to consider changing the directives given to judges as they set bail. Five Democratic lawmakers who were also eager to abolish bail had asked Frosh to weigh in on whether the state’s system could pass constitutional muster. Frosh’s office issued an opinion that said that the system, which set bails at amounts many defendants cannot afford, could violate due process. Del. Erek L. Barron (D-Prince George’s), one of the five legislators, said the legislature needs to focus its efforts on providing statewide pretrial services, including an assessment of whether a defendant is dangerous or a flight risk, and an economic evaluation. The article concluded by saying the decision by the judges cannot be appealed, but the Maryland legislature could pass a law changing the rules.
SUPREME COURT CASES TO WATCH IN 2017 The Supreme Court will return to the bench on January 9, 2017 as it starts a new calendar year. These are top cases to watch that the Justices “will hear, or likely hear, before the end of April,” according to the Constitution Daily, a blog of the National Constitution Center. ENDREW F. V. DOUGLAS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT (SCHEDULED FOR ARGUMENTS, JANUARY 11) The case addresses the following question: “What is the level of educational benefit that school districts must confer on children with disabilities to provide them with the free appropriate public education guaranteed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act?” It centers on a 15-year-old Littleton, Colo., student, whose parents are challenging a federal appeals court ruling. The youth is autistic and
has attention deficit disorder, compromising his verbal and non-verbal communications skills. His parents and public school district were at odds for a plan for him, and he was sent to a private school. His parents sued to recover costs. A trial judge and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit denied the challenge. LEE V. TAM (SCHEDULED FOR ARGUMENTS, JANUARY 18) Lee v. Tam involves an appeal by the federal Patent and Trademark Office, seeking to have the Supreme Court revive a disparagement law. It has been struck down by a federal appeals court, in a case involving a rock music band that wanted to register its name, the SLANTS, for protection as a trademark. The denial of that registration, the appeals court said, stifled the band’s free speech rights. The law against disparaging trademarks has existed since 1946, but the Supreme Court has never interpreted its meaning or scope. That has meant that the Patent and Trademark Office had wide discretion about what is banned under the law. Lawyers for the Washington Redskins football team had tried to link an appeal about a trademark ban on the team’s name to the Lee v. Tam case, but the appeal was denied by the Court in October and a related federal court case is on hold, pending the outcome of the Lee v. Tam case. GLOUCESTER COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD V. G.G. (TO BE SCHEDULED) The Court for the first time takes on the question of transgender rights in the case of Gloucester County School Board v. G.G. The Justices will consider the appeal of a county school board in Virginia, challenging a federal appeals court ruling that gave a 17year-old transgender boy a right to use the school restroom that conforms to his gender identity. Specifically, the order grants review of two questions. One of
those is the legality of the federal government’s view that the federal law banning sex bias in federally funded education programs also forbids discrimination based on gender identity. If the final decision does settle that issue, it could be the court’s first major ruling on the transgender rights controversy. But the second question to be reviewed, if the decision goes against the government position, could make it unlikely the question about transgender rights will be decided. That other question tests whether the government announced its policy on transgender rights in the procedurally proper way. A ruling against the policy declaration would send this case back to the federal appeals court, which had relied on the declaration in ruling in favor of the transgender boy’s rights. LOS ANGELES COUNTY V. MENDEZ (TO BE SCHEDULED) The case centers on a legal rule that one federal appeals court has adopted, but others refuse to follow. It takes away the legal immunity of police officers for the use of “excessive force”—here, shooting two homeless people in the shed they occupied—if the officers’ actions provoked a violent response. The response at issue in this case was that one of the individuals who was shot and wounded raised a BB gun and pointed it at officers after they had broken into the shed without a search warrant. In general, police have legal immunity for their actions in the line of duty, unless they violate someone’s clearly established constitutional rights. Over the years, courts have taken differing approaches on when such rights have been spelled out clearly. Police shootings in recent years have been involved more often in such cases. For further top cases, see http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2017/01 /supreme-court-cases-to-watch-in-2017/
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BY MI C H A E L G R O H S , CO N T R I B U T I N G E D IT O R
VIGILANT PLANNING FOR POTENTIAL VIOLENCE CAN THWART DISASTER.
A Sense OF Security
Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” Louis Pasteur famously remarked, “Chance favors only the prepared mind.” Both quotes seem apt when discussing security. In Grand Marais, Minnesota, in 2012, immediately after being convicted of criminal sexual conduct, Daniel Schlienz opened fire in a courtroom injuring four people, one of them a county attorney. The courthouse did not have a metal detector. Shortly later District Judge Lloyd Zimmerman refused to hear cases in Hennepin County courtrooms that were not equipped with metal detectors. He told the Star Tribune that he was tired of “not knowing whether I will be carried out in a body bag that day." Shortly after that, the county board voted to install the security devices.
