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Use of Microcomputers in Criminal Justice Agencies

NCJ Number
121498
Author(s)
J T McEwen
Date Published
1989
Length
107 pages
Annotation
This report analyzes the emerging role of microcomputer systems in criminal justice agencies.
Abstract
First, four types of microcomputers are defined and discussed: microprocessor boards, limited microcomputers, stand-alone microcomputers, and local area networks. General applications for criminal justice agencies are presented. The second chapter deals with database management systems and describes seven specific applications. This is followed by a discussion of electronic bulletin board systems, an effective way of communicating with citizens and exchanging information among criminal justice agencies. The fourth section describes three advanced criminal justice applications that previously required much larger computers: spatial and temporal analysis of crime, expert systems, and impact projection models. Some specific systems analyzed in the report include the Chicago police department's Microcomputer Assisted Police Analysis and Deployment System, the Prosecutor Management Support System developed by the Conference of District Attorneys in North Carolina, the Supreme Court of South Carolina bulletin board, a spatial analysis program developed by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, and PROBER-GX system offered by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. Microcomputer applications can replace manual systems, assist in changing criminal justice agency procedures, and bring in new and more effective techniques. 23 exhibits, 3 appendixes.