The 21The 21stst Century is Century is Here!Here!

The Clerk’s Digital Courts The Clerk’s Digital Courts ProjectProject

The Digital Courts Project The Digital Courts Project is Vital for More Efficient is Vital for More Efficient Records Management and Records Management and

RetrievalRetrieval• The clerks manage The clerks manage

more than 4 million more than 4 million court records at three court records at three locations and a locations and a warehouse. Paper warehouse. Paper records are expensive records are expensive to maintain, easily to maintain, easily lost and damaged, lost and damaged, and slow to retrieve and slow to retrieve complicating the complicating the integrity of both open integrity of both open and closed cases.and closed cases.

Digital Courts VisionDigital Courts VisionThe Digital Courts Project fulfills the objective of Vision 1 of the Dallas County Strategic Plan by:

•Using innovation to modify procedures to increase accuracy and efficiency•Initiating new policies and procedures that make service delivery customer based•Streamlining the clerk’s workforce for optimum efficiency of operation

The Digital Courts Project will put Dallas County on the leading edge of technological innovation. Our goal is full a fully digital platform for judicial process within 10 years.

The “OnBase” Electronic The “OnBase” Electronic Document Management Document Management

SystemSystem

• Judges, the Bar and the public will be Judges, the Bar and the public will be using OnBase to access the records of the using OnBase to access the records of the court.court.

• OnBase fully replaces the old paper file in OnBase fully replaces the old paper file in an efficient, east to manage digital an efficient, east to manage digital format.format.

• OnBase is linked directly to the Civil and OnBase is linked directly to the Civil and Family court case management system Family court case management system known as Odyssey. known as Odyssey.

The “OnBase” Electronic The “OnBase” Electronic Document Management Document Management

SystemSystem• OnBase will also provide access to OnBase will also provide access to

criminal court records and will be criminal court records and will be integrated into any future criminal court integrated into any future criminal court case management system.case management system.

• The courts can continue to operate The courts can continue to operate normally even if the Odyssey case normally even if the Odyssey case management system is disabled.management system is disabled.

• OnBase provides a digital signature OnBase provides a digital signature utility which will allow electronic utility which will allow electronic documents to be signed from the bench documents to be signed from the bench or by defendants.or by defendants.

What Does an eDocument Look What Does an eDocument Look Like?Like?

Additional OnBase Additional OnBase BenefitsBenefits

• Will provide Will provide attorneys remote attorneys remote access to the access to the electronic case electronic case record from their record from their offices. Pilot offices. Pilot testing is currently testing is currently underway and full underway and full implementation in implementation in May 2010.May 2010.

Additional OnBase Additional OnBase BenefitsBenefits

• WiFi access in WiFi access in the courtroom the courtroom will be developed will be developed to allow the Bar to allow the Bar to access court to access court records digitally records digitally without bringing without bringing paper files to the paper files to the courthouse.courthouse.

Additional OnBase Additional OnBase BenefitsBenefits

• Provides the Provides the public and media public and media with fast access with fast access to court records. to court records. Access to paper Access to paper records greater records greater than 45 minutes; than 45 minutes; to electronic to electronic records, less records, less than 5 minutes.than 5 minutes.

Additional OnBase Additional OnBase BenefitsBenefits

• Provides for Provides for central control of central control of records and records and reduces the reduces the incidence of incidence of secondary data secondary data from expunged and from expunged and non-disclosure non-disclosure cases by cases by eliminating eliminating multiple paper multiple paper copies within the copies within the county.county.

Additional OnBase Additional OnBase BenefitsBenefits

• Paper records are Paper records are subject to damage, subject to damage, mutilation, loss mutilation, loss and destruction and destruction due to disaster. due to disaster. Digital court Digital court records are records are “backed-up” in “backed-up” in two offsite two offsite locations and are locations and are instantly instantly retrievable.retrievable.

Progress toward digital Progress toward digital conversionconversion

• The pilot The pilot criminal court, criminal court, the 283the 283rdrd Judicial District Judicial District Court, Judge Court, Judge Richard Magnis, Richard Magnis, went “live” as a went “live” as a fully paperless fully paperless court after all court after all pending case pending case files were files were imaged the imaged the weekend of weekend of August 17, 2009. August 17, 2009.

Progress toward digital Progress toward digital conversionconversion

• $314,000 worth $314,000 worth of additional of additional hardware to hardware to support digital support digital conversion conversion approved by approved by commissioners commissioners court in 2009 court in 2009 and with and with installation and installation and configuration configuration completed in completed in March 2010.March 2010.

Progress toward digital Progress toward digital conversionconversion

• Implementation of Implementation of full digital judicial full digital judicial process for the process for the 255255thth, 256, 256thth, 303, 303rdrd and 302and 302ndnd Family Family district courts by district courts by May 31, 2010.May 31, 2010.

• Implementation of Implementation of full digital judicial full digital judicial process for the process for the 9595thth, 116, 116thth, 160, 160thth, , 101101stst, and 134, and 134thth Civil district courts Civil district courts by May 31, 2010.by May 31, 2010.

Progress toward digital Progress toward digital conversionconversion

• All remaining Civil All remaining Civil and Family district and Family district courts, including courts, including Title IV-D courts, Title IV-D courts, to be migrated to to be migrated to digital format by digital format by Summer 2010.Summer 2010.

• Now working with Now working with Linebarger to Linebarger to migrate migrate submission of submission of paper tax cases to paper tax cases to digital format.digital format.

Progress toward digital Progress toward digital conversionconversion

• All new indictments All new indictments filed after January 1, filed after January 1, 2010 for each of the 2010 for each of the 16 criminal district 16 criminal district courts are now courts are now digital. No paper digital. No paper case jackets are case jackets are produced.produced.

• Roll-out of the Roll-out of the second criminal second criminal district court digital district court digital process for the 204process for the 204thth at the end of March. at the end of March. Roll-out of all Roll-out of all criminal district criminal district courts by Fall 2010.courts by Fall 2010.

What to ExpectWhat to Expect

• Business will Business will be conducted be conducted as usual but as usual but there will no there will no longer be a longer be a paper court paper court file.file.

What to ExpectWhat to Expect

• Current paper-Current paper-flow procedures flow procedures and processes and processes will remain the will remain the same, just result same, just result in an imaged in an imaged document as the document as the permanent permanent Court record.Court record.

What to ExpectWhat to Expect

• The clerks will The clerks will image all incoming image all incoming documents to their documents to their court and attach to court and attach to the electronic case the electronic case file.file.

• OnBase document OnBase document management management system will system will integrate with the integrate with the Sheriff’s AIS system Sheriff’s AIS system for seamless digital for seamless digital process.process.

How will this benefit How will this benefit you?you?

• No more waiting No more waiting around while the around while the clerk tries to find clerk tries to find your fileyour file

• No more waiting No more waiting around in the around in the Records department Records department when you need when you need conformed copies.conformed copies.

• No more missing or No more missing or misplaced misplaced documents and documents and delays.delays.

How will this benefit How will this benefit you?you?

• Judges, the District Judges, the District Attorney and Attorney and probation officers probation officers will be able to access will be able to access electronic records electronic records from their offices.from their offices.

• Remote off-site Remote off-site access of case access of case records will allow records will allow attorneys to attorneys to research cases from research cases from their offices.their offices.

Time for Q&ATime for Q&A