Ben Bolton is the Outreach & Technical Services Coordinator at the Justice Information Technology Center, (JTIC) a Maryland-based program of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice, which serves as the information hub for decision makers in regards to “evaluation, selection and purchase of proven and tested methods, equipment and technology.” Weaponry has evolved, and traditionally innocuous items such as credit card holders and lipstick can be weaponized. JTIC can offer information and testing for NIJ standards for any technology used in the justice arena. One issue, says Bolton, is that unlike other areas of the justice system, such as law enforcement and corrections, courts tend to be divided
into groups such as tax, family, probate, etc. That categorization makes it difficult for courts to have many Associations, thus making it “hard to get the pulse” of what courts are looking for. As a result, security for courts tends to be individualized. A 2012 report by the National Center for State Courts noted there is a trend of increased courtroom violence. By courts’ very nature, they are institutions of potential incidents. There are many people there every day. Some of them are under stress or are angry. Courts contain agitated prisoners, angry or unruly litigants, distraught family members, and considering that courts are the representation of democracy, that symbolism can make them targets for anti-government sentiment. As the report, which is titled Courthouse Security
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Incidents Trending Upward: The Challenges Facing Courts Today, noted, “In addition to shootings, bombings, and arson attacks, there have been knifings, assaults, failed bombing attempts, suicides, bomb plots, murder-for-hire conspiracies, and much more.” The Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators’ (CCJ/COSCA) Court Security Handbook called “Ten Essential Elements for Court Security and Emergency Preparedness” recommends a tiered approach. The recommendation is that screening stations consist of a metal detector, xray machine, and an adequate amount of personnel available to operate the equipment and conduct screening. For example, Ohio recommends providing at least one portable walk-through magnetometer as well as a handheld one operated by trained security personnel. The preferred practice is to have three security officers at each screening post: the first to operate the machine, the second to check people who set off the detector, and a third who can provide back-up in case of an emergency or the need arises for additional support. Backpacks, purses, laptops and other devices, briefcases, bags and boxes should be screened. All incoming boxes and mail should enter the premises in a central location and be subject to screening before distribution. The handbook breaks all of their suggested stages of security implementation into phases in consideration of, among other things, budget restraints. Phase Two of the incoming mail procedural process recommends that all packages be processed through an x-ray machine, and all people delivering packages to pass through a magnetometer. There are numerous items that can detect metal, cell phones (on or off), people and other vehicles for contraband introduction. Some of the manufacturers or dis-
tributors to these technologies include the following.
CSECO
CSECO’s CT-40 Contraband Team Inspection Kit has all of the features and components the CT-30 Kit has with an added exception, the
new Perfect Vision V20 Videoscope has been added. This means clearer images, easier digital image capturing, and a scope safe for use in hazardous environments such as fuel tanks, without the hassle of camera attachments and glass fibers, which can break easily. Components
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include the Buster K910B Density Meter and Contraband Detector, which uses a low intensity gamma radiation emitter and back scatter scintillation detector to identify the difference in density between contraband (drugs, explosives, weapons, currency, etc.) and the object in which the contraband is
GARRETT Walk-Through Metal Detector
The PD 6500i walk-through metal detector from Garrett Metal Detectors, chosen for its superior pinpoint technology and unmatched discrimination features, were used to protect patrons of the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. The PD 6500i features 33 distinct zones
options, detects ferrous, non-ferrous and stainless steel weapons, contraband, and other metallic objects. The Super Scanner V is rugged, selfcalibrating, includes adjustable sensitivity, and it is made in the USA. Website: www.metaldetector.com
CEIA Metal Detectors
CEIA Court Security solutions include metal detectors that ensure compliance with high levels of courthouse security and allow easy
hidden. The detector directs a beam of energy into the object being inspected. A filled space reflects back more energy than an empty space. As Buster is moved across the surface of the object, the measurement is displayed on a digital readout, and an alarm sounds if the density changes. The detector uses directed energy beam which can "see" through wood, metal, textiles, plastic, etc. Since every material has a specific density, unexpected changes become obvious. The gamma rays cause no damage to the objects being inspected. The kit also includes the PN Series Inspection Probe Kit with several stainless steel probes with grooves designed to trap contraband when inserted into upholstery, sacks, flower beds, etc. The Leica Laser Range Meter, which is used to find false walls, bulkheads, and hidden compartments in truck beds, freight containers, railroad cars and other spaces, the PM-10 Extension Inspection Mirror with High Intensity Flashlight, and the CT-40 Customer Carrying Case with Wheels. Website: www.cseco.com Phone: 510.864.8010 E-Mail: info@cseco.com
to precisely identify multiple target locations. With advanced networking options, this detector can be remotely accessed by supervisors to manage controls and monitor statistics and alarms. The PD-6500i walk through detector has a new Prisons 2 program that provides enhanced detection of difficult weapons that are carried through in a vertical orientation—an orientation that has proven to be difficult for some other systems to detect.
Mobile Scanner
The Garrett Super Scanner V, with audible and vibrating alarm
building access to visitors and court employees. The CEIA HI-PE Plus walkthrough metal detector is an affordable yet high performance multizone walk-through metal detector that has the capability to detect the full range of metal weapon threats, even within body cavities. The HIPE Plus complies with the strictest security standards and provides
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unmatched reliability, immunity to environmental interference and consistency for the detection of all the metal objects that could be considered a threat to individuals and their safety.
Mail Inspection
The CEIA EMIS-MAIL is designed for mail and parcel inspection to detect a wide variety of metal threat
though locks and gaps in doors. Infrared illumination is available for clandestine use such as prison riots and barricaded cells. Website: www.sasrad.com E-Mail: info@sasrad.com Phone: (954) 432-2345
items such as detonators and parcel bombs without false alarms for non-threat items such as metal staples or paper clips. The EMIS-MAIL table-top system is easy to use and provides a fast, automatic alarm/no alarm signal confirmation for each item. www.ceia-usa.com • Email: security@ceia-usa.com, Phone: 1.888.532.2342 or 1.330.405.3190
SAS Videoscopes are used to inspect areas that are normally inaccessible—typically in a prison situation that would be around the bend in the toilets, behind the walls and in any holes found in the structure of the furniture or fabric of the cell. The video’s scope probe can be up to 118” (3m) long, although most are in the 60-80” range. The videoscope will record the area it is inspecting—for training or evidentiary purposes. It will see anything concealed such as narcotics or shivs or any other contraband tucked inside an object. Simple to use and easy to maintain, the SASRAD Readyscope is ready to use straight out of the case without needing to negotiate tiers of menus or long warm up times. There are other scopes available with tiny diameters of less than 2mm used to inspect vehicle tires without letting the air out—but can be used February/March 2017x WWW . C OU R T ST OD AY . CO M
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BY G. F. G U ERC I O, C O N T R I B U T I N G E D IT O R
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rom the first input at arrest through to incarceration and supervision, managing the data between functions and agencies has to clear many hurdles. Improved workflow streamlines the processes by automating much of the input including extraction and redaction, adding access to other agencies to quicken the process, and communicating case plan outcome to increase public safety. When courts are able to utilize technology to streamline and simplify their workflows, the justice systems operate more efficiently, says Kendall Smith, business development manager at Thomson Reuters. “What we are seeing is that courts are beginning to understand that recreating paper processes in electronic form isn’t necessarily the best path to achieving the electronic court model.” While seeing an increase in the willingness to adapt and change processes, there are still situations
Justice partners can improve workflow from queuing data, automating extracting and redacting, to streamlining exchange between agencies all the way through to community supervision assessment measurements.
