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SERVING AMERICA’S COURTS AND THE PROFESSIONALS THAT RUN THEM
June/July 2014 Vol. 12 No. 3
A/V Tools & Mobile Apps
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
Courts Today 69 Lyme Road, Hanover, NH 03755
California GPS Monitoring Lowers Sex Crimes
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Publisher & Executive Editor Thomas S. Kapinos Assistant Publisher Jennifer Kapinos
J U N E / J U LY 2 014 VOLU M E 12 N U M B E R 3
Editor Donna Rogers Contributing Editors Michael Grohs, Bill Schiffner G.F. Guercio, Kelly Mason Art Director Jamie Stroud
DE PARTM E NTS
34 Ad Index
F EATU R E S
4 National Association for Court Management: Conference & Exhibition Preview
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14 Filling the Box: Jury
Management Systems
20 California GPS Monitoring
Program Lowers Sex Crimes
27 A/V Tools & Mobile Apps 32 Automating Court
Collections: Practical Approaches & Technologies
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Marketing Representatives Bonnie Dodson (828) 479-7472 Ben Skidmore (972) 587-9064 Art Sylvie (480) 816-3448 Kristie Thymes (972) 782-9841 Peggy Virgadamo (718) 456-7329
is published bi-monthly by: Criminal Justice Media, Inc 116 South Catalina Ave. • #116 Redondo Beach, CA 90277 310.374.2700 Send address changes to: COURTS TODAY 69 Lyme Road Hanover, NH 03755 or fax (603) 643-6551 To receive a FREE subscription to COURTS TODAY submit, on court letterhead, your request with qualifying title; date, sign and mail to COURTS TODAY 69 Lyme Road Hanover, NH 03755 or you may fax your subscription request to (603) 643-6551 Subscriptions: Annual subscriptions for non-qualified personnel, United States only, is $60.00. Single copy or back issues-$10.00 All Canada and Foreign subscriptions are $90.00 per year. Printed in the United States of America, Copyright © 2014 Criminal Justice Media, Inc.
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B Y M I C H A E L G R O H S , C O N T R I B U T I N G E D I TOR
Court Management Conference The NACM conference, to be held July 13-17 in Arizona, is anticipated to be a place to share professional frustration and elucidation.
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ith over 1,700 members from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and other nations, the National Association for Court Management (NACM) is the largest organization of court management professionals in the world. The purpose of the organization is to develop and improve leadership in court managers, promote continuing education, develop unity among court workers, and enhance the public’s use of and educate them on the importance of public courts. From July 13 to 17, NACM will hold its annual conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. Lori Gomez, association manager with the organization, anticipates the conference to be filled with educational and networking opportunities from which those involved in court management can glean pro-
fessional development, express concerns, share ideas and brainstorm. The theme this year will be Embracing the Courts of the Future: Blueprint for Action. Courts have been seeing and will continue to see enormous change. Some of it is technological, such as the shift from paper to electronic files. With shrinking budgets and personnel, courts have to do more with less, and technological developments are making that transition possible. Clark County Nevada adopted the use of Tyler’s Odyssey File and Serve system. In the first three months alone, paper usage was reduced by nearly 900,000 pages, and 20,000 square feet of the Regional Justice Center was cleared out and converted to eight new courtrooms. The fourth floor went from being used for storage to hous-
ing 50 cubicles and four offices. Clearly, technological advancement will remain a crucial role in the evolution of courts and courts’ future. Another consideration in courts’ future will be in regards to staff, personnel, and customers. Courts will have to adapt to meet the needs of elderly patrons. As Baby Boomers leave the workforce, they will be replaced by Millennials, and court professionals will have to adapt to their expectations. Leaders must manage a workforce comprised of numerous generations. This can cause conflict in the workplace, and it can also spur innovation and drive productivity. Seth Mattison, renowned expert on workforce trends and generational dynamics, will be delivering the keynote address in recognizing the strengths and weakness of each generation as
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well as “sharing insights and best practices on leading, managing and connecting with Millennials.” (Editor note: Millennials or Generation Y are those born between 1982 and 2003.) The coverage will also include Collaborative Leadership: Partnership in Motion. Among the purposes of NACM is promoting interdependence between judges and court managers, encouraging networking and unity, and enhancing public access to courts. The ability of courts to develop, nurture, and enhance partnerships will be crucial to the future of courts, and workshops will “explore building trust, promoting empowerment, learning from failure, creating sustainable change, and dealing with conflict and factions.” The conference will also host a bonus session on human trafficking and how it continues to emerge in state courts. Human Trafficking and the State Courts Collaborative, a State Justice Institute sponsored joint effort of state courts and education organizations, notes that human trafficking is a growing concern in the U.S. and around the world, and establishing the appropriate role for state courts in regards to modern day slavery will be among courts’ greatest challenges in the coming decade. More and more, justice professionals are recognizing that prostitution is often a form of human trafficking, and courts are responding by developing new approaches to tackling the problem by addressing the fear, addiction, intimidation and other complex problems rather than relying on jail time and fines as punishment. Simply stated, courts are realizing that many people who are in court are there as a result of coercion, force, or induction, often for commercial sex and labor. The HT Guide will be introduced at the session, which will show practitioners how to address the myriad complexities involved in dif-
ferent types of criminal, civil, child, family, juvenile, child protection and probate cases that may involve victims of trafficking or traffickers. Peter Coolsen, Katie Crank, John A. Martin, and Jonathan Mattiello will be the presenters.
Court Management Software Evidence-based Practice Solution CourtView Justice Solutions Inc. helps justice practitioners reduce recidivism and enhance public safety by integrating evidence-based practice (EBP) and risk-need-responsivi-
ty (RNR) tools with dynamic case information management solutions. Whether gathering information during pre-sentence investigation (PSI), or as snapshot of family, substance abuse, housing, employment, criminal activity, or other history for sentencing and supervision, Northpointe Suite solutions provides a scientifically-proven foundation for assessing and tracking offender risks and needs—and the appropriate course of action—for evidence-based
decision making, says the company. When combined with the court's professional judgment, risk/need tools are proven effective for informing plea negotiations, sentencing recommendations, and responses to violations of pre-trial supervision and probation. When coupled with JWorks case information management system, the Northpointe EBP/RNR tools ensure that all court operations are abreast of offender activities, whether captured by the clerk, court, or supervision. The CourtView/Northpointe solution helps to ensure: better utilization of limited resources,understanding and limiting the risk of offender release and improved communication with
justice and community stakeholders. www.courtview.com, 800.406.4333, info@courtview.com
Suite of Software Solutions Public sector offices require comprehensive, integrated information management software and solutions, and AMCAD’s innovative suite of products and services including its integrated justice plat-
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Seamless Integration
form, a platform for government records and document management, and various data access technologies allow government offices to operate with enhanced efficiency and effectiveness, reports the company. AMCAD is a leading enterprise software company that provides software solutions and services to the public sector including state, county, and local governments. It boasts a national customer base with over 1,000 government agencies in over 38 states. www.amcad.com, 1.866.793.6505, Sales@AMCAD.com
INTECH WORLDWIDE LP is one of the leading software solution providers offering courts, clerks, police, sheriffs and district attorneys fully integrated solutions that include imaging, document management, and jury administration. Its mission is to provide seamless integration of data w h i l e respecting record dissemination policies. INTECH utilizes a solution-centric approach to understand customer needs through observation of procedures, process-flow, and staff utilization. Proper planning from the initial fact-finding meeting to final acceptance is the key to successful implementations.
The company says it understands the value of hassle-free integration with existing technologies and effortless data reporting as keys to a successful deployment. www.intech-co.com, 1.800.765.4767 ext. 101, sales@intech-co.com
Connecting on the Web JusticeWeb is New Dawn Technologies’ public access portal to the JustWare database. Integrated tightly with JustWare, JusticeWeb displays case information to agencydefined parties via web browser.
Constituents may initiate cases, make online payments, download discovery, and look up cases with
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access defined by the JustWare database administrator. JusticeWeb includes eFile, eView, ePayment and eDiscovery. The Cache County Attorney’s Office in Logan, Utah, maximizes efficiency by requiring local law enforcement to initiate cases, update information and add attachments – including video files – via JusticeWeb. www.newdawn.com, 1.877.587.8927 opt 3, sales@newdawn.com
Comprehensive Court Info PTS Solutions WinJuris Court Management Software documents basic court information such as defendants, witnesses, offenses, fines, costs, payments, minutes, paper service, bonding information, court documents and correspon-
up to allow the court to insert information such as citations/tickets into the system without the involvement of the police department. www.ptssolutions.com, 1.888.831.5151, marketing@ptssolutions.com
Delinquent Revenue Management dence. It has a full accounting program built in, which includes the ability to automatically distribute payments to state/local agencies, create daily and monthly accounting reports, document receipts, and print checks. The WinJuris program can be connected to police departments via the firm’s Incident Solutions Program so that later the court can import the police information into the system, or it can be set
Revenue Results from RevQ is used by courts nationwide to manage delinquent collections, victim restitution, tax intercept and forwarding cases to private collections. Built from the ground up specifically for government collections, it allows governments of any size to collect delinquent revenue with greater ease. Among the features offered by Revenue Results are automated work lists, automated work flow, automated correspon-
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Payments can also easily be receipted at a municipality, or the court can add an option to accept payments from its website. Payments accepted on the website will be posted to the court database. The organization can add an integrated fund accounting option if the current accounting system is not doing the job. www.unitedsystech.com, www.asyst32.com, 1.800.456.8784, lisa.bush@unitedsystech.com
fit of completing and filing forms at anytime and from anywhere. www.tylertech.com, 1.800.431.5776, info@tylertech.com
dence, skip tracing, forwarding to outside collection agencies, ability to pay and module integration. It can be purchased or used on a subscription basis. www.revq.com, 1.866.684.7387, jon.daane@revq.com
Municipal Court Assistant
Self-Represented Litigants e-File
USTI’s asyst:Municipal Court is a full featured municipal court system that looks and works like
With Tyler Tech’s Odyssey Guide & File, a powerful suite of tools developed to provide access to justice for all constituents, self-represented litigants can now be guided through the process of completing court forms and filing cases online. Courts can easily create Web-based interviews for their court by leveraging the library of existing interviews from other jurisdictions and the Odyssey Guide &
File authoring tool. Courts can realize benefits by saving time and resources supporting pro se litigants, extending the business rules of the court, and fostering information sharing and collaboration among courts. Filers have the bene-
Microsoft Office. Asyst:Municipal Court includes a complete system that enables users to enter, maintain, and track unlimited municipal court cases. Docket entries are easily created along with other case related events, fees, and additional charges. In addition, electronic files such as pictures, PDFs or videos can be easily attached to the municipal court’s database. Documents and notices are easily created with the integration of mail merge with Microsoft Word.
Courts have been seeing and will continue to see enormous change.
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B Y B I L L S C H I F F N E R , C O N T R I B U T I N G E D I T OR
Mobile Devices, Software, Streamline Jury Selection & Check-in Process JURY SELECTION
can be an intense task for all parties involved. However, new software, web-based applications and mobile technologies are helping to modernize the traditional pen-to-pad format of note-taking for juror information as well as selection. In particular, digital devices such as Apple’s iPad and iPhone are changing the landscape of how jury selection proce-
dures are conducted. According to the American Bar Association’s 2013 Technology Survey Report, 55% of lawyers who use smartphones prefer the iPhone and 91% who use tablets prefer the iPad. So, not surprisingly, as legal professionals increasingly use Apple mobile devices, the market for legal specific apps continues to expand.
iPad Apps New apps for the Apple iPad allow legal staff to electronically track individual juror trends and patterns through icons, as well as a “drag and drop” on-screen option to choose alternates or dismiss jurors during voir dire. ImageSoft president Scott Bade adds that many judges are also using iPads for personal communication and general web browsing. “Some are even using iPads for research and advanced note-taking. Why are they using this particular device? The answer is the same reason that the iPad is the market leader—support, quality, and ease of use. ImageSoft is developing JudgeView, which will allow Judges to use an iPad as a tool that is tightly integrated into the court. Judges will be able to manage their calendar, their docket, view case documents and information and do research,” he adds.
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“It’s clear that mobile technology is playing a major role in the courtroom,” reports John Arntsen, vice president, client services at Courthouse Technologies (CHT), Ltd. “Tablets are a great item. Having your jury system within arm’s reach at all times is beneficial to efficiency and convenience,” he notes.
Kiosk Apps Arntsen says they are always looking to improve the products and services they offer. “When new ideas or requests are presented to us that make our jury platform more diverse and increase its effectiveness we look for new solutions. To that end, we recently upgraded our Courthouse Kiosk to allow a cashdispenser for jury payment,” he says. He explains that about a year ago, CHT was approached by Montgomery County (Dayton, Ohio) with the idea of paying jurors via cash, but doing so from a kiosk instead of using a voucher system. Their goal was to remove the process of the thousands of small $10 checks they wrote every year to make their finance department’s job easier, while allowing jurors to be paid on the same day as they serve. “We were very pleased with the results and happy we could help Montgomery County accomplish their goal,” adds CHT president, Scott Kerr. “Anything technology driven that makes the jury process quicker is something that we are interested in. The best part of this development is that it is very easy to use.” If you are looking to add solutions for your courtroom’s jury check-in or selection process or thinking of adding a new platform or application, here is a brief sampling of some of the latest products on the market.
Digital Juror Management Juror Check-In Kioks
Infax Check-In Kiosks can be used to automate the juror check-in process. This solution allows jurors to check-in by scanning their barcoded summons. It will then prompt them through a self-identification process which collects data from
selection and administration. Benefits of JuryTRAC include jury pool management, records import, random list generation, online summons and questionnaires, barcode integration, jury service and payment history, NCSC Jury Toolbox Integration to extract state required statistics and more. www.courtview.com/jurytrac, 1.800.406.4333
Web-based Apps
AMCAD’s Jury Management System is a web-based application that supports the operations, reporting, and other services required for the successful management of jurors. The solution is built upon scalable and open architecture and industry standards such as integration with the National Change of Address (NCOA) for address verifi-
questionnaires, IRS Form 1099 requests and other information sources. The kiosk can even print letters of attendance for jurors that have completed their service. www.CourtSight.com, 770.209.9925
JuryTRAC
CourtView’s JuryTRAC jury selection and management solution assists with the entire juror process from compiling lists to post-trial payment and follow-up. With JuryTRAC, the court can save valuable time and reduce costs with an automated, integrated easy-to-use application that adapts to the court’s individual methods and rules of jury
cation. In addition, the system provides all the required components for: summons and excusal management, jury pool and sub-pool management and jury service payment. The system offers role-based user security supported by an array of security rights that cover every facet of the system. www.amcad.com, 1.866.793.6505
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Jury Payment Kiosk
CHT’s Courthouse Kiosk has added a cash-dispenser for jury payment. The Montgomery County Common Pleas Court started using the reportedly first-ever juryspecific cash-dispensing kiosk. CHT released the origi-
nal Courthouse Kiosk in 2012 with the goal of providing more self-service functions to jurors while increasing efficiency and speed during the check-in process. www.courthouse-technologies.com, 1.877.685.2199
mobile platforms. Courts can model and deliver random juror selection and selected pool size, easily update summons information and communicate with citizens through the internet. The solution uses industry-standard algorithms to ensure equal probability of all possible combinations to ensure jury selection is indiscriminate. In addition, AgileJury can be easily interfaced with
Jury Management App
JuryStar app for the iPad offers a total replacement to the traditional juror assessment system, making it far easier to manage the jury selection process and to make the best possible strike decisions. The brainchild of a trial attorney with experience in more than 50 juries and finetuned with the help of attorneys, paralegals and trial consultants, JuryStar eliminates the need to fumble with scribbled sticky notes and scads of other papers during jury selection. http://litigatortechnology.com/, info@litigatortechnology.com
Streamlined Jury Management
Xerox’s AgileJury solution (version 4.0 release date May 2014) allows courts to automate and streamline the entire jury management process, including the use of June/July 2014x WWW.COURTSTODAY.COM
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the court’s existing information technology to facilitate a full integration into the justice system. www.xerox.com/justice, 1.800.772.0597
Data Resource
LexisNexis Litigation Profile Suite quickly provides litigators comprehensive data and insights on the judges, experts, and attorneys involved in a case. This analytical tool draws from data on 335,000 expert
witnesses, 77 million judges and 90 million attorneys including court records, transcripts, verdicts and settlements, pleadings and motions. This information can be used to aid juror selection, for expert witness research and to refine case strategy. http://www.lexisnexis.com/en-us/products/lexisnexis-profile-suite.page, 1.888.253.3901
Check-in, Mobile App & Cloud Archive
Jury Systems Incorporated has introduced JURY+ Solutions. Its three components offer functionality and support across the entire jury check-in and information storage process. Jury+ Self Check-in’s webbased module is said to save time and speed up juror management, while the program’s free mobile app lets jurors check in on the go from their mobile phone. Finally, the Jury+ Cloud solution offers efficient and reliable storage of juror archives, notes the company. www.jurysystems.com, 1.800.222.6974, sales@jurysystems.com
Jury Selection App
JuryPad is a leading jury selection app for the iPad and iPad mini. The app puts jury selection at your fingertips as trial lawyers and trial consultants now have a database of
information about prospective jurors. JuryPad users can email their trials’ jury information to others as a text file or to email their database to other JuryPad users. Create, reuse, and share custom voir dire templates with other JuryPad users. It also helps users manage information to select a better jury during voir dire. http://benchandbarllc.com/ipad-juryselection-app, 1.877.472.9709
Touch-screen App
JudgeView, a new module in ImageSoft’s JusticeTech court solution, is a touch-screen application designed specifically for judicial officers and staff using an electronic case file. It creates an enhanced experience at the bench and in the
attend jurors. Courthouse Tablet is said to dramatically reduce the need for lineups that slow down the check-in process and provides onetouch attendance capabilities on a convenient touch-screen interface. It is completely integrated with Courthouse JMS. www.courthouse-technologies.com, 1.877.685.2199
