For immediate release: September 10, 2003
www.ijisinstitute.org
Contact: Liz Pearson
202-628-8615

Industry Supports NASCIO Concept for Operations for Integrated Justice Information Sharing

Washington D.C. -- Effective information exchange among the agencies of the justice system is essential to ensuring our homeland security and the timely and efficient administration of justice in this country. Too often, however, local and state agencies lack the resources, technology expertise, and political will to come together to integrate existing systems and improve business processes in pursuit of these important goals. It is often very difficult for state and local agencies to articulate a vision of how information sharing will specifically benefit decision-making in the administration of justice.

In an effort to overcome these implementation obstacles, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has released its Concept for Operations for Integrated Justice Information Sharing. The document provides a basic vision of how information might be exchanged between justice agencies, giving guidance and justification to state-level policymakers on the business needs for justice information sharing, both among agencies at the local, state, and federal government levels as well as between those three layers of government. From this discipline-specific context, policymakers and CIOs can identify implications for information technology architecture and other project execution issues to consider when planning for and implementing justice information sharing. Documents such as these have been created as a result of the vision and leadership of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP), which has provided resources to organizations like NASCIO, the Integrated Justice Information Systems (IJIS) Institute and other partner organizations to create and disseminate tools to assist state and local justice agencies in pursuit of justice system integration.

The IJIS Industry Working Group and the IJIS Institute endorse and support the NASCIO Concept for Operations document. This publication is a useful tool that will assist state and local governments in defining a vision for how information sharing. Tools like the NASCIO document provide state and local agencies with the information framework they need to make informed decisions about justice information sharing in their jurisdictions, and improve the approaches to justice system integration that these agencies select. Guides like the NASCIO Concept for Operations are also particularly useful in the development of strategic plans for building integrated justice information systems. Well developed implementation plans, coupled with both functional and technical standards, help public sector agencies and private sector service providers work together successfully to create deliverable, "real-world" solutions. This crucial partnership benefits the public sector, industry, and society as a whole.

About the IJIS Institute
The IJIS Institute is a private nonprofit organization that has as its mission to promote public/private partnerships in the area of justice system information sharing. The organization is comprised of over 40 information technology (IT) firms that have strong presence in the area of justice IT. To achieve its mission, the IJIS Institute provides several services to state and local government organizations, such as short-term technology assistance and training and education, through grants from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance. The IJIS Institute also supports industry participation on various national-level standards setting initiatives, such as those convened by the American Probation and Parole Association and Law Enforcement Information Technology Standards Council. It also provides vendor representation to the XML and Security working groups of the GLOBAL Justice Information Sharing initiative. More information about the IJIS Institute may be found at its site on the World Wide Web at www.ijisinstitute.org or by calling (202) 628-8615.