New Database Will Centralize Vital Juvenile Justice Information
Vinson Institute governmental services faculty and information technology specialists are working with the Governor's Office for Children and Families to develop the first statewide database of juvenile justice system activity.
With the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology, the diverse juvenile justice-related data collections maintained by various agencies will be converted into a single Web-based application that can be accessed by officials and service providers, according to Allison McWilliams, Institute faculty member.
To gain a better sense of how Georgia juvenile justice data is collected and maintained, the Vinson Institute convened a working group of representatives from the Department of Juvenile Justice, Council of Juvenile Court Judges, Administrative Office of the Courts, Public Defender Standards Councils, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Institute faculty are also researching best practices and models nationwide.
Phase One of the Juvenile Data Management Project, slated for completion in Summer 2010, will focus on building the database that will support the Web-based application and establishing the protocols for collection of data related to the annual federal reporting requirements of the Governor's Office for Children and Families.
