U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Assistance

MONOGRAPH

Public Domain Drug Court

Software: Functions and Utility

F EBRUARY 2003

SEARCH, The National

Consortium for Justice

Information and Statistics
This document was prepared by SEARCH,The National Consortium for Justice Information

and Statistics, under the Drug Court Training and Technical Assistance Program, under grant

number 98–MU–VX–K017, awarded by the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of

Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this

document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position

or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

810 Seventh Street NW.

Washington, DC 20531

John Ashcroft

Attorney General

Deborah J. Daniels

Assistant Attorney General

Richard R. Nedelkoff

Director, Bureau of Justice Assistance

Office of Justice Programs

Home Page

www.ojp.usdoj.gov

Bureau of Justice Assistance

Home Page

www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA

The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also

includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile

Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime.

NCJ 197258
i

Notice

n November 2002, the

Bureau of Justice

Assistance (BJA)

assumed responsibility

for administering the Drug Court Grant

Program and the Drug Court Training and

Technical Assistance Program. For further

information, please contact BJA.

Bureau of Justice Assistance

810 Seventh Street NW.

Washington, DC 20531

Telephone: (202) 616–5001

Fax: 202–514–6452

E-mail: AskBJA@ojp.usdoj.gov 

I
ii

or without the guidance given by system

administrators, managers, and others who

rely on these computer programs to support the daily activities of their drug court

programs. Special thanks to

■ Buffalo: Judge Robert Russell, city of

Buffalo Drug Court, and Jose Ferrer and

Hank Pirowski, Buffalo Court Outreach

Unit Referral and Treatment Service. 

■ Washington/Baltimore: Dr. Faye Taxman

and Stephan Sherman, University of

Maryland, Bureau of Governmental

Research.

■ Brooklyn: Judge Jo Ann Ferdinand and

Valerie Raine, Brooklyn Treatment

Court, and Greg Steinberg, Center for

Court Innovation.

■ South Florida: Judge Melanie May, 17th

Judicial Circuit of Florida; Guy Wheeler, Broward County Sheriff’s Department; and Bob Kidd, MANTECH, Inc.

Acknowledgments

his report was prepared by SEARCH,

The National Consortium for Justice 

Information and Statistics, Gerald E.

Wethington, Chairman, and Gary R. Cooper, Executive Director. The report authors

were Robert Gibson, consultant, and

Owen M. Greenspan, Justice Information

Services Specialist. The project director

was Francis L. Bremson, Director, Courts

Program. Twyla R. Cunningham, Manager,

Corporate Communications, edited the

report. Jane L. Bassett, Publishing Specialist, provided layout and design assistance.

The Federal project monitor was Jill

Beres, Policy Specialist, U.S. Department

of Justice, Office of Justice Programs,

Drug Courts Program Office.

This report would not have been possible

without the assistance of staff at each of

the visited sites, who allowed us to observe

the software programs described herein, 

T
I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Purpose of This Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Importance of Management Information Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Software Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Summary of Software Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

II. Buffalo Drug Court: Database Management Information System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Acquisition Requirements and Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Contact Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Basic System Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

System Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Ongoing Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

III. Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area:

Automated Treatment and Tracking System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Acquisition Requirements and Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Contact Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Basic System Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

System Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Ongoing Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

IV. Brooklyn Treatment Court: Treatment Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Acquisition Requirements and Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Contact Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Basic System Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

System Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Ongoing Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

V. South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area: Treatment Automated

Referral System and Judicial Access Management System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Acquisition Requirements and Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Contact Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Basic System Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

System Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Contents

iii
iv

Appendixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

1. Data Items From the Buffalo Drug Court’s Database Management

Information System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

2. List of Tables From the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug 

Trafficking Area’s Automated Treatment and Tracking System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

3. List of Tables From the Brooklyn Treatment Court’s Treatment 

Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

4. List of Tables From the South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking 

Area’s Treatment Automated Referral System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
treatment-related information is available

to drug court team members. State statutes

and regulatory oversight, where applicable,

are other factors that determine the boundaries for disclosure of sensitive treatment

information containing personal identifiers

of program participants.

While a primary focus of drug court

automation is to gather information for

case management of individual program

participants, a substantial amount of data

is also essential for program monitoring

and evaluation activities. Is the drug court

program performing as envisioned? Are

goals being met? Can socially beneficial

impacts be measured? What is the actual

monetary cost of the drug court compared

with attributable fiscal benefits? A wellplanned information system collects data

that help to answer these and many other

questions.

Given the volume and breadth of information associated with the drug court, and

the constant nature of operational

he drug court is information driven. The

diverse nature and

scope of its information needs far exceed those of the typical

criminal court. In striving for optimal effectiveness, the drug court team must collect,

quickly retrieve, communicate about, and

react to information that supports operational decisionmaking. In the drug court

context, operational decisionmaking is

guided by a sense of shared responsibility

among, at a minimum, the court, prosecution, defense, and treatment communities.

