Williamsburg, Va. (September 24, 2009) — The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) has received two grants totaling more than $1.93 million from the Bureau of Justice Assistance to provide technical assistance and training in information sharing and enforcing privacy policies to justice organizations, including the nation’s state courts.
The announcement of the technology grants comes as more than 1,500 judges, court administrators, and technologists are gathered in Denver, Colo., for the NCSC’s Court Technology Conference 2009 to learn to better navigate the technological advances vital to enhancing court operations.
One of the grants, a $1,184,148 award for Phase II of the Services Task Team Project, will help address one of the primary problems facing our country’s justice organizations — sharing information efficiently and cost-effectively with other organizations. NCSC will lead a project to define national data exchanges or services designed to lower the cost of information sharing while improving the flexibility and responsiveness of justice organizations.
As the sharing of information increases, however, the enforcement of privacy policies has become more complex and difficult to do manually. NCSC is leading the way in helping justice organizations understand and implement automated, standardized enforcement strategies, work that will be funded by the $749,829 grant for the Online Privacy Policy Training and Technical Assistance Project.
The National Center will partner with other leading providers of technical assistance to justice organizations, including the IJIS Institute, The National Consortium for Justice Information and Statistics, or SEARCH, and the Institute for Intergovernmental Research, to carry out both of the grant-funded projects.
First held in Chicago, Ill., in 1984, the Court Technology Conference (CTC) is the largest conference in the world dedicated to helping courts leverage technology to increase efficiency, improve service to the public, and prepare for the future. CTC 2009, which runs Sept. 22-24 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, features 50 education sessions and a vendor exhibit show. Regular updates from CTC 2009 are available on the conference’s blog, pluginpowerup.org, and streaming videos of the conference’s keynote address, plenary sessions, and 10 of its education sessions will be posted here.
The National Center for State Courts, headquartered in Williamsburg, Va., is a nonprofit court reform organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to the state courts. The National Center, founded in 1971 by the Conference of Chief Justices and Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger, provides education, training, and technology, management, and research services to the nation’s state courts.
National Center for State Courts, 300 Newport Avenue, Williamsburg, VA 23185-4147