 Funding Justice Information Sharing
Published 2005
Introduction
LEGISLATORS AND LEGISLATIVE STAFF:
1. Please LOGIN first to access the PDF.
2. Already logged in? CLICK HERE to access PDF.
Effective crime control relies not only on accurate, complete and current information, but also on systems that are capable of sharing information. Improvements in information technology can enhance public safety, but these improvements may be costly. As states struggle to meet tight budgets, they are looking at new ways to fund crime information systems. State legislative appropriations and federal grants provide the bulk of money for crime information systems and sharing, but alternative funding combined with these sources can be used to upgrade and maintain systems.
In recent years, states have created and expanded funding mechanisms to sustain crime information improvements. Technology funds—which use court fees and fines, payments from processing fingerprint and criminal history information, and other services—are a preferred method of income generation.
Other innovative approaches include public-private partnerships and share-in-savings contracting, both of which capitalize on government assets and rely on the private sector for financing and expertise. The most common partnerships are government Web pages, developed by the private sector, that provide services for a fee. Savings and new revenue created by these programs can be shared with the vendor that pays for the start-up costs.
Finally, government bonds, which can be repaid over a number of years, have allowed states to borrow the necessary funds for these systems. This report identifies various sources for funding justice information technology and the legislative actions taken to enable justice information systems.
posted 2/28/2006
|