where individual courts require specific routing and processing for cases and documents, says Smith. “Court case management systems, like CTrack from Thomson Reuters that are built on open, evergreen technology now provide functionality offering dramatically increased, easy-to-update rules engines. What this means is that court administrators and IT professionals have the ability to easily and quickly adjust their workflows in-house.” The flexibility allows courts to test different workflows and explore the best processes for their operation. “Courts are diverse and complex entities; full of carefully-choreographed processes, overlapping and intersecting tasks, and hundreds of details that have to be addressed every day,” concurs Ernie L. Sego, president/CEO of Justice Systems, Inc. “FullCourt Enterprise provides the Court with a comprehensive, highly configurable, and automated workflow toolset that includes Work
Queues, Reminders, Application Events, ROA (Register of Actions) entries, Courtroom Processing, and Overdue Processing. FullCourt Enterprise’s User Dashboard provides various widgets that allow users easy access to several workflow processes that include Courtroom Sessions, Work Queues, Reminders, and the Judges’ Daily Schedules.” Sego furthers, “Work Queues now feature automated processing that automatically convert bonds, change case status, change warrant status, result hearings, enter pleas and findings, schedule hearings, assess fines/fees, and print documents. The system can process these queues either immediately as a case enters the queue or at a scheduled time.” Its Courtroom Processing page was specifically designed to be used in high-volume courts, Sego notes. The page provides quick access to all disposition information for a single case or multiple cases and streamlines data entry for more accurate
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with high accuracy, will save our customers thousands of hours in manual document processing time.” Intellidact’s robotic process automation solution records how users navigate applications, make decisions, and perform data entry tasks. When new documents arrive for processing, Intellidact’s software robots replay the recorded navigation and data entry steps, using data provided from Intellidact LBX data extraction. “This enables 24x7x365 autonomous processing of documents, and reduce document processing labor costs,” he says. “Intellidact LBX empowers customers to easily create structured data from their unstructured documents in an expedited fashion.” He explains: Users select sample sets of documents, and then tag the data items they wish the system to extract or redact. Intellidact LBX then trains on the tagged docu-
ments, producing an initial knowledge base used in production processing to locate and extract new occurrences of data. Advancements like these in workflow technology make it easier than ever to streamline internal court processes as well as exchange information between courts and outside agencies, notes ImageSoft vice president, Steve Glisky. In most instances, outside agencies use a different case management system (CMS) than the one used by the court. “Depending on the CMS, modern workflow solutions like JusticeTech are able to bridge disparate systems quickly with little to no custom programming by using a point-and-click configuration utility. “With this approach, workflow becomes a powerful tool to costeffectively extend the capability of the CMS to break down the information silos between the internal
The initial appointment screen from cFive’s Catalyst is color coded by appointment type—one color for Court Appointments, another for Probation/Parole office meetings, another for program appointments, etc.
real-time access of those dispositions to all courtroom participants. The functionality along with predefined disposition macros and the Application Events, allows the court to quickly capture data real-time in the courtroom, while allowing multiple courtroom participants access to the courtroom docket. Whether dockets or documents, Intellidact’s machine learning provides the ability to accelerate any workflow that previously required manual document classification, data entry and validation, according to Henry Sal, president of Computing System Innovations (CSI ). “The ability to place technology into our customers’ hands, allowing them to simply point and click on data that is of interest, and then have a machine learn how to find and classify such
ImageSoft’s JusticeTech workflow integrates with any court’s CMS and other agency systems.
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and external organizations,” he says. For example, instead of pushing or faxing paper between the court and Department of Corrections (DOC), workflow is used to automatically exchange documents and data between the organizations, such as Orders of Probation, PSI (Presentence Investigation) Reports, Probation Violations, etc. Another workflow use case is arraignments: Instead of manually creating and faxing documents to and from the jail, workflow is used to streamline the entire process from packet creation, electronic signing, and document distribution. “Deputies at the jail leverage tablet technology to communicate with the defendant. Documents are kept in sync between the court and jail management system.” When it comes to supervision
An overview of C-Track Rules Engine capabilities from Thomson Reuters.
case management, software has been built to provide agencies the capacity to manage key data elements. “These products provide the basic ability to store data specific to the offender, much as an electronic filing cabinet,” says cFive Solutions’
CEO, William Kilmer. A few companies provide the ability to attach assessments to an offender or facilitate the development of a case plan. Largely absent from these systems is the availability of data that helps to guide decision-making in
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equivant’s JWorks provides visual workflow modeling for court processes/events/ tasks/timers/decisions/gateways in a single view, and simplifies complex configurations through its easy-to-use system.
any meaningful way, he notes. “cFive’s solutions enable agencies to move beyond compliance by facilitating automatic data collection, enabling remote client communication and tracking supporting evidence-based practices, providing outcome-oriented reporting, and delivering the data and insights to improve individual and programlevel outcomes.” The goals of community supervision agencies are improving public safety and positively impacting involved offenders, measuring how these offenders progress in terms of achieving case plan objectives and desired outcomes is critical, he says adding that traditionally, recidivism has been the dominant metric used to assess both public safety and offender outcomes. “However, a much deeper level of data collection and assessment is possible with the use of cFive Supervisor, once descriptive data and individual data collection are in place. At this level, offenders are
tions, courts would experience multiple “integrations” that were unaware of one another, he says. This could cause timing and sequencing conflicts where activities happened too early or late, resulting in odd or inaccurate results. “Workflow allows us to orchestrate different functions, whether in our software or with a third party, and have them all be aware of each other. “ Having a graphical representation of what you want workflow to do under what circumstances helps, explains Sue Humphreys, director of Industry Relations for equivant (formerly known as CourtView Justice Solutions before joining with Constellation Justice Systems Inc., and Northpointe Inc.). “I’m drawing a picture of someone, I don’t
tracked relative to the services they receive and specific outcomes related to those services are measured.”