Computer-generated Juror Response
Judicial Systems, Inc. has developed and imbedded natural language processing (NLP) algorithms into one of their jury management products with mJuror. mJuror receives text or email input from a
courtroom while enabling the mobile processing of case files anytime and anywhere. JudgeView combines key court CMS data, electronic case file and workflow into a single interface for easy navigation to rapidly manage cases in the courtroom. http://www.imagesoftinc.com, 1.888.315.3901
Dedicated Court Tablet
CHT’s Courthouse Tablet provides the tools a staff needs to make their jury operation completely mobile and gives them an easy, alternative way to check-in and
potential juror, in everyday language, and evaluates the meaning of the request. The software then provides an accurate response to the potential juror’s inquiry. This gives the court the ability to accomplish two things at once: provide humanlike interaction with citizens that doesn’t involve additional personnel expenses, and address the citizen’s desire for an instant response. The
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company’s website offers an online demonstration. www.judicialsystems.com or 1.800.205.4068
Track Juror Selection
Jury Box software allows users to digitally manage all aspects of the jury selection process. Users can set up their virtual courtroom to match the actual courtroom, easily track juror information with up to 50 cus-
tomizable categories of information for each prospective juror, and drag and drop prospective jurors during the selection process. Jury Box is available for laptops and desktops for both Macs and PCs. www.jurybox.com, 858.705.4960
Jury Selection & Management
Tyler's Jury Management software simplifies the jury selection
and court management process. Many functions are reduced to a click of a mouse, while others can be handled quickly or even automated through an intuitive and userfriendly interface. From easily searching, creating and managing a list of eligible jurors to entering updates, maintaining exemptions and providing an efficient check-in process, the entire jury selection process is handled by one system. www.tylertech.com,1.800.431.5776
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BY PHILIP BULMAN
AN NIJ-SPONSORED RESEARCH PROJECT EXAMINES THE IMPACT THAT GPS MONITORING HAS ON THE RECIDIVISM RATES OF SEX OFFENDERS IN CALIFORNIA.
Sex Offenders Monitored by GPS Found to Commit Fewer Crimes A
study of California highrisk sex offenders on parole found that those placed on GPS monitoring had significantly lower recidivism rates than those who received traditional supervision. Researchers examined the effectiveness of using GPS to monitor high-risk sex offenders placed on parole in California. The NIJ-sponsored study included 516 high-risk parolees who had been released from prison between January 2006
and March 2009. Half of the parolees wore GPS monitoring devices in addition to receiving traditional parole supervision, which involves regular contact by parole agents and weekly sex-offender treatment classes ("GPS group"); the other half received only traditional parole supervision ("traditional group"). Researchers tracked each parolee for one year following his initial parole date. The study involved: • An outcome evaluation to
assess both the cost of the GPS program and its effectiveness in reducing the criminal behavior of highrisk sex offender parolees. • A process evaluation to assess the program's design and implementation. The researchers collected information from the state's data management system and examined official arrest records, parole supervision records, GPS monitoring data and state cost information. In addi-
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Ad v e r t i s e me n t
Georgia Pardons and Paroles Moving Away from Bracelets! ast month in Austin, Texas the executive Director of Georgia Pardons and Paroles, Michael Nail, was one of four speakers at a Texas Public Policy Foundation primer on the use of technology and how it can be applied to criminal justice reform. The panel included a Texas State Senator, the Deputy Director of Texas Adult Probation and an authority on advances in medical technology for the purposes of monitoring blood alcohol and illegal drug uses. Nail wasn’t there to learn, he was there to lead! The reason for the Georgia pride rests on the fact that Georgia Parole decided three years ago that having officers sit in buildings was counter-intuitive to why they were hired in the first place. Their job is to interact on a daily basis with those on parole to insure that they are on track to “graduate” from parole and work their way back into being a productive member of society. Director Nail began to dismantle the expensive “brick and mortar” office
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space that was being used to house their officers and poured that money into technology that included voice recognition and location services putting officers in the field where they belong. The outcome is now a model for the nation in “virtual offices.” In Georgia as in any parole agency the biggest issue is funding. Three years ago with the economy still on its heels Governor Deal had no choice but to trim each state budget. Nail decided there was no better time to dispose of the expensive leases and overhead of the multiple buildings housing his officers. He began shuttering the offices and turning that money toward the technology of a local Decatur, Ga. company that not only saved millions but actually made the officers more efficient and the results are that the department has been able to live with budget cuts and
at the same time spend more time with the offenders insuring that they move back into society and not back into prison. Nail took the podium in Austin to describe how the results are even better than he had hoped for and how Georgia is now taking the process one step further by replacing their ankle bracelets with the latest in telephone tracking and monitoring. Imagine the same GPS capabilities of a bracelet with the communication abilities of a smart phone! Texting, e-mailing and even mapping of the past and present whereabouts of the offender are now available in the palm of the officer’s hand. By using technology to communicate and track the offenders Georgia has stepped into the leadership position on a national basis.
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tion, they conducted a survey of roughly 1,000 California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) parole officers. The survey included questions about the GPS monitoring system, caseloads, program staffing and screening of high-risk sex offender parolees.
GPS More Expensive, But Also More Effective The researchers found that parolees in the traditional group— those not placed on GPS monitoring—committed new crimes and had their parole revoked more often
approach produced a decrease of 12 percentage points in arrests for any offense (from approximately 26 percent to 14 percent). In addition, offenders who were monitored using GPS complied with the terms of their parole at higher rates than did offenders on traditional parole. The cost of California's GPS monitoring is lower than the cost of moving parolees to "indefinite civil commitment," which entails sending sex offenders whose prison sentences are over, but who are believed to be too dangerous to release into the community, directly from confinement in prison to confinement in dedicated institutions.
