Overcoming Fragmented Computer Systems and Data Challenges

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Overcoming Fragmented Computer Systems and Data
Challenges

• Steve Snow
• JDAI Site Coordinator
• Caddo Parish, LA

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Overview of Detention Center

• Opened in 1990
• 29 beds
• JDAI commenced in November 2006
• JDAI system assessment conveyed to local
  stakeholders January 2007

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Fragmented Computer Systems Data Management and
Data UtilizationThe Challenge January 2007
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JCATS

• AKA Juvenile Court Activity
• Tracking System
• Priors
• Purchased by the Office of
• Juvenile Services
• Proprietary tracking database developed by
  Canyon Solutions in 1995 in MS Access 2.0
• Purpose manages delinquency cases from Juvenile
  Court, Detention and Probation
• Challenges limited data and reports needed for
  JDAI work e.g., court processing times,
  detention admissions, ALOS, ADP data

BEING PHASED OUT
Maintenance Contract terminated
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IJJIS

• AKA Integrated Juvenile Justice Information
  System
• Priors Developed by Louisiana State Supreme
  Court beginning in 2006-07 using MS SQL Server
• Purpose to link all the local parishes court
  data into one state system
• Challenges Not ready for use and developer too
  busy to help parishes

UNDER Development
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CPJC

• AKA Caddo Parish Juvenile Center
• Challenges
• Census is 47 with only 29 beds
• Analysis of new RAI limited
• No analytical staff
• Misdemeanor Referral Center (ATD Program)
  manages data independently
• No full-time Site Coordinator
• Daily population sheet from JCATS has all the
  appeal of bologna on white bread

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• Fragmented Computer Systems, Data Management and
  Data Utilization
• NO MANS LAND

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JDAI Data Needed

• Number youth in detention by gender,
  race/ethnicity
• Reasons for detention admissions
• How long youth are being detained
• (length of stay)
• Number of beds being used
• (average daily population)
• Judges admissions decisions by gender and
  race/ethnicity

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Our Solution - 2008

• So what is a site supposed to do?

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Commitment of Personnel Resources

• JDAI Site Assessment helps site formulate work
  plan
• Site Coordinator and analyst hired in August 2008
• Analyst and AECF team develop inexpensive Excel
  spreadsheets and charts

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New Data Management Procedures

• Analyst collects RAI forms and enters case-level
  data each day into Excel spreadsheets
• Analyst enters JCATS detention data into Excel
• Excel calculates sums percentages on the fly
• Analyst creates more sophisticated charts and
  graphs for stakeholder meetings

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Analyst can organize all data into one
spreadsheet using JCATS unique ID
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New data entry spreadsheet
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Revised Daily Census Report by Judges
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Revised Detention Admissions 2nd Qtr. Report 2009
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ATD Admissions Misdemeanor Referral Center
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The bologna sandwich is transformed into filet
mignon through the work of dedicated personnel
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Accomplishments

• Collaborative has the data it needs to act
• Data for analyses and quarterly reports are
  available
• We implemented a short-term solution without
  waiting for the big state system to get finished

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Lessons Learned

• Commitment to personnel is key
• hands-on site coordinator
• smart data analyst
• Excel spreadsheets are adaptable with some
  ingenuity
• Spreadsheets can be created at very low expense

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Next Steps

• IJJIS is now in testing phase
• Use Excel spreadsheet until the IJJIS is
  completed and we can confirm it supports our data
  and reporting needs
• Integrate what we are doing with now with IJJIS