WASHINGTON -- To encourage justice information technology integration among the states, the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices, with funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance has awarded six states --Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin -- each with a $50,000 grant to implement pilot projects to improve their existing justice information sharing systems, it was announced here today.

The grant will allow the six states to utilize the Global XML Data Model (Global XML) for exchanging information among existing systems. Global XML is a standard designed specifically for criminal justice information exchanges, providing law enforcement, public safety agencies, prosecutors, public defenders and the judicial branch with a tool to effectively share data and information in a timely manner.

Through the pilot projects, the six states will participate in a 12-month implementation process, which will include NGA-sponsored site visits, two policy academy meetings and customized technical assistance. This process will result in documentation of information exchanges-valuable information for other states and localities looking to implement similar projects to improve justice information sharing.

"The goal of the process is to help states conduct pilot projects enabling existing justice information systems to communicate with one another through the use of Global XML Standards," said John Thomasian, director of the NGA Center for Best Practices. "When complete, each project will demonstrate a new application of the technology that will benefit all states as they progress to the next level of integration."

Examples of the pilot projects include Colorado's proposal to electronically transmit data collected from county jails to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, so information on inmates can be easily accessed during the course of an investigation. Wisconsin will utilize Global XML to provide justice personnel access to current conditions of probation and parole. Upon identifying an individual, law enforcement will have timely access to probation and parole conditions allowing them to make informed decisions to defuse any potentially dangerous situations.

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