|
Information Technology | Highlights | Features | Interface
Prior to eOmis, the Department of Community Correction utilized a PC-based offender tracking system that was limited in the number of users who could log on concurrently. There were lost transactions. Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC) utilized a CICS/DB2 mainframe application. It served ADC well over the 15+ years it had been in use. However, the application was dated and could not be easily enhanced or redesigned. Both departments wanted an application that would serve their individual and collective needs including the following:
- Permit offender records to be shared, eliminating keying the same biographic and demographic data multiple times. With the old applications, each department would conduct an intake whenever an offender was processed. Under eOMIS, the intake is performed once at the offender’s first contact with either department. If an offender is placed on probation, the DCC will key the intake. Should subsequent offenses cause the offender to be sentenced to the Department of Correction, the offender record is retrieved, and additional information is added during the period of incarceration. When the offender is ultimately released to community supervision and responsibility is transferred back to the Department of Community Correction, the cumulative record is available to be amended during the release process. Recidivism studies can be conducted on common lifetime data records, greatly streamlining the process.
- Provide an interface for law enforcement, allowing partial searches on Driver License Numbers, SSN, ADC # or DCC #, and returning the photograph, the status of the offender, the Probation/Parole officer’s name and telephone number, as well as alerting the officer of any warrants or warnings.
- Provide access to the Arkansas Crime Information Center (ACIC) system, to return detailed information to state law enforcement units and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC)
- Record instances of offender inquiries made by law enforcement. These inquiries may affect an offender’s status.
- In late 1999, approval was received to contract a vendor to develop a state of the art system which would utilize current technology (web enabled), permit storage of photographs, incorporate drop-down menus to facilitate standardized data entry, and utilize cross-checks to reduce errors etc). Development began in March 2000.
Phase I - DCC:
The first phase was to bring the Department of Community Correction online. Joint application development sessions were held with all areas of the DCC to define requirements. Once the application was designed and tested, the next step was the conversion and translation of all existing offender records into the new system. This was accomplished using in-house resources, and the new system was brought online less than 16 months later (June 2001).
Phase II - ADC:
By this time, the ADC had made the decision to buy into the system. The second phase involved bringing the Department of Correction online. This was completed in November, 2002. The data from the legacy mainframe application was merged into the eOMIS production database. As these records were merged, care was taken to ensure the accuracy and chronology of each offender’s record was maintained, (e.g. an offender with a probation record, a later prison sentence and term of parole). The resultant database gives a complete history of each offender’s probation, incarceration and parole information.
The eOMIS application database design can potentially serve as a corner-stone for an integrated justice information system, reducing the duplicity across department and agency databases, while providing each agency the information it needs.
- Web-based.
- Permits record sharing.
- Provides accurate data retrieval for
recidivism studies.
- Drop-down pick lists for data entry:
faster, accurate, consistent.
- Permit searches on unlimited multiple identifiers: SID, DL#, SSN, ADC#, physical characteristics.
- ACIC interface to law enforcement.
- eOMIS update from ACIC.
- Interface to JusticeXchange.
- Offender identification
- Agency specific identification numbers: ADC#, PID#,SID#
- Unlimited number of names (aliases)
- Unlimited number of addresses
- Event logging and event merging
- Code table values
- Common and unique code values
- Integrated data dictionary management
- User security profiles
- "Role-based"
- Restricts access.
- "Party ID" concept - an innovative approach.
All offenders/inmates.
- Multiple photos and events (lifetime).
- All victims.
- Restitution and notification.
- All addresses and phone numbers.
- All employees/staff.
- Training, re-certification, promotion criteria.
- All employers.
- All vendors.
- Time of association.
Open Systems Technology
The eOMIS was designed with Open Systems Architecture which includes JAVA Language, and ultra thin clients using Java Server Page technology. Users access the application using a standard web browser at the MS IE 5.5 level or better. In addition, eOMIS uses the industry standard SQL language and relational database technology. IBM Websphere is currently used to support Arkansas but other vendor web server products could be implemented with eOMIS. A key benefit of Open Systems Architecture is vendor and platform independence. eOMIS can be implemented on any of the versions of Microsoft/Intel, UNIX, LINUX, IBM mainframe, and other operating systems supporting the J2EE Standard.
Connectivity:
Connectivity is supported across multiple devices including wireless mobile devices such as Palm Pilot and mobile phones with browsers. The changes necessary to eOMIS to support alternate physical devices are very minimal. The eOMIS business application logic is totally device independent. Only the small modules that format the output are device dependent. These modules (Java Server Pages) can be customized for a typical screen in a few hours.
Java Language:
The object-oriented features of JAVA have dramatically increased the ability of the application designer and the programmer to reuse components. Reuse of components is the single most important productivity feature available to developers and programmers.
Party Concept:
In eOMIS, all persons, addresses, businesses, and telephones have unique records. Relationship records are used to define and maintain the associations that are defined between persons, persons to addresses, persons to businesses, etc. This concept can also be extended to include other uniquely identifiable items as vehicles and firearms.
Development Encyclopedia:
The Development Encyclopedia is not a new or exclusive concept. However, very few software vendors provide comprehensive encyclopedia support for their product. Using encyclopedia-based development, complicated application changes can be made in less time and with less effort. Since the system technical documentation is generated by the encyclopedia package, no costs are incurred maintaining the system documentation.
Active Integrated Data Dictionary:
The eOMIS active dictionary manages all of the code tables and code values in a single, comprehensive application module. This feature allows application code values to be managed at the application level by the user. In addition, the active dictionary maintains code value to code value relationships with a start and end dates for each relationship. This feature removes essentially all of the dynamic business logic rules from the application, and it places the specification of the business rule into the code values and relationship records which can be maintained by the user community performing the data administration function.
For example, the definition of "sex crime category" is accomplished by inserting the specific relationship records that connect sex crime offense code values to the sex crime category code in the data dictionary. The definition of "sex crime category code list" is not in the application logic. Furthermore, these codes can have start and end dates defined, so that changes to the rules can be made date specific. This allows existing data to be stored and interpreted correctly, while new data is entered and validated based on current rules only. The data administrator can change any business rules that are implemented with code table parameters.
Definition of Organizational Structure in Database:
The eOMIS database design includes the definition of the organizational structure. As the organizational structure changes, the updates are made to the database. This definition includes physical facilities, organizational units such as region, division, etc. as well as their relationships to each other. The application refers to the database definition for information about where a person works, where a person reports, what unit reports to what unit, and how the organization is structured. This information comes into play when alerts are created, authorizations are required, and when summary reports are generated for printing. When the organization and/or the reporting structure changes, the data must be changed in the database; however, no programming changes are required to implement the typical organizational change.
Linking Three Powerful Systems:
"I have been using JusticeXchange for approximately six
months… I was surprised when I received my first email informing me that
someone on my caseload had been arrested. I no longer have to rely on the truthfulness
of an offender to tell he if he or she has been booked into a jail facility.
JusticeXchange enhances the effectiveness of caseload management. I would recommend
every law enforcement officer utilize the JusticeXchange system.” –
Officer Nicholas Stewart
Little Rock Probation Office.
"Access to the Department of Community Correction records
has eliminated the need for documentation and enabled hundreds of employers
to receive immediate certifications for a federal tax credit of up to $2,400
per employee through the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Program."
Ruthie Pippins, Coordinator
Arkansas Employment Security Department
Read paper submitted to Nascio for 2003 recognition awards
eOMIS with JusticeXchange:
 Arkansas Department of Community Correction (DCC) and Arkansas Crime Information Center (ACIC) have implemented an interface between two of the State's premier web-based Justice Information Systems. The interface uses IBM’s MQ Series to trigger notification to the appropriate system whenever critical events affect offenders on probation or parole. As a result, booking incidents on probationers or parolees causes the triggering of an automatic email notification to the supervising officer. Additionally, all booking facilities and law enforcement agencies are notified of previously entered cautions and warnings whenever an incident occurs on probationers or parolees. Photographs of the offender are automatically exchanged between the two systems during these incidents. This information is available to participating law enforcement agencies throughout the State of Arkansas and six other states.
eOMIS Employment Security Interface:
Other departments in the State of Arkansas are also benefiting
from similar information sharing initiatives. One recent implementation
enables the State Employment Security Department to query
the inmate/probation/parole database to quickly and accurately
verify employer claims for participation in the Federal Work
Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program.
eOMIS with VINE:
 The Arkansas Victim Information and Notification Everyday
(VINE) Program was created as a result of the Crime Victim
Rights Law of 1997. The program is an automated statewide
victim-notification system. It is a system that affects every
criminal-justice agency in our state and provides a vitally
important service to victims of crime: information and notification.
When ever changes occur in an offender's location or status,
the eOMIS provides a real-time update to the VINE system,
which in turn notifies the registered VINE user. The Arkansas
VINE Program is an exciting new service for crime victims.
|
