PSJ & I and Integrated Justice

Abstract

Information technology is changing the way we live and work. Government is not immune to this technology revolution. Emerging information technology now affords justice agencies the opportunity to work together in one integrated justice system. From dispatch and patrol, to arrest and booking, through the identification process and on into the courts, technology is allowing all segments of the justice community to work more efficiently and to work with both more information as well as more accurate information. IBM Corporation's Public Safety, Justice & Identification organization is playing an important role in assisting justice agencies in applying this new technology.In justice agencies around the world,computer aided dispatch and related systems allow more police officers to be where needed more rapidly. Mobile data systems for officers in the field allow them to gather and process information more quickly and accurately, and be back on patrol and available for another call more rapidly. Automated arrest and booking systems free up patrol officers more quickly so they can be back on patrol. These systemsalso allow the arrested person to be processed through the jail system more rapidly, by fewer people. In the courts, electronic case files, automatic document generation, automated scheduling and sophisticated programs for tracking court operations all mean more work can be accomplished faster, with greater accuracy and efficiency, without increased personnel. Most justice agencies today act as independent, yet interdependent entities. Their primary mode of communication is paper. Advances in information technology, together with the adoption of common technical standards and common business definitions, is now allowing justice agencies to integrate their operations by electronically sharing important information. It is through this integration process that justice agencies are making the term, 'justice system' a reality.