Through a process evaluation that looked at responses from the survey of parole agents as well as GPS monitoring data, they found that CDCR had developed a protocol for the GPS program and largely followed that protocol while implementing the program. Based on their findings, the researchers made several recommendations. Reexamine the identification of high-risk sex offenders. To identify high-risk populations, California currently uses the standardized Static-99 risk instrument, which measures "static" factors that do not change over time (see related article, "Predicting Recidivism Risk: New
Although the GPS program in California costs $8.51 more per day than traditional supervision, the GPS approach produced a decrease of 12 percentage points in arrests for any offense. than did parolees in the GPS group. In addition, the traditional group returned to custody at a rate 38 percent higher than the GPS group. The cost analysis showed that in California, monitoring parolees using GPS costs approximately $35.96 a day per person, while the cost of traditional supervision is about $27.45 a day. The GPS program is more expensive but more effective. Although the GPS program costs $8.51 more per day than traditional supervision, the GPS
Such civil confinement programs can cost an average of more than $100,000 a year per person because of the programming that must be provided. (See "History of GPS Monitoring Policies in California," www.nij.gov/journals/271/pages/gps -monitoring-history.aspx.)
Recommendations The researchers also examined the degree to which the GPS program delivered services as designed.
Tool in Philadelphia Shows Great Promise"). However, in the survey of parole agents, nearly half of respondents said that the Static-99 does a poor job of identifying high-risk sex offenders. The researchers noted that the current risk instrument may predict recidivism, but those convicted of noncontact offenses such as exhibitionism pose less of a threat than do rapists and child molesters. Thus, the researchers recommend using a system that accounts for the different recidivism risks among offenders and
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the varying threats to public safety. Monitor attendance at treatment classes. CDCR mandates that high-risk sex offender parolees attend weekly treatment classes. However, the researchers found a disconnect between parole agents and service providers in terms of tracking treatment attendance; 100 parolees had no record of attending treatment during the study period. Further, in the survey of parole agents, only 75 percent of agents
issuing blanket parole revocations and sentencing violators to go back to prison for a few months at a time—employ a graduated sanctions system for dealing with parole violations. Such a system weighs the gravity of the offense against the need to preserve public safety, thereby increasing the likelihood that a parolee with a serious violation is incarcerated, while one who presents less danger is still sanctioned but in a less restrictive, less
To help remove the burden on agents of responding to "minor" alerts, California switched to a centralized monitoring system in 2011. said that their parolees attended treatment at least once a week. Previous research indicates that the meticulous monitoring of sex offender treatment is an important facet of sex offender supervision and that sex offenders who stop attending treatment have higher recidivism rates. The researchers recommend that parole authorities strictly monitor and enforce weekly class attendance. Use graduated sanctions that balance cost and risk. Instantly sending someone back to prison for a minor violation is costly. GPS supervision costs $35.96 daily, whereas the cost of keeping someone in a California prison is about $129 per day. The researchers recommend that CDCR—rather than
costly manner (for example, by imposing a home curfew on the offender). The researchers added that California is in the process of piloting a new, structured decision-making system for dealing with parole violations, which will allow parole agents to scientifically weigh an offender's risk level and the benefits of alternatives to prison as part of their decision-making process. Mandate the use of zones. The researchers also found that parole agents were neglecting to use inclusion and exclusion zones. Such zones are intended to keep parolees either within certain areas, such as home and work, or away from certain places, such as schools or parks that attract many children. In the
process evaluation, the researchers found that only 60 percent of parole officers always or often discussed the limits of inclusion zones, and only half discussed exclusion zone limits. The researchers argue that the use of zones may be the most important GPS tool because the application of zones allows parole officers to be alerted to specific offender movements. Thus, they recommend making the zones compulsory. Use a monitoring center to screen alerts. The large majority of parole agents (89 percent) reported in the survey that GPS monitoring was more time-intensive than traditional supervision. Until fairly recently, officers were receiving alerts when offenders tampered with the GPS device or committed other detectable violations. These alerts might also have included incidents such as an offender being in the basement of a building, sounding an "alarm" simply because someone was out of reach of the GPS monitoring system for a few minutes. From January 2009 until December 2010, paroled California sex offenders generated 1.5 million alert notifications. The researchers noted that according to an internal CDCR document, officers spend 44 percent of their time monitoring movements by GPS and only 12 percent of their time in the field. To help remove the burden on agents of responding to "minor" alerts, California switched to a centralized monitoring system in 2011. Under the new system, two vendoroperated centers screen the thousands of GPS alerts that agents receive each month and respond to the more technical alerts, such as a battery that has run too low. The centers forward alerts that are more serious to parole officers, allowing officers to focus more closely on direct supervision and on responding to real threats to community safety. Limit caseload to 20. GPS
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increases the information that officers receive about parolees, but reviewing this information is timeconsuming and reduces the time available for direct supervision. As noted, agents spend only about 12 percent of their time in the field. According to the researchers, the best way to ensure that parole agents have sufficient time to directly supervise offenders is to limit the caseloads of GPS parole agents. In fact, the researchers found in their outcome evaluation that the size of the caseload was correlated with parole violations and with parolees returning to custody. Therefore, the researchers recommend smaller caseloads of no more than 20 people per officer.
Issues and Concerns Finally, the researchers noted that
GPS monitoring is not a panacea. The systems can give false positives for violations. For example, sometimes a monitored offender "disappears" simply because he is in an underground location, forgets to recharge the battery that powers the system, or even decides to go to sleep under an electric blanket that disrupts the GPS signal. In these instances, the system would send an alert even though no criminal activity was taking place. The researchers also pointed out other possible limitations of their work. The study lasted only a year, and results may vary over longer periods. In addition, at least one previous study found that once the GPS monitoring ends, offenders who had been monitored by GPS do just as poorly as other offenders. Researchers at Development Services
Group, Inc., of Bethesda, Md., and Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., conducted the study of California parolees. Read their final report to NIJ, Monitoring High-Risk Sex Offenders With GPS Technology: An Evaluation of the California Supervision Program (pdf, 114 pages). Corrections Forum gratefully acknowledges the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice, for allowing us to reproduce NIJ Journal No. 271, February 2013 NCJ 240700. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this work are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Philip Bulman is a writer and editor at NIJ.