Drug court information spans program

admission and treatment issues as well as

information associated with the ongoing

judicial supervision of participants.

By statutory definition, virtually all drug

courts are treatment providers and subject

to legal constraints on the handling of

information—information that is fundamental to how the drug court functions.

Thus, Federal confidentiality laws and 

regulations guide the extent to which

1

I.

Introduction

T
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

2

demands for information, drug courts with

even the smallest client populations are

increasingly turning to computerization.

An automated management information

system (MIS) typically supports operational

and administrative activities of some, if 

not all, of the individual drug court team

members and their collaborative efforts.

Effective management of the wealth of

information that facilitates the work of the

drug court brings with it the promise of

improved outcomes for drug court participants. Existing drug courts, and those that

are in planning or implementation stages,

need to identify and consider installation 

of functionally relevant software.

SEARCH, The National Consortium for

Justice Information and Statistics, interviewed several software developers and

observed operations in agencies and drug

courts that are using public domain software programs.1 These interviews were

done at the request of the U.S. Department

of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs

(OJP), Drug Courts Program Office (DCPO).

This report presents a snapshot of the features and capabilities of systems developed

by the following jurisdictions as of 1999:2

■ City of Buffalo, New York, Drug Court.

■ Washington/Baltimore High Intensity

Drug Trafficking Area.

■ Center for Court Innovation (for the

Brooklyn, New York, Treatment Court).

■ South Florida High Intensity Drug 

Trafficking Area.

Each software program discussed in this

report offers features that support operational and evaluative information needs

that are characteristic of all drug courts.

However, each program may have shortcomings in its ability to support the full

spectrum of drug court-related activity

within jurisdictions where it is now in use

or within other jurisdictions that may contemplate adoption of any of these MISs.

This is not surprising, given that these software applications were developed initially

with a limited focus, usually to facilitate

drug and alcohol abuse assessment, treatment referral, and progress tracking. 

Consequently, each system, much like 

the drug courts themselves, continues to

evolve with a growing understanding that

enhanced success is a product of intelligent

decisions based on sound data collection

and analysis.

Since the first drug court was established

more than a decade ago—spawning a

national movement—the creation of new

drug courts continues unabated. Highly

specialized courts that target narrowly

defined populations, such as Juvenile Drug

Courts or Family Drug Courts, expand the

horizon of positive outcomes beyond the

original goal of drug courts: to reduce

recidivism through intensive treatment,

rehabilitation, and supervision. MISs will

continue to adapt to meet local needs and

new initiatives. Regardless of the complexity, size, or age of a particular MIS, vendors

and agencies will likely continue to introduce new and improved versions.

The systems described in this report represent a sampling of public domain MISs that

focus on drug courts or their associated

treatment services:

■ The Buffalo, New York, system supports

an extensive social services treatment

consortium and referral program for

persons charged with felony- and

misdemeanor-level offenses and

probation violations.

■ The Washington/Baltimore system

supports treatment entities in the

Washington/Baltimore area. It has 

also been adopted, with modification,

for drug court operations in Jackson
Introduction

3

County (Kansas City), Missouri, and

Key West, Florida. This system shares

roots with the south Florida system.

■ The Brooklyn, New York, Treatment

Court is a high-volume city court handling both felonies and misdemeanors

with a treatment network of more than

100 providers.

■ In Broward and Miami-Dade Counties

in south Florida, drug courts and treatment providers use two interrelated

programs to monitor participant

progress and to meet State-level reporting requirements.

A virtual tour of the systems in use in Buffalo, Brooklyn, and south Florida is available at www.drugcourttech.org.

Purpose of This Report

This document presents a largely nontechnical description of four public domain

drug court MISs and surveys a range of

information useful for supporting drug

court activities. The software discussed in

this report may be suitable for modification

in jurisdictions that are planning, designing, or acquiring a drug court MIS.

Through this review, jurisdictions that are

contemplating the establishment of a drug

court or debating their automation options

may gain insight into the kinds and scope

of information that drug courts need to

support their day-to-day operations and

evaluation efforts. Existing drug court

teams may find the report useful in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of their

own systems, identifying missing features,

or generating ideas for new functionality. A

comparative exercise like this can be illuminating for all drug courts, ranging from

those that are still wholly paper based to

those that are highly automated.

All of the systems reviewed in this report

have demonstrated usefulness in the drug

court environment. Each is available for

installation free of charge but will likely

require customization, which can be costly.

This report is not intended to be an

exhaustive look at automated drug court

information systems. Other systems exist,

and others will likely be developed in the

future. Some of these other private-sector

and public domain products may be better

suited to a particular jurisdiction’s needs

and may be less expensive than implementing one of the applications reviewed

in this report.

