Indigent Defense Vision Statement
Tarrant County Vision Document
Indigent Defense On-Line (IDOL)
Mark O’Neal
Tarrant County Information Technology
Administration Building
100 East Weatherford, Room 403
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
817.884.2408
March 30, 2004
Chapter 1. Revision History 3
Chapter 2. Introduction 4
Integrated Justice Program Background 4
Purpose 4
Scope 4
Definitions, Acronyms and Abbreviations 5
Overview 6
Goals 7
Objectives 7
Chapter 3. Positioning 8
Business Opportunity 8
Problem Statement 8
Chapter 4. STAKEHOLDER AND USER DESCRIPTIONS 9
Market Demographics 9
Stakeholder Summary 9
User Summary 10
User Environment 11
Stakeholder Profiles 11
Key Stakeholder or User Needs 12
Chapter 5. PRODUCT / System OVERVIEW 14
Product / System Perspective 14
Assumptions and Dependencies 14
Installation 14
Chapter 6. PRODUCT FEATURES 14
Submit and Process Requests (Manage Workflow) 14
Assign Attorney 14
Notify LEA / Office of Attorney Appointments / Defense Attorney 14
Manage Contact 15
Review / View Settings 15
Reporting 15
Manage Attorney Wheel 16
Chapter 7. CONSTRAINTS 16
Chapter 8. PRECEDENCE AND PRIORITY 16
Chapter 9. OTHER PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS 17
Applicable Standards 17
System Requirements 17
Performance Requirements 17
Availability Requirements 17
Chapter 10. DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS 17
Online Help 17
User Support Material 17
Training Material 17
Sample Screen Shots 18
Chapter 1. Revision History
Table 1-1. Revision History
Date / Version / Description / Author /March 30, 2004 / 1.0 / Initial Version / Kathryn Lewis
March 31, 2004 / 1.2 / Updated / Kathryn Lewis
April 1, 2004 / 1.3 / Updated / Kathryn Lewis
April 2, 2004 / 1.4 / Updated / Kathryn Lewis
April 5, 2004 / 1.5 / Updated / Kathryn Lewis
April 6, 2004 / 2.0 / Updated / Kathryn Lewis
April 7, 2004 / 2.1 / Updated / Kathryn Lewis
April 8, 2004 / 2.2 / Updated / Kathryn Lewis
April 15, 2004 / 2.3 / Updated / Kathryn Lewis
June 14, 2004 / 2.4 / FINAL / Kathryn Lewis
Chapter 2. Introduction
Integrated Justice Program Background
In April of 2001, the Information Technology Steering Committee unanimously approved a five-year Program to build an Integrated Criminal Justice Information System (ICJIS). The Program involves a group of users at all levels of government collectively referred to as the Criminal Justice Community (CJC). The Program enables integration beyond the elementary paper based information sharing utilized today to a synergistic approach that will evolve into a fully automated process that reduces data redundancy and latency. The Program will result in significant improvements in how this diverse group of users communicates and processes vital criminal justice information. By providing the right information to the right people at the right time, the CJC will be proactive in identifying opportunities for intervention from the officer in the field to justice policy makers.
In Tarrant County, it is imperative that the CJC collaborate to deliver criminal justice and public safety services. Traditionally, information systems operated by individual CJC agencies have been discrete, and incapable of linking and exchanging information; consequently, the CJC faces significant issues that handicap its efforts to deliver an effective and efficient justice related services in Tarrant County.
Tarrant County has already developed a highly functional Electronic Case Filing System (ECFS) that allows District Attorney to securely receive, process, and manage case filings from any Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) that has access to the Internet. The System allows any LEA to provide incident and defendant information as well as attach associated electronic documents, such as offense reports and witness statements. The District Attorney then can accept/reject case filings, electronically request, receive, and/or associate supplemental information, provide electronic notifications of filing decisions, generate complaints/indictments, enter case notes, record dispositions and provide standard, ad hoc, and analytical reporting.
The overall vision of this new system for indigent defense is to develop a model information system based on best practices for the management and reporting of indigent defense services that can be applied to other jurisdictions across the State. In addition, the new system will be tightly integrated with the ECFS System and allow for automatic attorney assignments for approved indigent defendants.