Sharing: Longstanding Challenge
Sharing such information securely and efficiently across government agencies, including justice agencies and public safety, has been a longstanding challenge, acknowledges Michael Kleiman, director of Marketing, Tyler Technologies Courts & Justice Division. “Organizations and agencies may operate with a shortage of resources or lack common goals and vision, and experience incompatible technology making integration difficult. With Tyler Alliance, information barriers are broken to securely, seamlessly and transparently connect organizations and information sharing for enhanced decision-making, increased safety, automated processes and reduced errors.” Prior to adequate workflow solu-
The cFive Catalyst dashboard shows all of the areas to which the offender can navigate—Appointments, Contact, Check-In and Message.
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" " " " !" " ! ! " " " " ! ! " " !" ! " !"! ! " " ! " !" ! " ! ! !"! ! " " !! " " " ! " " ! ! " " " ! ! " ! !" " !" ! " " ! !" " ! "
— SUE HUMPHREYS, EQUIVANT
draw the head on one page, the eyes on another, the shoulders somewhere else; I need to fit them all together so I don’t inadvertently leave out the neck. That’s what I like about modern workflow tools; that ability to model distinct work steps with a visual awareness of how they will fit and act with other steps or
processes. The thing we’ve found most challenging is making sure that the workflow modeler is usable by IT and business analysts alike, so we’re taking the complex scripting logic and simplifying that with picklists and clear-cut expressions that make it easier to customize templates and create new flows.�
She says courts can expect to see more decision-driven or variable options within workflow, better interfaces for their staff to understand and design their own workflows, and better visual representation of work inprogress by cases, departments, resources, and tasks. Courts can expect that the concept of “resources�
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front end all the way through post disposition monitoring.” CT
FullCourt Enterprise Work Queue Viewer by Justice Systems.
will continue to broaden to include not just staff but others on whom work may be dependent like partner agencies or case participants. “And that’s going to further opportunities for workflow to remind anyone who is integral to a process of their obliga-
tion to finish their task, show up, submit that filing, make a payment, transport that inmate, or what have you,” Humphreys says. “There are a lot of exciting possibilities for workflow in courts and we’re going to see them from helping the public on the
For more information contact: cFive Solutions, 949.260.3000, www.cfive.com Computing System Innovations, www.csisoft.com, info@csisoft.com equivant (formerly CourtView), 800.406.4333, www.equivant.com or info@equivant.com Thomson Reuters, www.legalsolutions.com/court-management, courtmanagementsolutions @tr.com ImageSoft, 888.315.3901, www.imagesoftinc.com Tyler Technologies, 1.800.431.5776, www.tylertech.com, cjsales@tylertech.com Justice Systems, Inc., 505.883.3987, or Jason Sego at jsego@justicesystems.com
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BY DONNA R OG E R S , E DITO R
DocketCall signage in the Cobb County Magistrate Court lobby that connects two judicial buildings.
We all hate the extra few minutes getting lost adds to our schedule, know the turmoil it can bring to events of our day and dread arriving tardy to an important engagement such as a court appointment. That was occurring all too often to visitors to the Cobb County Magistrate Court, says Chief Magistrate Judge Joyette Holmes. In fact, court participants were frequently waiting in the wrong courtroom only to have a judge issue a warrant for their arrest
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
How signage helped two courts get on track.
because they didn’t appear. It was actually happening “on a daily basis,” says Judge Holmes. Cobb County Magistrate Court has a demanding caseload. Situated in Marietta, Ga., it serves a population of nearly 700,000, and handles 67,000 matters per year, Holmes and Deena C. Fincher, court administrator describe to this writer. “We call Magistrate Court ‘the people’s court or the ER of courthouse,’” continues Holmes. Magistrate Court handles a plethora
of cases, of course. “People are coming here to solve low dollar amount cases—such as landlordtenant matters under fifteen thousand dollars, garnishment cases, etc.,” the judge explains and, “they are doing this on their own, without attorneys.” Further, on the criminal side, probably the most known aspect of Magistrate Court is that “they write all arrest warrants, 24/7/365 days a year—at 5 in evening or 2 in morning.” As a result, the Cobb County February/March 2017x
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“We call Magistrate Court ‘the people’s court or the ER of courthouse.’”
—Chief Magistrate Judge Joyette Holmes
Magistrate Court is a beehive of litigants and other participants crisscrossing the lobby en route to two connecting buildings and five floors.
Divide and Conquer Years prior, two separate government buildings—Superior Court South (the original State Court Building) and a second facility with various offices had been connected by the shared lobby. Confusing navigation, the four Magistrate courtrooms and supporting areas were scattered throughout both structures and on various floors, alongside other public safety and government agencies, such as Probate, Juvenile and some Superior Courts, as well as the Sheriff’s Office. “[Court participants] would come into the front lobby and ask for Magistrate Court,” points out Holmes, “and they could have been guided in any of three directions.” There were no directional signs to offer assistance to visitors, Fincher explains. Meanwhile, Magistrate Court was planning an imminent new space where all its courts could be housed under one roof; the remodel was set to begin in March 2017 and be ready for a target date of January 1, 2018. The Court, there-
Infax supplied a solution for Cobb County Magistrate Court that took the confusion out of a busy court that handles 67,000 matters a year. Shown is the lobby area near the elevators.
fore, did not wish to waste taxpayer money for signage that would only be used for the interim—a period of less than two years. We needed not only directional signage, notes Holmes, but we needed signs for specific courts. “Infax had done it for the state, and it was a natural progression to speak to them.” In late 2016 along with hardboard directional signage supplied separately, Infax provided two 55-inch LG flat panel DocketCall monitors in the shared lobby; on the third floor of one building outside the elevators installed two 49-inch monitors; and one 49-inch monitor each on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floor of the second building. On the boards, every daily docket is posted (with directional mapping to be added later). The system is loaded with Engage software that allows the user to create directional signage, personalized messages, digital directories and advertisements.
