The Necessity of Digital PCMS for Prosecutors
PCMSs optimize, organize, and track a prosecutor’s work throughout the entirety of the prosecution process.
In an article from SEARCH, the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA) explains that “An ideal PCMS…efficiently streamlines a prosecutor office’s capability to collect, store, retrieve, edit, archive, and view information, records, documents, or files required of prosecutors to fulfill their responsibilities. Additionally, it may support the automated exchange of data with justice partner agencies to support investigations or prosecutions.”
Used by prosecutors, solicitor generals, and state attorneys, PCMS, like CivicCase, facilitates quicker case handling through storage, management, and distribution of all assets connected to a case. Police depend on prosecutors almost as much as prosecutors depend on them. The integration of police records management systems with prosecution case management shares data seamlessly, reducing duplicate data and improving agency efficiency when staff can feel overworked with administrative tasks. When prosecution and law enforcement spend time sending cases back for further investigation or piecing together further case-related documents in an outdated fashion, the impact is a slowed response to general public safety.
Case management, when combined with document management like CivicDocs, helps to preserve the document visibility from discovery and better tracks and shares the digital files, lightening the load of the previously mentioned manila folders and banker boxes that prosecutors would bring to and from the courtroom.
This type of evidence documentation software, like CivicEye’s CivicDocs, centralizes documents into a searchable, streamlined database. These digital files, unlike their physical counterparts, cannot be misplaced and can be instantly shared from the prosecutor to the defense team. Additionally, users can instantly upload batch files while still maintaining the original file material. CivicDocs also allows users to easily edit the viewership of certain docs to maintain confidentiality.
Additional Advanced Features of PCMSs
Audit Logs and Document Review Software for Electronic Evidence
With outdated, physical materials, it can be easy to dispute which parties have/have not had access to specific information, files, and documents. CivicDocs’s document review software for electronic evidence issues accurate audit logs that document who has accessed specific files, how often, and at what time and location (through their IP address). The audit log also lists which files have been printed and/or saved by who and where. Document verification tools provide processes that show if files have been manipulated.
Sharing Discovery Between Defense Attorneys and Prosecutors
The discovery process is a legal process that largely focuses on the exchange of data and case information between parties to a case. These parties “disclose relevant information about the case to each other and must include all information that is not otherwise ‘non-discoverable’” (NDAA).
During the discovery process, prosecutors must provide all information or evidence they intend to use against a defendant during trial. This information could include crime scene evidence, witness statements, law enforcement statements, defendant statements, police reports, disclosures, and more. Additionally, the discovery is required to include all exculpatory evidence (evidence, such as a statement, that is favorable to the defendant and tends to excuse, justify, or absolve the alleged fault or guilt of a defendant).
Prosecutors and defense teams can dispute when and how they received specific documentation, but evidence documentation software easily allows users to share information, even with those outside of the software’s subscription. Prosecutors and defense teams alike can upload their files quickly and efficiently, adhering to all required aspects of the discovery process.
CivicCase, CivicEye’s advanced end-to-end legal case management software, allows each party to access forms and information through a custom portal. This allows individuals to complete their personal tasks and expedite the case’s progression. The software translates complex forms into interactive ones, and virtually any paper or electronic form can integrate into the system. Additionally, the software features flexible form validation, interactive content elements, and pixel-perfect form rendering to match originals. Like CivicRMS and CivicDocs, CivicCase operates through a secure cloud network, which means it is accessible anywhere and at any time.
Preserving Chain-of-Evidence
Like other important files and documents, updated crime scene technology can better preserve chain of evidence—a process and record that shows who obtained the evidence; where and when the evidence was obtained; who secured the evidence; and who had control or possession of the evidence.
Prosecutors, law enforcement agencies, and criminal justice agencies work together to manage evidence, and in certain scenarios, prosecutors must maintain control of evidence. CivicDocs’s features provide accurate audit logs (as described above) and clearly document the trail of data exchange.
Modern software like CivicDocs is not only secure but also can help keep your work within both state and federal compliance. Alongside CivicDocs, CivicCase works to provide other case management features such as digital form creation, that integrates virtually any paper or electronic form into the system, allows for flexible form validation, includes interactive content elements, and provides pixel-perfect form rendering to match originals.
How To Integrate Evidence Documentation Software Seamlessly into Your Current Work
CivicEye’s digital system of evidence documentation, PCMS, and RMS can easily integrate with one another. This makes the transfer of data both easy and secure. Additionally, CivicEye offers 24/7, 365 support, alongside other helpful training to acclimatize new users.
Contact us today if you would like to learn more about CivicEye’s products and how they can revolutionize your public safety agency.