Purpose
Tarrant County Government employs approximately 3,800 employees in 80 departments throughout 37 different locations within the County. In addition, Tarrant County provides some local governmental services to the approximately 1.35 million people who reside in Tarrant County. The Information Technology Department assists various County Departments in the planning, acquisition, design, development, testing, and deployment of a wide variety of information technology related Projects.
Scope
The Indigent Defense Project will provide the Office of Attorney Appointments with the capability to securely receive, process, and manage filings from any LEA that has access to the Internet. The Project will consist of the ability for a LEA to provide incident and defendant information as well as attach associated documents, such as defendant, incident, and financial information to the application for Indigent Defense assistance. The Office of Attorney Appointments will have the ability to accept/reject and assign indigent defense attorneys, electronically request, receive, and/or associate supplemental information, provide electronic notifications of filing decisions, enter notes, record decisions and provide standard, ad hoc, and analytical reporting. The Office will also be able to manage the indigent defense attorney wheel electronically.
The initial scope of the project (phase one) will focus on the Law Enforcement Agencies, the magistrates and the Office of Attorney Appointments. It will concentrate on the following categories:
1. Misdemeanor Class A or B
2. State Jail Felony
3. Second or Third Degree Felony and Motion to Revoke or Adjudicate Community Supervision
4. First Degree Felony, non-death Capital Murder and Extradition
5. Appeal and Post-Judgment Writ
6. Alternative Program for Motion to Revoke or Adjudicate Community Supervision is District Courts - Named Attorney Provision
7. Capital Murder – Death Penalty Sought
This project will not address the appointment of attorneys for juvenile defendants in phases. It is likely that juvenile will be addressed at some undetermined time in the future
Definitions, Acronyms and Abbreviations
§ CCP – Texas Code of Criminal Procedure
§ CUC –Texas Conference of Urban Counties
§ ECFS –District Attorney Electronic Case Filing System
§ IDOL – Indigent Defense On-Line
§ IJIS –Integrated Justice Information System
§ LEA –Law Enforcement Agency
§ OCA –Office of Court Administration
§ PALM –Public Appointment List Management System
§ SAP –Commercial off the shelf software package used by the Auditor to manage County Financial Information.
§ TFID –Task Force on Indigent Defense
§ Auditor – Person appointed to manage County business by a majority vote of District Judges that have jurisdiction in the County.
§ Commissioners Court – The governing body of the County. Consists of County Judge and four (4) Commissioners
§ Court Case Management System – External system used by the Criminal Justice community to manage case information from initial arrest through final disposition.
§ Court Coordinator – Person responsible for managing the schedule of a County or District Court.
§ County Court Judge – Person elected and/or appointed to preside over a trial court with misdemeanor criminal jurisdiction.
§ Defendant – Person arrested and/or charged with a criminal offense but not convicted.
§ Defense Attorney – Person qualified and appointed to represent a Defendant in an adversarial judicial proceeding.
§ Detention Facility Officer – Person responsible for processing a Defendant into custody.
§ District Attorney – Person responsible for representing the State of Texas in an adversarial judicial proceeding.
§ District Court Judge – Person elected and/or appointed to preside over a trial court with felony criminal jurisdiction.
§ Filing Agency – Law Enforcement Agency investigating and presenting charges to District Attorney against Defendant.
§ Local Selection Committee – Committee appointed by the Presiding Judge of the Administrative Judicial Region to adopt standards for the qualification of attorneys to be appointed to represent indigent defendants in capital cases in which the death penalty is sought.
§ Magistrate – Person responsible for informing the Defendant of their right to an appointed counsel and determination of indigent status.
§ Office of Attorney Appointments – Person responsible for managing the Indigent Defense appointment process.
§ Presiding Administrative Judge – Person appointed by the Governor to preside over the administrative judicial region.
§ Task Force on Indigent Defense – Standing committee of the Texas Judicial Council responsible for establishing standards for Indigent Defense Services.
Overview
This document is an introduction to the Indigent Defense System. It details the problems to be solved, the stakeholders of the system, and the features planned. Tarrant County's vision is to implement a solution that enables the Office of Attorney Appointments to accept/reject and assign indigent defense attorneys, electronically request, receive, and/or associate supplemental information, provide electronic notifications of filing decisions, enter notes, record decisions and provide standard, ad hoc, and analytical reporting. The envisioned solution will encompass the following attributes:
§ Leverage existing technology investments into the design of the system (as much as possible).
§ Provide a clear migration path for the strategic implementation of technology over time, based on resource and funding availability.
§ Be continuously available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
§ Be fiscally responsible.
§ Operate in a secure environment that addresses access and privacy issues.
Goals
§ To comply with the Texas Fair Defense Act
§ To define a planning framework that results in the systematic replacement of the current semi-automated process and update/replace with a fully automated process.
§ To establish a portal that provides immediate access to authorized users to information that is accurate, timely, and complete.
§ To reduce and ultimately eliminate the duplication of data and effort required in the assignment and arraignment process.
Objectives
§ To deliver a technology solution through a structured and managed process that meets the Office of Attorney Appointments business objectives while minimizing the impact on the day-to-day operations.
§ Enable law enforcement agencies to capture defendant and incident information along with supporting paper documents and submit request(s) for counsel within 48 hours of arrest.
§ Enable magistrates to electronically review request(s) for counsel and submit request(s) for appointment within 24 hours of the indigency hearing.
§ Enable the Office of Attorney Appointments to review request(s) for counsel and process request(s) for counsel as soon as possible, but no later than the end of the first working day after the date on which the Office of Attorney Appointments receives the request for appointment of counsel.
§ Enable law enforcement agencies to be notified that the request for counsel has been approved or denied within 24 hours of the approval/denial.
§ Enable the appointed attorney to be notified that an appointment has been made within 24 hours of the appointment.
§ Enable an appointed attorney to review appointments and capture the date and type of first contact with the defendant within 24 hours of the appointment, but no later than the end of the first working day after the date after the appointment happened.
§ Require an appointed attorney to capture the date and time of the first in person visit with the defendant within 72 hours of visit.
§ Enable the Office of Attorney Appointments to be notified when first contact by an appointed attorney is not made within 24 hours of the appointment, but not later than the end of the first working day after the appointment happened.
§ Enable the appointed attorney and Office of Attorney Appointments to be notified that the District Attorney has accepted/rejected the incident and whether charges were added, removed or modified as soon as the prosecution decision is made.
§ Enable the appointed attorney and Office of Attorney Appointments to be notified that the LEA has accepted/rejected the incident and whether charges were added, removed or modified as soon as the filing decision is made.
Chapter 3. Positioning
Business Opportunity
The State of Texas recently passed the Texas Fair Defense Act (Senate Bill 7), it is critical that Tarrant County comply with this act by March 2005. The Tarrant County Office of Attorney Appointments currently has an indigent defense system, written in 2001. Although the current system does provide some of the information necessary to assign an indigent defense attorney to a defendant it requires an intense amount of manual labor to track, input, and assign aid to each case. There is a distinct opportunity to reduce the person-hours necessary to assign an attorney as well as increase the response time and documentation associated with each defendant.
Problem Statement
Table 3-1. Problem Statement
The problem of… / Meet the terms/conditions in accordance with the Texas Fair Defense Act (Senate Bill 7)Affects… / Tarrant County Law Enforcement Agencies, the Office of Attorney Appointments, and the Magistrates
Chapter 4. STAKEHOLDER AND USER DESCRIPTIONS
Market Demographics
§ The primary target markets for the Indigent Defense System are the 41 Law Enforcement Agencies, the Magistrates and Judges, and the Office of Attorney Appointments in Tarrant County. These organizations spend considerable time collecting and organizing defendant indigency information.
§ The county Information Technology department would like to be the provider of choice for integrated criminal justice systems for these agencies. The Indigent Defense System supports this goal by providing a system to streamline attorney appointments.
§ In addition, Tarrant County would like to be recognized statewide as an innovator in integrated criminal justice systems. Along with ECFS and the Mugshot system, IDOL will be a product that Tarrant County can share with other counties or state agencies as a model of how legitimate integration can save time and money.
Stakeholder Summary
Table 4-1. Stakeholder Summary
Name / Description / Responsibilities /Tarrant County Information Technology Department / Develops and supports computer systems for the county. / IT will manage the development and operation of the IDOL system and its interfaces with other county systems. IT will also ensure that the IDOL system is designed and developed within the framework of the county's overall integrated justice strategy.
Office of Attorney Appointments Management / Defines policy and procedures for indigent defense, and manages indigent cases for Tarrant County. / Office of Attorney Appointments is the primary sponsor of the IDOL project.
User Summary