‘Customer’ Service
Now the Court officials report direction-giving has decreased substantially at the lobby front window
near the elevators. And those cutting it close because parking is such a challenge are redirected less from the wrong courtrooms, reducing their frustration, says Fincher. And very important to them, even though they had been contemplating a move one-and-a-half years out, explains Holmes, the digital signage is mobile and reprogrammable so it will be moving to the new space with them when the remodel is complete. In the end, the catalyst was customer service, Holmes underscores. “Because [Magistrate Court] is the ‘people’s court,’ my motivation is that anyone coming in should be thought of almost as a customer. Whether they are an instigating or a responding litigator I want it to be an okay experience.” To be lacking location direction guidance even for a transitory period of time posed difficulty, in Holmes’ mind. “It was more efficient and more effective to do it,” the judge furthers. “The digital information and docketing provides that extra service to the people using the services of the Court. It didn’t make sense not to do it.”
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Ohio Court Turns to Digital Solution In the not too distant past, visitors to the Lake County Courthouse and Courthouse Annex in Painesville, Ohio, regularly found themselves lost, explains Jim Walsh, IT director for the court. The main courthouse built in 1909, was designed in a Beaux-Arts style, and has been expanded to include the Courthouse Annex (originally a post office building), and the two are connected by a tunnel. A grand front staircase causes the front and rear entrances to be on different floors, sending citizens even more off course. The court serves the 11th most populous county in Ohio with 225,000 residents, and handles approximately 3,000 new cases per year in the general division including 1,000 civil, 900 foreclosure, and 750 criminal. In addition, Domestic Relations manages some 1,900 new cases annually and Probate about 1,600. On the bench are four common pleas judges, one domestic relations judge, one probate judge, all located in this complex plus one juvenile judge, and three municipal court judges located in other buildings. With limited signage, parties arriving at the courthouse, if they had not brought their case paperwork, would typically rely on deputies at the security desk for direction to find the location of a particular hearing. “It is the nature of the courthouse that people often find themselves here for the first and only time,” notes Walsh, prompting the court to seek technology that could make it smoother for them. When the Court decided to implement digital signage they had specific criteria that had to be met. They hired AdGators, a full-service digital signage company, which provided all the hardware and software,
and worked together with the County’s case management vendor to secure scheduling extracts. They personalized the displays based on drawings by floor and by building, working with each entity for their specific needs as well as working with the court to add video content in certain areas, says Walsh. The AdGators team also built in flexibility to accommodate varying technical levels of their users—
“some are quite savvy, logging into the AdGators Docket Vision dashboard to engage and manage content directly while others rely on Court IT to be the programming interface with Docket Vision,” Walsh furthers. The Court also imposed a tight deadline on the supplier in order to prepare the courthouse for a public open house—and they stepped up and made sure the Court had their display up and running on the appointed day, he says.
System Set-up Lake County’s use of the system has evolved and bisected into multiple display areas. At present the Court has 10 displays in the court-
house and annex plus one in Juvenile court and one in its Clerk of Courts Title Office, about six miles west of the courthouse. Many present both the docket and wayfinding information on a single screen designed in ‘landscape’ mode, Walsh details. The displays are 48inch Samsung 450NIT commercial displays powered by AdGators’ custom-built ScreenSeed NUC media players, mounted via Peerless flat wall mounts. Walsh has only positive regard for the implementation by AdGators. Since deploying the digi-
tal displays in the Lake County Courthouse and Annex, “our citizens find that they can navigate the courthouse in a much improved manner.” Visitors find the wayfinding and schedules “help immensely,” and the interactive weather maps help pass the time when waiting for hearings to begin or witnesses to be called, he adds. “With the incorporation of wayfinding into our docket displays, we quickly realized the importance of updating to digital signage,” he believes. “It also is an immediate indicator to the first-time visitor of the practical technology implemented in the courtrooms and throughout the courthouse, which will help further the efficient administration of justice.” CT February/March 2017x
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PHOTO COURTESY OF DRAGER
BY BI L L S C H I FFN ER, C O N T R IB U T IN G E D I T O R
NEW TESTING SOLUTIONS Breakthrough technology helping courts and law enforcement officials detect substance abuse. Dräger mobile drug screening system passed the first scientific-reliability ruling for an oral roadside testing device in the United States.
FOR THE DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTING INDUSTRY, THIS IS AN EXCITING TIME OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGHS AS WELL AS A TIME WHERE USERS FACE SOME MAJOR CHALLENGES THAT LIE AHEAD. Recently announced, a number of new forms of lateral-flow devices make drug testing easier and provide results in a matter of minutes. Testing solutions other than urine are being utilized more often in which windows of detection can be trimmed to a few hours for detection of driving under the influence or be expanded to several months to provide a long-term history of an individual’s drug use. With a number of states legalizing marijuana use for medical and/or recreational purposes, many officials are calling for improved standards
for marijuana testing, particularly as it relates to measuring drivers’ drugrelated impairment. However, the legal definitions of detection and the capabilities of tests to judge impairment are complex and not fully understood at this point. As a result, states such as California and Colorado are running pilot programs where they are looking into new solutions such as accurate, reliable, and cost effective oral fluid testing devices that will pass court scrutiny when used by law enforcement out on the roadways.