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BY DONNA ROGERS, EDITOR
A/V Tools & Mobile Apps A REAL-TIME UNIVERSAL language translator for Skype…software that allows you to browse the Web and interact with your computer just by moving your hands and fingers in the air…a hand-held scanner that takes laser beam readings of crime scenes for 3D renderings. These are just a few emerging technologies–noted on the Center for Legal & Court Technology’s web page—that could come soon to a courtroom near you. The first is speech translation technology from Microsoft. Announced May 28 at the inaugural Code Conference in California, Skype Translator will allow anyone speaking any language in the world to communicate. The second is a system from Leap Motion that allows one to scroll, zoom, indicate, and draw on a computer or mobile device without having touched it. Released in July 2013, the gesture control system did not get great reviews from consumers who commented it is “pretty much useless for people who already have a touch screen” and “after 17 ‘oops’ and ‘uhohs’ I decided I’ll stay with my mouse.” (Imagine several attorneys in a room hand gesturing and their computers annotating their every
Tablets, digital images and wireless technologies coming to a court near you. move! A John Madden nightmare I’d say.) The third device, called a Zebedee scanner, is already deployed in Australia. Using redirected laser beams to create 2D readings, it allows investigators to accurately reconstruct crime scenes in three
The new Pointmaker annotation system allows presenters to display and share content from an iPad, as well as from multiple video and computer sources.
dimensions in about 20 minutes. Star Trek-esque toys aside, the stark reality is courts are facing austerity and need to do more with less. They are turning to remote language interpreters, video and controller apps to keep their workloads on track. One such early court adopter, the Superior Court of Maricopa County opened their first eight high-tech courtrooms in 2001. Over the years, the growth of the court system and technology evolution drove changes in the system—for starters, the court now has 178 electronic courtrooms. “We still use the same configuration of cameras triggered by microphones for our recording system, but have higher quality cameras and microphones,” explains Karen Arra, media relations director. For the evidence presentation systems, instead of a VCR, the courtrooms now are getting DVD/Blu Ray players; the document cameras are now digital; and all evidence displays in the courtrooms are HD flat panels or projectors. The connectivity into the evidence system has also evolved from a VGA and audio cable connection to HDMI to accommodate today’s laptops, tablets, and other portable devices. A few years ago the court designed and installed a system to June/July 2014x
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provide remote interpreting services to 16 of its courtrooms. Today, an interpreter located in its downtown courthouse can provide interpreter services to a courthouse located 70 miles away (no travel time and no travel expenses), says Arra. “The benefits and better utilization of our resources over the last few years have resulted in a growth of this system to where we can now provide remote interpretation services to 55 of our courtrooms at courthouses throughout the county (Maricopa County is over 9,000 square miles).” What are some technological trends that will be taking center stage for courts in the next few years? “The main focus is digital recording,” and the services that are “wagon wheeled” from it, says Jade Coldren, national sales manager with BIS Digital Inc. He notes its Digital Court Recorder ties an entire record together, integrating communication, multimedia systems, computers, networks, and sound and video systems. Courts will be seeing a lot more video arraignment and video conferencing, he notes, because “it’s a huge, huge money saver. The break even is extremely quick.” Coldren furthers that the Department of Justice has been researching remote language interpretation and he expects its use will grow. BIS’s Remote Client technology, which is installed in a few pilot sites, is designed to act like a remote camera and mic. The remote party can download the link; they can then connect and the system treats them as if they are in the court, getting a view of the same visuals and audio as those present. Boeckeler Instruments Inc. recently announced the launch of the Pointmaker CPN-
5600 HDCP annotation system with iPad control. It’s an evolution of the first Pointmaker introduced in 1993 and made popular at the O.J. Simpson trial during 1995, notes Pat Brey, president and CEO. The professional hardware-based video processor (switcher, scaler and annotator) is designed so that users can display and share content from an iPad, as well as from multiple video and computer sources. For a smaller courtroom, Brey suggests you don’t need an expensive matrix routing system that allows switching between video systems. This will do all that. It will work with an older VGA video input and also be compatible with an HDMI video source. A Windowsbased app was expected to be announced at InfoComm in June. The TrialPad app was designed by Lit Software, LLC specifically for lawyers to use in the courtroom. It is a case presenter and organizer that allows the user to organize and sort documents and play videos. It’s easy to use says company product manager, Tara Cheever. The user “can open the case folder file almost like email, put it into different folders, manipulate them, click to do mark up, toggle either to VGA or to a projector or screen, create a secondary display and LitSoftware’s TrialPad is a case presenter and organizer designed for lawyers that allows the user to organize and sort documents, play videos and more.
mark the file on the fly.” The app costs $89—you could spend that much on a trial board, says Cheever, or you could hire a trial consultant for $100-$200/hr. “This allows you to do it yourself,” she says. “You get the same presentation for way less money.” Another app being offered is an interactive dashboard for an iPad called vConnect, which Kyle Greetham, marketing and communications manager with WolfVision, says “takes control of the visual, and you can share any type of prepared materials—an email, web site, an Excel spreadsheet, digital images.” It works with two new WolfVision Visualizer series—the VZ-9 and the more economical VZ-8, which needs to be upgraded for compatibility.
