Laws/Regulations

The Connecticut Information Sharing System (CISS) Project is the umbrella term for the new system. It includes the following statutory requirements specified in Connecticut General Statutes Sec. 54-142s for the sharing of criminal justice information: 

Sec. 54-142s. State-wide information technology system for sharing of criminal justice information. 

(a) The Criminal Justice Information System Governing Board shall design and implement a comprehensive, state-wide information technology system to facilitate the immediate, seamless and comprehensive sharing of information between all state agencies, departments, boards and commissions having any cognizance over matters relating to law enforcement and criminal justice, and organized local police departments and law enforcement officials.

(b) Such information technology system shall include, without limitation, a central tracking and information database, a central electronic document repository and centralized analytical tools, as provided in subsections (c) to (e), inclusive, of this section, all of which shall be developed with state-of-the-art technology, as provided in subsection (f) of this section, and such other components or elements as are determined to be appropriate or necessary by the board after development of a plan for the design and implementation of such system.

(c) Such information technology system shall include a central, integrated criminal justice tracking and information database that provides:

1. Complete biographical information and vital statistics for all offenders and former offenders still living; and
2. Tracking information for all offenders in the criminal justice system, from investigation through incarceration and release, and seamless integration with any electronic monitoring systems, global positioning systems (GPS) and any offender registries.

(d) Such information technology system shall include a central, integrated electronic repository of criminal justice records and documents that provides:

1. Access to all state and local police reports, presentence investigations and reports, psychological and medical reports, criminal records, incarceration and parole records, and court records and transcripts, whether such records and documents normally exist in electronic or hard copy form; and
2. Access to scanning and processing facilities to ensure that such records and documents are integrated into the system and updated immediately.

(e) Such information technology system shall include centralized analytical tools, bundled together in a custom-designed enterprise system that includes:

1. Analytical tools that empower and enhance criminal case assessment, sentencing and plea agreement analysis and pardon, parole, probation and release decisions;
2. Analytical tools that empower and enhance forecasting concerning recidivism and future offenses for each individual offender; and
3. Collaborative functionality that enables seamless cross-department communication, information exchange, central note-taking and comment capabilities for each offender.

(f) Such information technology system shall be developed with state-of-the-art relational database technology and other appropriate software applications and hardware, and shall be:

1. Completely accessible by any authorized criminal justice official through the Internet;
2. Completely integrated with the state police, organized local police departments, law enforcement agencies and such other agencies and organizations as the governing board deems necessary and appropriate, and their information systems and database applications;
3. Indexed and cross-referenced by offender name, residence, community, criminal offense and any other data points necessary for the effective administration of the state's criminal justice system;
4. Fully text searchable for all records;
5. Secure and protected by high-level security and controls;
6. Accessible to the public subject to appropriate privacy protections and controls; and
7. Monitored and administered by the Criminal Justice Information Systems Governing Board, with the assistance of the Department of Administrative Services, provided major software and hardware needs may be provided and serviced by private, third-party vendors.

(g) Not later than July 1, 2008, the Criminal Justice Information Systems Governing Board shall issue a request for proposals for the design and implementation of such information technology system and hire a consultant to develop a plan for such design and implementation.

(h) Not later than July 1, 2008, and not later than January first and July first of each year thereafter, the Criminal Justice Information System Governing Board shall submit a report, in accordance with section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to criminal justice and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies concerning the status of the design and implementation of such information technology system. In conjunction with the report submitted not later than January first of each year, the board shall also make a presentation to said committees during the ensuing regular session concerning the status of the design and implementation of such information technology system and a specific itemization of the additional resources, if any, that are needed to achieve such design and implementation.