Plan To Link 400 Courts Hits A Wall
A project to provide Indiana with a statewide case management system is on hold after testing revealed that a piece of software designed for civil courts was unable to keep track of court fines and costs.
Indiana officials say they have nothing to show for the $74 million effort to computerize and connect its approximately 400 state courts after two years, and at least $7.5 million has been spent so far.
Such a computer system would allow the state’s 92 counties to communicate with one another, and also connect courts and other agencies with the Indiana State Police and the Department of Corrections.
Arizona, Missouri, Massachusetts, and several other states have embarked on similar court computerization initiatives, only to encounter software problems, budget cuts, and other problems.
Indiana has appointed a new project manager, has stopped paying contractor Computer Associates International, and is no longer committed to its six-year work schedule.
The Indiana Supreme Court’s Judicial Technology and Automation Committee, which oversees the project, will use the next six months to determine its next step. “This is a very comprehensive reassessment, but it is not starting over,” says Court of Appeals Judge Paul Mathias, a member of the committee.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Indianapolis Star (03/08/05) P. 1A; Hupp, Staci .