An Expectation of Presentation
The way courthouses are outfitted for technology has changed, says Cliff Walton, vice president of integration, Jefferson Audio Video Systems Inc., which has 25 years experience integrating courts. In the past, if a courthouse had 12 courtrooms there would be one hitech room, says Walton. Now, in almost every jury courtroom, staff want to present evidence seen by jurors and annotate, whether it is physical evidence or digital piece of media, he says—attorneys expect it and they want the same level of technology that’s back at their office. (He notes that he is not seeing as much in the lower courts.) But there is a roadblock to this technological trend. Attorneys want to bring their devices to court—PCs, Androids, iPads, laptops—and it can be problematic if not han-
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dled correctly, he says. The problem arises when attempting to distribute hi-def video. HD monitors and players and much software is designed for home use—designed for anti-pirating, and thus it has content protection; even a PowerPoint file may be impacted. Another issue is that video, especially high-def video, creates very large files and must be moved across court networks and public networks for backup, distribution and replay purposes, says Malcolm Macallum, chief technology officer, VIQ Solutions Inc. This means that court networks must be capable of running at high speeds with ample bandwidth to perform the demanding tasks of capturing, monitoring and replaying video evidence on demand. He says: “Of course vendors such as VIQ Solutions have spent a great deal of
research and development to increase the performance and reduce the bandwidth demands placed on the network by moving HD video securely in real-time.” His firm’s remote management capabilities offer courts “an easy way to leverage this technology with its INFINIT line of solutions. Managing the terabytes of data that will result is something which must be taken seriously.” Many jurisdictions maintain court recordings for up to 30 years at an accumulation rate of 300 TB per year. Searching through these massive content stores for specific links between cases would be impossible without these management products, he says. JAVS’s Walton states that if the court tries to transport an HD signal across the network they are liable to shut it down. He suggests switching
consumer-grade devices out for more suitable commercial-grade ones. However, he continues, while elaborate technological systems may be highly prized in larger courts, basic systems are the norm for many lower courts. His company sells many presentation carts, which can be customized with multiple tools— laptop inputs for attorneys to bring their own devices, document cameras to show stills as well as physical evidence, a DVD player and the ability to have multiple parties annotate over the same image. “What we find is, the more expensive, the less you sell.” In the end, in criminal and civil jury courts, attorneys want to be able to make their case, emphasizes Walton. The expectation is for someone to present the evidence—and not on a white board or a note pad.”
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Tech To Go HERE ARE SOME NEW OFFERINGS THAT CAN OUTFIT YOUR COURT WITH THE LATEST MOBILE TECHNOLOGY.
Improving the Speed of Justice
JusticeTech Arraignment from ImageSoft, Inc. provides judicial officers the flexibility of arraigning suspects remotely through the use of video conferencing technology, electronic routing and document signing. It accomplishes this by
streamlining case file preparation and incorporating electronic signing of the arraignment packet, even from disparate locations. Processing arraignments electronically improves the speed of justice by reducing the manual steps involved in creating the arraignment packet and eliminating the eFaxing bottlenecks inherent in most video arraignment solutions. www.imagesoftinc.com, 248.948.8100, ext. 330 or Marketing@ImageSoftinc.com
faster processing speed than previous models. Switch easily between nine different video sources and save images to a USB stick or networked computer. It integrates with the company’s PVI Control iPad app, now available in the App Store. www.pointmaker.com or 1.800.552.2262
Take Control of Presentations
WolfVision’s vConnect can integrate and control all your media types and files from your tablet. This innovative app lets you seamlessly add and control different media types all from one easy-to-use dashboard. Switch effortlessly between different
Video Annotation with iPad Control
For courtrooms needing to smoothly present iPad, AV & computer content as evidence, take a look at the new Pointmaker CPN5600 HDCP video annotation system with iPad control. This professional video processor now allows you to display and annotate any visual content from an iPad, as well as content from multiple video and
videos and more. The flexibility of TrialPad allows a user to import files through iTunes, e-mail or Dropbox. In presentation mode the user can use various annotation tools such as highlighting and redacting. www.litsoftware.com or support@ litsoftware.com
Evidence Station
JAVS Evidence Presentation Podium is the solution for any courtroom digital presenting needs. Digital and physical evidence can be displayed, played back, digitally annotated over, saved and printed from one location. Inputs for laptops, IOS devices and portable media allow for multiple displaying options. The built-in stereo sound system allows for standalone operation or integration within a room’s PA system. Combined with JAVS Digital Recording Solution it pro-
content and stay in total control of your presentations. Wirelessly synced to your WolfVision Visualizer, vConnect gives you the freedom to present how you want in order to engage the courtroom. www.wolfvision.com, 1.877.873.WOLF or sales@wolfvision.us
iPad App
computer sources. The upgrade also features a smaller footprint and
There’s an app for that. LitSoftware’s TrialPad was designed specifically for lawyers to use in the courtroom. It is a case presenter and organizer that allows the user to organize and sort documents, play
vides a powerful solution for any courtroom, says the company. www.javs.com or 502.244.8788
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A WHITEPAPER BY REVQ
Automating Court Collections Practical Approaches and Tools to Improve Collections and Court Order Compliance cross the country, courts are seeking new ways to better enforce outstanding judgments and improve rates of compliance and collection. Legislation enacted in states such as Texas, California, Oregon, and Florida has prompted increased accountability for courts with regards to fine enforcement and compliance issues. Compelled by legislative mandates and the need to improve operational efficiency, courts are now employing the same principles and sound business practices that private sector collection agencies have been using successfully for many years. Today, new technology solutions tailored specifically for the government sector are enabling courts to conduct and achieve new levels of enforcement and productivity, including: • Configuring workflows that automate routine collection activities • Case Scoring and Reporting to identify cases with the highest probability of payment • Improving correspondence effectiveness with user definable notices and legal tem-
A
plates • Improved contacting success with automated dialers and interactive voice systems • Set up, track and manage multiple payment plans for a defendant • Real time interfacing with case management and other information systems
Asking the Right Questions At each point in the collection process, the overriding objective is for the court staff to always be working on the highest priority cases (court defined) that have the maximum probability of payment. The road to improvement begins with asking the right operational questions that will help define collection events to be monitored, the conditions and criteria to be tested for, and the actions to be taken to create the court’s compliance workflow. These questions can include: • How, when, and by whom can/should the court contact the defendant? • How and when should the court use notices or use the phone?
• What if the defendant can only pay a portion of the obligation? • How long will the court allow them to pay off the obligation? • What penalties, fees or interest will the court charge on delinquent cases? • What forms of payment can the court accept? • What efforts does the court undertake and at what point (if any) should the case be sent to a third party? The functional goal is to have as many of these operational steps running in the background with the least amount of human intervention. The system then will present to court personnel those cases and/or defendants that are not complying with the workflows as defined for further focus. This approach allows court staff to monitor and act upon the cases needing attention, which will increase collections and decrease collection costs (per dollar collected) and defaults.
