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Thursday, December 20, 2007
Indiana Courts - More on "New computerized courts case management system went live in Monroe County Monday"
Updating these ILB entries from Dec. 18th and Dec. 17th, the Indiana Courts JTAC Commitee has issued a release, available here, titled "Odyssey CMS Live in Monroe County & Washington Township, Marion County." Some quotes:
“The eight Circuit Courts in Monroe County and the Washington Township Small Claims Court in Marion County have begun using the Indiana Supreme Court’s ‘Odyssey’ computer system to manage their cases,” Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard said today. “This is a major step forward in the Supreme Court’s goal to equip all Indiana courts with 21st century case management technology.” Washington Township began using the system on December 14 and the Monroe County courts on December 17.The ILB has added emphasis because these statements raise questions; there seems to be little transparency re details of the state-wide system and how it will operate. For instance:Public information on cases in these courts is available at no charge via the Supreme Court’s website (www.courts.in.gov). This information will expand each time a new court begins to use Odyssey. Public access and connections between Odyssey and law enforcement and other government agencies furthers the Supreme Court’s companion goal to connect Indiana courts’ case management system to those who need and use court information.
Chief Justice Shepard said the pioneering work of the nine pilot courts in Monroe and Marion Counties will benefit the entire state. “Being first can be a point of pride, but it also requires a special commitment. Monroe Circuit Court Presiding Judge Kenneth G. Todd, Monroe Circuit Court Clerk Jim Fielder, and Washington Township Judge Kimberly Brown, and their colleagues and staff gave us the full measure of their input and expertise,” said Shepard. “They have been great partners in this endeavor.” * * *
“A significant upgrade to Odyssey is scheduled to be released in late winter,” Sullivan said, “adding even more features to help Indiana courts and court clerks – and we hope to have many additional courts using Odyssey by next year’s end.” Statewide rollout will follow over the next several years.
Although the Odyssey system is and will be used by local Indiana courts, Sullivan said that the Supreme Court will be responsible for all costs associated with the licensing, maintenance, and further upgrading of the system. “The General Assembly has directed that a portion of court filing fees underwrite the cost of this project,” Sullivan said, “and we are deeply grateful for the Legislature’s confidence in this effort.”
“With more than 1.5 million cases filed in Indiana courts each year, Hoosier courts and court clerks need 21st century case management systems and Hoosier law enforcement officers, lawyers, government agencies, and citizens need timely and accurate court information,” Shepard concluded. “With nine Indiana courts using Odyssey, free public access to their records, and aggressive rollout plans for 2008 and beyond, we are well underway toward meeting those needs.” [emphasis added by ILB]
- Right now there does not seem to be a way to do across-the-board searches on, for instance, "John Doe." Although only Monroe County courts and Washington Twp. of Marion County small claims courts are online, it looks like one would have to run three searches: Washington Twp., Monroe County Criminal, and Monroe County Civil, and then manually combine the results. Will there be a way to run an across-the-board search as more courts come online?
- The options for public searches are extremely narrow right now. As the ILB said in an earlier entry, there is no way to search for something as elemental as "new cases filed." Will this change? "Even more features" are promised. What are they?
Posted by Marcia Oddi on December 20, 2007 02:02 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts