The high level goals are 1) to make better information more accessible, 2) to improve efficiencies and integrity of the data, and 3) to continue to support data driven policy making.

 

There have been many accomplishments this year in making better information more accessible:

• The automation of the first "Data Dashboard" with daily counts for “Connecticut’s Correctional Facility Population” – this was a collaborative project with the assistance of the Dept of Correction, CJIS and BEST.  These daily counts and charts can be found linked directly from the CJPPD website at www.ct.gov/opm/cjppd or http://www.ct.gov/opm/cwp/view.asp?a=2967&q=487584
  
• Another utility or feature built-in is not only the display of data, but the ability for consumers to self serve or extract data downloads from these counts on demand.   See https://cjis-dashboard.ct.gov/CJPPD_Reports/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=Extracted_Data
  
• Another Data Dashboard project currently under development and in the testing phase with partners from the Judicial Branch to show the daily counts for "Total New Cases" in all courts for felony and misdemeanors processed by Judicial. It should be available within the next few months.
  
• CJPAC Re-entry Website Development Project - A project team with partners from United Way of CT, CCSU, the CT Reentry Roundtable Collaborative (CRRC) was charged with investigating the ability to make information more accessible for services specific to Ex-Offenders and to look for ways to ensure that consumers are aware of and can access all needed programs and opportunities in our communities.  Some services specific to Ex-Offenders are already available at www.211CT.org
  
• There have been improvements this year to the "Arrest Warrant Data and Information" - These counts are prepared pursuant to Public Act 06-99 which requires the Office of Policy and Management to provide the respective counts to each municipal chief elected official and a copy is provided to the law enforcement agency with responsibility for municipality indicated on the report. See http://www.ct.gov/opm/cjis/rearrdata

The projects listed above you can see, but we continue to work with our Criminal Justice partners on the data and records being collected and how the underlying systems and business processes capture some of our most critical information needs.

• There have been many accomplishments this year to improve efficiencies and integrity of the data through several grant programs that are supported 90% to 100% by the US Department of Justice – see http://www.ct.gov/opm/cwp/view.asp?a=2969&q=486942
  
  These are nationally competitive grants that are specific to targeted projects to improve data and records reported to the federal government. CT has done very well in pursuing these funds with successful awards increasing each year.  This year our office was successfully awarded a substantial $3.25 million increase in these funds, bringing our total annual funds for data and record improvement up to nearly $4 million.  This is not discretionary funding. These are targeted competitive funds awarded annually to specific projects that are chosen and selected by the federal government to improve the data and records that our State reports to them. We will have more to share with you on our projects, assessments and findings by late September of this year.