Promptly, Consistently, and Continually Depending on the jurisdiction, courts typically have significant power to encourage a defendant to
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What Is Analytics? To break down analytics in relation to court collections it is easiest to do so in three steps. Predict: The first step to decode analytics is a simple one word: predict. Analytics can predict the best debt to collect. This does not mean vague predictions, but some companies employ well over a hundred sources of information to conclude which debts a court should pursue most vigorously. Monitored consumer events provide the data and that compiled data provides statistics that lead to the prediction. Based on the information obtained, analytics predicts the chances the debt will be paid. Most Likely: In the next step to decode analytics, two words simplify the process: most likely. Analytics is the science of finding the most likely…the most likely to pay in the case of court collections. Those most likely will be called first so time is spent on those calls most likely to collect. Again at its most basic level, analytics looks at income, credit history, payment history…it’s all about probability. For example: Taylor makes enough money, the credit history is fine, has paid past fines, so will probably pay. Hunter is between jobs, is behind on credit card bills, missed paying several fines so will probably not pay—for now at least. Decoding the most-likely variable allows time and money to be spent on those debts most likely to be paid. To Increase Compliance: To further decode analytics as it relates specifically to court collections three words are needed: to increase compliance. How does analytics do this? First note that increasing compliance doesn’t mean just increasing calls, but changing who is called when, according to the strategies laid out by leading firms. Again, those defendants that are most likely to pay are called first—those that will probably not pay do not warrant as much time and manpower. That strategy will reduce costs and increase compliance numbers, say industry experts. For example, if you spend one dollar to get back two dollars; that would be profitable. To spend two dollars to get one dollar would not. The new analytical approach to collections seeks to present you with those two-dollars-gained-from-a-dollar accounts first, rather than the dollar account you would have to spend two dollars to recover. Interestingly, analytics is touted as the new business buzzword according to industry experts on the subject, even calling these times “The Analytics Revolution.” Many business execs and industry experts suggest we are on the cusp of an analytics revolution that will change how we work with and manage all businesses, with visibly-apparent impact on social and economic fronts. —G.F. Guercio
pay his court ordered fines, fees, and other obligations. Drivers licenses may be suspended, liens may be imposed, wages can sometimes be garnished, other governmental services can be withheld, tax returns and lottery winnings can be intercepted, warrants for arrest may be issued, vehicles may be confiscated and defendants can sometimes be incarcerated. In some states, the court may impose an additional charge, add interest to the order, or outsource collection to a third-party agency if the defendant does not respond within a reasonable period of time. Often, a court may not exercise all available remedies due to a lack of manpower, initiative, expertise, or other resources. These impediments frequently can be overcome with proactive planning, organization, and workflow automation. As the private sector has found, automation lends itself very well to the repetitive nature of collections enforcement. Workflow automation enables prompt, consistent, and frequent efforts to contact the defendant. Whether this contact takes place via letters or notices, electronically or over the phone, the defendant population begins to understand that this is not just an overdue “bill,” but a penalty and legal obligation that
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will be enforced and must be paid. Automated correspondence processing generates the desired documents, pulling data from the database and inserting it into the proper correspondence. Management determines the frequency and content of each contact. Typically, the tone and severity of each contact will escalate as the process goes along. It is important that at every stage of the collections and compliance lifecycle that the consequences of non-compliance are explained and reinforced. Automation can also prepare prioritized work lists for court staff to follow up with and work on based on management’s needs and objectives.
AD I N DEX
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AmCad .......................................15 Anytrax.......................................21 Carter Goble Lee ........................5 CourtView....................................8 eCourts ......................................26 ImageSoft Inc ............................10 Infax .............................................2 Jury Systems Inc. ......................19 New Dawn Technologies.........13 Phoenix Kiosk ...........................25 Real Auction................................9 Rev Q .........................................33 StunCuff Enterprises Inc. .........17 Thermo Fisher Scientific..........11 Thomson Reuters.....................36 TouchPay Payment Systems ...23 Tyler Technologies....................35 VIQ Solutions INC. ..................29 Xerox ............................................7 This advertisers index is provided as a service to our readers only. The publisher does not assume liability for errors or omissions.
For successful compliance to be achieved, the defendant population begins to understand that this is not just an overdue “bill,” but a penalty and legal obligation that will be enforced and must be paid. An unpaid fine is not a punishment if not enforced and the court must establish an expectation that all costs, fees, fines, and other obligations are due promptly. However, if the defendant is unable to pay in full and the court is willing to accept payment over time, they must be required to promptly complete and sign an application for extension of time to pay. This provides court staff with the opportunity to verify application information and to set up an appropriate payment plan for the defendant.
Additional Technology Options and Resources As a case moves through the compliance process, a comprehensive payment and contact history must be kept to monitor progress and determine the next step that must be taken based on collection objectives. They must take into account other factors, such as case volume, dollar volume, mail returns, cannot locates, pay plan defaults, etc. Additional technology options may be employed, such as: • Skip Tracing Technology: Automated processing to locate new contact information • Predictive Dialing: Providing court staff with large volume phone contacting options • Interactive Voice Response: Better management and access of judgment information • Scoring and Case Prioritization: Scoring methodologies to prioritize contacts • Liens, Garnishment, and Other Legal Processes: At the right time, by the right party
Based on available resources and collection performance, the court must then decide if they are going to outsource some portion of their collections to an outside agency and at what point in the collections lifecycle does that transition make the most sense. When done correctly, a mix of internal collection activities and outside assistance can enable the court to maximize enforcement on all of their cases, bring in critical revenue, and hold defendants accountable for compliance, thus upholding the integrity of their judgments.
Conclusion The primary key to improvement is achieving compliance with monetary penalties, an objective of the court that will be supported by attention, action, and accountability. There is the reality that there is a certain percentage (however small) of the population that may never pay for a variety of reasons. Nonetheless, this noncompliant percentage is typically overstated and compounded by a lack of resources, focus, and proactive enforcement. With all of the technologies, better practices, and automation options available to improve compliance, this percentage can be greatly minimized. Whitepaper authored by RevQ, Inc., part of the Columbia Ultimate family of companies, which provides revenue collection software to increase government collections on delinquent revenues. The company may be contacted at 1.866.684.REVQ (7387), info@revq.com or www.revq.com.
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