Agency IT Accomplishments 2001-2003

PED (Parole Eligibility Date)

In 2001, a cooperative effort by the Office of the Governor, the State Parole Board, the NJDOC and New Jersey Office of Information Technology implemented the Parole Eligibility Date (PED) module in order to address the information integration needs of numerous justice agencies and jurisdictions. This module created an integrated, cross-jurisdictional information system where a common set of accurate, precise, complete, and comprehensive adult sentencing and parole data is collected, processed, shared, and evaluated in a timely manner.

In 2003, the algorithm used to calculate max dates was rewritten and is now capable of calculating the parole eligibility date of over 90% of all inmates in the NJDOC Inmate Management System. This module continues to provide quality decision making through effective tracking of parole and sentencing information, support for quality operational and policy analysis through improved agency-level systems, and a criminal justice information system that is accountable, credible, seamless, and responsive to the victim, the public, and the offender.

In 2002 the department, in conjunction with the Administrative Office of the Courts, the New Jersey State Police and the New Jersey Office of Information Technology implemented the Pre-Inmate Management System (PRIM). Through this enhanced information sharing technology, the department receives electronically, any new sentences imposed by the 21 superior courts and any admissions or departures of state inmates from the county jails on a daily basis.

In 2003, the PRIM System, which facilitates the NJDOC's classification process, was able to provide the objective classification and discipline information, verified inmate identification information, and pending indictments for new bookings. This enhanced information sharing process provides the capability to share information between several computer systems in the NJ Criminal Justice System with the NJDOC Inmate Management System, thereby enhancing public safety throughout the state and reducing operating costs among all participating agencies. New Jersey is the only state in the nation which has such a comprehensive and integrated information sharing capability which allows for the transfer of data from one criminal justice system in the state to another.

In 2002, a cooperative effort with the New Jersey State Police and the NJDOC resulted in the development of an interface from the NJDOC's Inmate Management Systems to the State Police's LiveScan machine. This interface allows Identification staff to access key inmate identification information from the NJDOC's Inmate Management Systems. Staff can also update this information if necessary before printing it out to send to the State Police. This automation provides for reduced staff resources and ensures the quality of data throughout the identification process.

In 2002, the department implemented a time clock system that provides better tracking of attendance data for the department's medical vendors. Vendors are required to log in and out at regular work sites and at sites where special needs treatment is provided, allowing for precise tracking of the hours spent providing direct services for special needs offenders. The Health Services Unit produces regular monthly and special reports based on the time clock data.

The NJDOC WWW offender search page, which became available to the public in December of 2002, continues to be of very significant interest to the public. This Web site contains information on an inmate's location, status and projected release date, thereby allowing victims, family members and other individuals to access inmate information from any personal computer.

In its first three days of operation, the site had a total of 167,232 requests. And, during its introductory period, it constantly ranked among the top 4 viewed Seb sites within the state, as it does currently. We are pleased to report that in January 2003, NJDOC's offender search page had over 3.5 million hits. Also, in the 2003 calendar year, the search engine served requests to over 200,000 individual users and averaged nearly 50,000 requests per day. Since its introduction, it has serviced requests from North America, South and Central America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, as well as individuals in 20 different countries. The offender search engine has performed above and beyond the expectations of NJDOC-OIT and NJOIT, and it continues to be a popular application with inmate families, victims, law enforcement, employers, as well as other government agencies.

In 2002, the department initiated the Positive Pay program with commercial banks that helps combat fraudulent inmate check activity. This process is achieved by providing inmate check information to the bank before the checks are paid. In the case of the New Jersey Department of Corrections, checks, which are generated through the Inmate Management System, can be sent through an automatic transmission on a nightly basis to the institution's main banking facility. This service enables a business to detect potential fraudulent items and take the necessary actions to minimize financial exposure.

In 2003, the Prosecutor Inmate Notification System (PINS) was implemented and provides for the tracking of prosecutor notification of proposed inmate releases using the United Parcel Service's package tracking capabilities. Tracking data is collected and stored allowing users the ability to determine in the Inmate Management System if all county prosecutors have been notified of pending releases.

The New Jersey Department of Corrections' handling of special needs inmates is being monitored periodically as a result of the CF v. Terhune lawsuit. In 2003, a report was developed that details the special needs inmates in custody who are charged with an offense and if a psychological study was requested and considered prior to the ruling on the charge. The department developed this report feature to ensure that the proper monitoring is performed on these special needs inmates, which is in compliance with the lawsuit.

In 2003, the department recognized a need for offenders to have a temporary ID card to be used immediately after release and developed a program to permit authorized users to generate the 'released offender' temporary identification card through the Inmate Management System. The ID card provides information that can be verified on the department's Web site by those to whom the card is presented.

In 2003, the new objective classification instruments were made available in the NJDOC's Inmate Management System. These instruments provide a fair, objective and manageable offender classification system, and are an invaluable management tool for department staff. The benefits of these new objective classification instruments are extensive as they provide separate scoring instruments for male and female offenders, decreases the potential for violent offenders to be assigned to reduced custody status and potential community settings, holds the offender more accountable for his/her disciplinary actions, and encourages offenders to remain involved in self-improvement programs. The instruments also provide a standard definition of institutional programs and improve the predictive nature of the classification process. Through the diligent monitoring of the Central Office Classification Unit, discretionary overrides are in compliance with the Administrative Code and are applied in a more consistent manner.