Intellectual Capitol (ICAP)

Microsoft .net Application Design & Implementation

OVERVIEW

Until recently, the DJJ relied on an MIS system that ran on legacy technology. Used by the department for over 20 years, the MIS was a mainframe application that could no longer meet the constantly changing environment and growing needs of the DJJ. The system was simply outdated. Beyond its cumbersome navigation and data entry features, the legacy system provided only minimal analysis capabilities. Rather than investing more time and resources to create subsystems within the MIS in order to generate the reports needed or improve its functionality, the department recognized the need for a new system.

“ICAP did a wonderful job for us. They went the extra mile and did everything we needed and then some.”

 

Raymond Gray, CIO
S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice

“We had been using the MIS system for 22 years, and it was falling short in managing our data and meeting our day-to-day operational needs,” commented Raymond Gray, CIO for the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice. “Our staff is spread out in 47 district offices and institutions throughout the state, and they rely on our information system to maintain and access critical data in order to make crucial decisions impacting the lives of our young people, and we needed an improved system to meet our growing needs,” he added.

 

Enlisting the help of Intellectual Capital (ICAP), Gray and a team of professionals – including analysts, developers, an architect specialist, quality assurance specialist and technical writer – designed, developed and implemented a Juvenile Justice Management System (JJMS) to provide the DJJ with a highly reliable and functional tool.

As the demand for improved reporting and tracking capabilities, access from remote locations and increased capacity for the system continued to grow, the DJJ turned to ICAP to develop a replacement system that would meet its needs now and well into the future. Working together, DJJ and ICAP sought to create a new JJMS system that achieved several goals:

To address the project’s challenges, ICAP created a browser-based system established on a client/server architecture. The server is divided into two parts – the application server and the database server – to enhance performance by processing the data and logic on separate servers. After considering various database options, the team selected Microsoft®SQL ServerTM to provide a fast, secure and flexible environment to store data for the more than 60,000 active juveniles tracked in the system.

“Our data is vitally important as it tracks a juvenile’s history, from intake interviews and needs assessments to psychological evaluations and treatment progress,” Gray commented. “The new system had to be a fully reliable tool to help us effectively and accurately track juveniles in order to make the best long-term decisions,” he added.

ICAP developed the application in Microsoft’s .NET environment, making it uncomplicated for the nearly 1500 users to access the data while allowing the application to easily work together with the SQL Server. In addition, it was simple to convert the old coded application
into the .Net environment and import data from MIS to JJMS. Developers coded the web-based system using Asp.net/C#.

System administrators can make updates to the JJMS application in real-time from a central
location, giving everyone using that module immediate updates without user interruptions.
This feature eliminates the need for synchronizing data and downtime for the system.
“Before, someone had to be on property to access the system, which was extremely
inconvenient,” Gray said. “But now, our staff can retrieve the data when and where they need it.” Because the system is web-based, DJJ staff can get into the JJMS from a computer at a DJJ facility or through other platforms – such as PDAs – that offer internet access.

BENEFITS

ICAP created a solution that provides greater functionality and improved performance for DJJ and gives the statewide department an advanced information system to support its intensive data tracking, reporting and managing responsibilities.

“ICAP did a wonderful job for us,” Gray said. “They went the extra mile and did everything we needed and then some.”

Delivers Flexibility & Scalability

The infrastructure of the new system provides for a flexible platform that is designed to grow and change as the DJJ’s needs changes. As federal mandates require different or more comprehensive reporting, the system can adapt to that change with little effort.

Improved Data Analysis & Reporting Capabilities

The new JJMS delivers a high-performance data analysis and reporting application. Caseloads, treatment and rehabilitation activities, program participation and other services and evaluations pertaining to each juvenile can be reported and analyzed by the DJJ, and the department can share data with other entities, such as for federal reports.

The new system greatly enhances the reporting and tracking capabilities for DJJ. This improvement provides more accuracy and accountability than was ever possible with the legacy system.

Simplified Usability & Accessibility for Staff

As a web-based application, it is much easier to use and access. Its navigation is straightforward and makes it easy to input, extract and evaluate data. Importantly, it gives DJJ staff access to the system from virtually anywhere – in-network or out-of-network; on a computer or a PDA. This enhances the efficiency and productivity of the DJJ as well as the agency’s responsiveness to the immediate needs of the juveniles and their families.

“With this new system in place, we expect to increase our efficiency and productivity by 30%, and improve our ability to carefully monitor each child’s progress,” Gray commented. JJMS will eventually replace 30 Microsoft Access databases that were developed to counterbalance the constraints of the MIS.