MOBILE DRUG SCREENING For example, Dräger’s oral fluid drug test results from its DrugTest 5000 (DT5000) mobile drug screen-
ing system were found to be scientifically reliable in a hearing for a vehicular manslaughter case in California (Kelly-Frye) last year. The judge’s decision, which is the first scientific-reliability ruling for an oral roadside testing device in the United States, allowed for the defendant’s DT5000 results to be presented to the jury. Legal experts pointed out that this was a landmark case for the use of admissible oral fluid drug test results in the court of law. Michael Willis, president, Dräger’s Safety Diagnostics, Inc., reports the DT5000 screening system has undergone extensive, independent, scientific validation and been utilized in approximately 1 million tests worldwide. “This first Kelly-Frye hearing, as well as the push by the Kern County District Attorney’s Office for oral fluid result admissibility in the
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case, is confirmation that the DT5000 is on its way to becoming a standard screening method for DUID investigations and prosecutions,” he adds.
INCREASE IN OPIATE USAGE Scott D. Hutton, Ph.D., vice president of Sales and Marketing at American Bio Medica Corporation reports that over the past several months they have noticed an increase in the use of opiate drugs. “Because of the increase in the use of opiate drugs, our drug treatment and corrections customers have been requesting drug tests with an expanded opiate panel on it. We are also starting to see another trend where employers are looking to have tests run without marijuana in it. Luckily, we’ve been able to accommodate these requests,” he adds.
MORE OUTSOURCING FOR DRUG TESTING According to June Fields, account manager at OraSure Technologies, one growing trend she is seeing is that more and more criminal justice officials are outsourcing their drug testing to a lab. “Since lab personnel are ideally trained to perform the test and an instrument interprets the results, there is no ‘second guessing’ like might be possible with point of care or instant tests. Sometimes it can be difficult to read the line on a point of care test and know whether the result is negative or positive. With lab based testing, the instrument takes the guesswork out, preserving the integrity of the result. And with a neutral third party performing the testing, you know the result will be unbiased. Also, by not having corrections staff perform the testing, this frees them up to contin-
ue their everyday job duties.” She points out that lab services such as the accuracy of the drug test, confirmation testing, expert testimony, timely reporting of results and the chain of custody are all vital to a comprehensive drug testing program. “In Drug Treatment, Probation or Parole and Drug Courts these factors can make the difference between and/or determine a person’s freedom or incarceration.” Fields says, additionally, labs can test for a wide variety of drugs at varying cutoff levels, which allows for greater flexibility for drug testing programs. “With the availability of newer drugs such as Spice, K2 and Bath Salts, it is critical that drug testing programs be able to keep up with the trends. Because labs can adjust their testing based on their customers needs, you can be sure you are getting the most out of your drug testing program,” she adds. Here’s a sampling of some of the latest drug testing kits, equipment and lab testing services on the market.
Synthetic Cannabinoid Testing
Immunalysis offers comprehensive, cost-effective solutions for drug and alcohol testing at your laboratory. Their broad line of reagents including AB-PINACA and a full suite of Synthetic Cannabinoids, coupled with our analyzer solutions
and user-friendly LIS systems, ensure you have the necessary tools to keep pace with the changing trends of drug abuse. www.immunalysis.com, 1.888.664.8378
Oral Fluid Collection
As a leader in oral fluid specimen collection and testing, OraSure Technologies Inc. presents their latest advancement in oral fluid collection with the Intercept i2 Oral Fluid Collection Device; it is a collection system utilized for lab-based detection of drugs of abuse. Oral fluid is collected under direct observation
with the average collection time of just 3-4 minutes. Collection pads are then put into a vial, sealed, and sent to your lab with a completed chainof-custody form for analysis. Results are reported the next day on negative results, and within 48-72 hours for positive confirmation. www.orasure.com, 1.800.869.3538
Mobile Drug Screening System
The Dräger DrugTest 5000 (DT 5000) is an easy-to-use mobile drug screening system that uses oral fluid
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to test for seven types of the most commonly abused drugs. This quick drug test provides a non-invasive alternative to the hassle of collecting urine or blood samples. For law enforcement use only. www.draeger.com, 1.866.385.5900
ELISA Designer Drug Tests
Randox Toxicology is the exclusive supplier of ELISA testing solutions for Bath Salts, NBOMe and Spice. The company says with over 17 tests for designer drug detection
Medica’s newly designed Rapid TOX Cup II. With lower cut-off levels, and the ability to customize a test to specifically meet your drug testing needs, the New Rapid TOX Cup II is said to be an ideal solution for a facility’s drug testing program. Call to speak with their highly trained staff and customize a test for your facility’s needs. Also ask about their buy 10 boxes and get 1 box free special. www.abmc.com, 1.800.227.1243, ext 2
Mobile Breath Test
The MobileBreath Continuous Alcohol Monitoring System is reliable and fast, and automates breath alcohol testing with a 90-second enrollee administered breath alcohol
they are at the forefront of product innovation in this rapidly changing drugs market. http://www.randoxtoxicology.com, 1.304.728.2890
Fingernail Testing
Cup Testing
Are you tired of having offenders who you know are positive, come up negative on your drug test? If so, join the many satisfied customers who have switched to American Bio
that cover Cocaine, Marijuana, Methamphetamine and Heroin. These narcotics identifications systems offer a quick and easy solution for the presumptive identification of common narcotics with a low cost and little wait time for results. The use of these field tests have a long history of supporting administrative hearings dealing with the discovery of contraband in prison systems in the United States. www.safariland.com, 1.800.347.1200
screen. For fine-tuned accuracy, the system will detect down to .001 BAC, employing the United States Department of Transportation approved AL 9000 AlcoMate Fuel Cell breath testing technology. Results can be emailed or text messaged to an administrator or case manager instantly. Small and lightweight, it can be stored and transported in a stylish computer bag. www.streetimetechnologies.com, 1.877.727.7764
Field Testing
Forensics Source offers the number one and two brands of field presumptive tests by NIK and ODV
USDTL is a pioneer in substance abuse toxicology. They are the only laboratory that is commercially testing fingernail clippings for substances of abuse. Fingernail testing offers the ability to detect heavy
alcohol or drug use in the previous 3-6 months with a much lower ability to alter the specimen. Fingernail, like hair is a keratinized specimen, but unlike hair, fingernail is not susceptible to adulteration, chemical treatments or gender bias. www.usdtl.com, 1.800.235.2367
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Mobile Testing
The IN-HOM Sobriety Monitoring and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) Mobile is a battery-powered, handheld, portable alcohol-monitoring device that offers unparalleled convenience, according to the company.
