Budget Cut May Kill Cost-Cutting Upgrade; Federal Funding For Court Computer System Nixed
The development of Mecklenburg County, N.C.’s $20.3 million computer court system is at risk from federal budget cuts as Congress steers money away from it and other justice-related projects to pump more into national homeland security interests.
Instead of a second wave of $3 million the county was anticipating this year to continue funding its new Criminal Justice Information System, it will only receive $175,000. Officials say that current county coffers have sufficient funds to continue paying the private vendor through June 2004, and commissioners may be prompted to increase their $6.7 million contribution to cover the federal shortfall.
The computer system, designed to streamline court operations and save millions in annual court costs per year, is projected to be completed and operational by July 2005.
It will connect the computer systems used by police, jail administrators, district attorneys, and court officials, reduce data input redundancies, and provide better management of court time by bundling multiple pending cases into one hearing format.
The information project was pushed by Reps. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.) and Mel Watt (D-N.C.), both of Charlotte, and county officials hoped that it might serve as a statewide or even national model court system.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Charlotte Observer (04/01/03) P. 1B; Rubin, Richard.