With facial detection, a built-in camera, anti-circumvention features, affordable pricing, and up to 10 daily customizable testing windows, the S.M.A.R.T. Mobile can serve as a helpful monitoring tool for offenders of all risk levels. www.smartstartinc.com/, 1.800.880.3394
Oral Stat Test
Pressed for time? Need fast, accurate results? Try the proven, saliva-based test Oral Stat. Only offered by American Bio Medica Corporation this dependable, 6 or 10 panel oral fluids drug test will eliminate the wait to obtain a specimen so that users can get the drug test results that you need. www.abmc.com, 1.800.227.1243
Rapid Oral Fluid Screening Devices
RTL’s on-site Reditest screening devices, in combination with its lab services, provides their clients with a comprehensive and convenient drug testing solution. Discounted pricing on Reditest on-site devices are available to all lab clients. www.redwoodtoxicology.com, 1.800.255.2159
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APPA’s 2017 Winter Training Institute Post Show Wrap-up The
American Probation and Parole Association’s 2017 Winter Training Institute, which was held January 8-11 at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada, featured over 500 attendees with more than 50 booths in the exhibit hall. The Institute featured Chef Jeff Henderson, nationally known food expert, for the opening session on Sunday, January 8. He spoke about his experiences with the criminal justice system and related how he overcame his difficult circumstances and re-branded himself. On Monday morning, the Vera Institute presented a panel discussion, “The Power of Higher Education for Students Under Community Supervision” which examined strategies probation and parole agencies can employ to help students achieve their educa-
tional goals while still meeting postrelease objectives. Lastly, Wednesday morning’s closing session rounded out the program with Dr. Emily Salisbury’s talk, “Gender Matters: Reformulating Risk, Need, and Responsively for JusticeInvolved Women.” “In addition,” noted Diane Kincaid, deputy director of APPA, “the Institute offered a plethora of new products to meet the needs of attendees in keeping up to date on the latest trends in programming, supervision, technology, and research in community corrections.” Here are a few of them.
Digital Display Signage The Infax Engage solution is a content creation program that allows users to easily create and display digital signage. In jail facilities,
staff members can display bond company advertisements, welcome messages, visitor information and more. Jails have also had success in capturing their Most Wanted felons by using Engage. After seeing their pictures and information, jail visitors identified these felons in public and assisted the county in their arrests. www.infax.com, 1.770.209.9925
Supervision Management System cFive (formerly Capita Technologies) provides software
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RF Monitoring Device BLU+ is an intelligent Radio Frequency monitoring device developed by Satellite Tracking of People LLC. It immediately reports equipment tampers regardless of the enrollee’s location. It also allows three mandatory daily enters at that connects innovative community corrections agencies with the information needed to reduce recidivism, improve lives, and keep communities safe. cFive Supervisor is a data-driven supervision management system that provides agencies concise actionable data to improve efficiency, client outcomes, and optimizes programs. www.cfive.com, 1.949.260.3002
locations outside of the enrollee’s home. It reports all monitoring data to VeriTracks using nationwide 3G cellular service and provides the supervisor the immediate location of the enrollee 24 hours a day. www.stopllc.com, 1.832.553.9500
Monitoring Bracelet Designed to track—and communicate with—all types of offenders
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24/7, indoors and outdoors, this rugged and weather-proof onepiece, GPS/cellular ankle-worn electronic monitoring bracelet with 2way communication ankle bracelet signals offenders using vibrations and sound, and receives offender acknowledgment in return. The OM400 can pair with an OM400 RF Beacon to extend battery life and precisely verify in-home locations all while using the cloud-based software application, FocalPoint, to map and track offender location. www.numerex.com, 1.800.665.5686
Portable Testing System The IN-HOM S.M.A.R.T. Mobile is a portable, handheld, cellular alcohol monitoring device. It features facial detection, a built-in camera, GPS, affordable pricing, and up to 10 customized test windows daily. The IN-HOM S.M.A.R.T.
Mobile can serve as a helpful monitoring tool for offenders of all risk levels, and allows for immediate violation notification to monitoring authorities. www.smartstartinc.com, 1.800.880.3394
Community Supervision Solution Corrisoft’s AIR program is a smartphone-based community supervision solution that enables agencies to more consistently communicate with participants, more effectively deliver support services,
Opioid Dependence Care
and better manage client activity. AIR combines a customized smartphone with a web-based management platform in order to both deliver proactive communication capabilities and serve as a tool that more efficiently facilitates support resources https://www.corrisoft.com, 1.859.685.1492
Cotinine Oral Fluid Screening Device The iScreen OFD Cotinine device is an all-inclusive screen test for Cotinine (a major metabolite of nicotine) using saliva. The device is confirmation ready and results can be photocopied. With no bathroom necessary, you can test anywhere. A 3minute oral fluid collection provides a qualitative detection of cotinine in 10 minutes. The cutoff at 30 ng/mL will detect nicotine approximately 1-2 days after use. iScreen OFD is well suited for health and wellness programs, smoking cessation programs, insurance risk assessment applicants, and clinical setting screening programs. www.orasure.com, 1.800.869.3538
VIVITROL (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) is a once-monthly medication for the treatment of alcohol dependence as well as for the prevention of relapse to opioid dependence, following opioid detoxification. VIVITROL is the first and only non-narcotic, non-addictive, once-monthly medication approved for the treatment of opioid dependence. Treatment with VIVITROL is also part of a comprehensive management program that includes psychosocial support. www.alkermes.com, 1.781.609.6000
Case Management Software Journal Technologies eSuite software is developed using java technologies, and is fully compatible with Microsoft technologies and services. It has a very rich REST API that allows any other in-house or 3rd party applications to communicate and work seamlessly with it. Its eCourt software is a true browserbased system that was architected from the ground up as a highly configurable “business processing engine” to be the centerpiece for document management and eFiling solutions. Users only need a web browser to access their eSuite of software from desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablet devices. www.journaltech.com, 1.877.587.8927
Tracking Device 3M Electronic Monitoring offers the new 3M One-Piece Tracking
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included within combine to provide reliable tracking capabilities interfacing with its popular web-based software, EM Manager. The 1 Piece is an autonomous GPS device, capable of four supervision levels: Active, Passive, Hybrid, and RF (with Beacon). www.3m.com/electronicmonitoring, 1.813.749.5454
Mobile App Device 4 (1 Piece), a robust unit that has features designed to meet the exacting requirements of criminal justice agencies. The technologies
cFive Catalyst (formerly Capita Technologies) incorporates an intuitive dashboard, a supervision intelligence engine and client-facing
mobile app, which enables timely communications and intervention, and promotes client self-management and rehabilitation. www.cfive.com, 1.949.260.3002
NACM: Working to Improve the Public’s Trust
The
N a t i o n a l Association of Court Management held its 2017 Midyear Conference on February 5-7, in Portland, Oregon. The theme of the conference was “Improving the Public's Trust and Confidence in the Judiciary.” Several of the speakers focused on this topic including the opening plenary “Community Engagement in the State Courts,” in which members of the Advisory Board and the Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts spoke to NACM members about its ongoing initiative on racial and ethnic fairness in the courts. Attendees were updated about the Community Engagement in the State Courts Initiative’s Listening Tour, Courting Justice, which has completed three successful town halls that have been televised on PBS stations across the country, airing in September on Tavis Smiley’s regular nightly pro-
gramming slot. The series has included stops in Los Angeles, Little Rock, and Cleveland. The conference also featured speaker David Dwight IV, Catalyst, Communications and Strategy, from the organization Forward Through Ferguson, who spoke on the topic “A Path Toward Racial Equity.” Other conference topics included: judicial performance evaluations by the public; trust and confidence in a time of shifting demographics; minimizing bias and LBGT issues; and the end of debtor’s prisons. The following are a few of the technological innovations that help courts become more effective and successful bearers of justice to all.
Integrating Operations/ Increase Collaboration CorrectTech’s advanced features allow its customers to provide com-
prehensive treatment and education dosages to address the assessed criminogenic needs identified by the risk instrument of choice, says the firm. The software can integrate traditional case management systems with modules that provide cognitive treatment, work release and education, and thus allows supervisors to see a holistic view of the client’s needs and involves multiple parties to seamlessly share information. With CorrectTech, associated agencies can significantly increase their ability to integrate operations, increase collaboration, and evaluate February/March 2017x
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programs in real time. info@correcttech.com, 303.586.6551, www.correcttech.com
Needs Assessment/ Workflow CourtView’s Northpointe Software Suite (NSS) was integrated last year with its JWorks program so courts can quickly access risk and need assessments captured in the COMPAS or other risk/needs tools supported within the NSS. The com-
pany has since been rebranded to be called equivant. Built-in workflow in the software automatically assigns and routes outstanding to-dos and deadlines and lets you notify, escalate, reroute, and re-assign work as needed. This unique capability goes beyond caseflow to include the flow of person/party information and specific activities like calendaring, warrants, investigation, financials, docketing, motion tracking, and documents. equivant, 1.800.406.4333, www.equivant.com or info@equivant.com
Analytics Solutions
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Art Signworks..............................8 CEIA, USA. .................................13 cFive Solutions, formerly Capita Technologies ...............9 Computing System Innovations.......................19,21 Draeger Medical Systems .......29 Equivant .....................................17 Extract Systems.........................22 Infax .............................................2 Ontario Systems .......................11 StunCuff Enterprises, Inc. ........15 Telmate ......................................31 Tyler Technologies....................36 Vivitrol..........................................4 This advertisers index is provided as a service to our readers only. The publisher does not assume liability for errors or omissions.
On January 3 Xerox announced it had completed the separation of Conduent Incorporated. Conduent helps government agencies drive innovation through analytics, research and data. With broad and varied public service solutions, the company aims to transform operations with justice and court management solutions to help courts better serve their constituents. www.conduent.com
Payment Manager nCourt’s solutions for courts make it easier to manage any of the payments constituents make to the judiciary: citations, bonds, fines and fees, restitution, parking tickets, red light cameras, child support and more. nCourt can be integrated with CMS and financial software to eliminate duplication, and can accept onetime, partial or recurring payments online and by mobile device, 24/7. It is secure, featuring Level 1 PCI Compliance (highest security level in the industry) and the funds are fully insured and held in custodial accounts (non-interest bearing). It offers a bilingual, U.S.-based call center for ease in making payments. www.ncourt.com
Workflow Solutions With Tyler Alliance, information
barriers are broken to securely, seamlessly and transparently connect organizations and information sharing for enhanced decision-making, increased safety, automated processes and reduced errors, reports the company. Its workflow solution orchestrates different functions, whether in its software or with a third party, and it works so they are all aware of each other, providing secure information sharing across an agency or across multiple agencies, including judicial and public safety entities. Tyler Technologies, cjsales@tylertech.com, 1.800.431.5776, www.tylertech.com
Remote Appearance Technology The CourtCall Remote Appearance Platform provides judges, court staff, attorneys and other participants with efficient and innovative audio and
video services to facilitate hassle-free remote court appearances. Requiring no special hardware, courts may connect using existing equipment and participants may appear from their offices, homes or other convenient locations. CourtCall is particularly well suited for use in many pre-trial matters as well as mediations, arbitrations, expert or witness testimony, criminal arraignment and mental health hearings. www.courtcall.com, 1.888-882.6878
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