Importance of Management

Information Systems

The scope of information required by a

drug court to accomplish its mission far

exceeds that of a typical court. At every

step of the drug court process—from 

identifying the target population to initial

screening, assessment, treatment, supervision and graduation—critical decisions are

made. The soundness of these decisions

depends on multiagency access to timely,

accurate, and complete information. With

the evolution of the drug court movement

over the past 10 years has come recognition that an automated MIS is an invaluable aid to the drug court, the collective

drug court team, and each of the team’s

member entities from within the judicial,

legal, and treatment communities.

Before a drug court can effectively use the

information that is so critical to its mission, court staff must be cognizant of relevant laws, regulations, practices, and

policies that affect access to and release of

some client-related information. Drug

courts must comply with State and Federal

confidentiality laws. Federal laws and regulations protect information about persons

receiving alcohol and drug abuse
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

4

prevention and treatment services who 

are directly or indirectly assisted by any

department or agency of the United States.3

A treatment program is defined as ‘‘an individual or entity that provides diagnosis of

chemical dependency and referral to treatment in addition to providing actual rehabilitative services.” Consequently, virtually

every drug court is considered a treatment

program and is subject to Federal confidentiality regulations.

In order for a treatment provider to disclose information about a client’s participation in a treatment program to members

of the drug court team or others, the client

must first sign a written consent form that,

at a minimum, meets the requirements set

forth in the Federal regulations. The consent includes the purpose of disclosure,

how much and what kind of information

may be disclosed, and the duration or conditions under which the given consent is

subject to revocation.4 An MIS that reflects

the specifics of the consent form is a strong

confidentiality safeguard. How information

is handled and what information may be

viewed by the various team entities may be

addressed in a memorandum of understanding among the drug court team partners. This mechanism can be used to

design selective information exchange,

access, and retrieval features of the MIS.

Many states have also enacted confidentiality laws or implemented policies and

practices intended to limit disclosure of

information. When a State law is more

restrictive than Federal regulations, the

State statute is the applicable standard.5

Under such circumstances, the most effective MIS is one that can be programmed to

limit or exclude access to information in a

way that is consistent with both Federal

and State laws.

Conditions that limit information disclosure, as described in the consent form,

may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction,

and differences may even occur among

drug courts in neighboring communities.

Similarly, practices and policies vary widely and may be changed by administrative

fiat without consulting the entities and

individuals affected by such changes. Staff

turnovers necessitate training, and new

hires require immediate training if the

opportunity for inappropriate disclosure is

to be minimized. All these scenarios pose a

risk that confidentiality statutes can be

unintentionally violated through misinformation or ignorance. Perhaps the best way

to minimize this risk and the attendant

possible detrimental effect on participation

in a drug court-supervised treatment program is an MIS design that limits access to

personal identifying treatment information

to authorized persons for purposes stated

in the consent form. The MIS applies the

access rules and can be easily updated to

reflect changes in law, policy, or procedure

without the need to reeducate all those

who would otherwise have to alter their

methods of operation.

Intake Process

The drug court intake process typically

involves the following phases:

1. Initial Eligibility Screening

Individuals are subject to initial screening to

determine their eligibility for the program.

The prospective participant’s criminal history and current charges are compared with

predetermined eligibility criteria. For example, many drug court target populations

exclude individuals with criminal convictions for violent offenses. Some drug court

MISs record both an offense history and current charges. In addition, the system may

note other pending cases that require decisions concerning program eligibility and

how they will be handled in the event of

program enrollment.
Introduction

5

2. Initial Substance Abuse Screening

The second phase of the intake process

determines whether the prospective 

participant has a substance abuse problem.

This often involves using a standardized

questionnaire, frequently called a screening

instrument, to determine the nature of the

individual’s dependency and suitability for

the drug court program. Can the problem be

addressed by available treatment services?

The screening instrument may be part of

the MIS. Whether or not the questionnaire

responses and interviewer observations are

entered in the MIS, the conclusions drawn

may be recorded in the MIS. Even though

this activity precedes and does not ensure

the admission of an apparently eligible subject, this information is valuable for program

evaluation purposes.

3. Assessment

Either immediately before or after clients

are selected for the drug court program,

they undergo an assessment to identify

specific psychosocial problems and treatment needs. An assessment instrument,

which may be included in the MIS, is often

employed during this phase. In addition,

the MIS may be used to match a client with

available and appropriate treatment

resources.

4. Admission

Admission to a drug court program

requires participant agreement to comply

with conditions set by the court and a

knowledgeable consent that authorizes disclosure of treatment information to the

court and other drug court team partners.

Oversight

Requirements for participants in drug court

programs include substance abuse treatment and frequent drug testing on a regular

or random basis. Some MISs are designed

to help staff set the actual compliance

requirements, for example, the number of

required drug tests, kind of treatment,

number of visits, and so forth. Positive drug

test results and other noncompliance

events are typically recorded in the MIS for

the judge and drug court team members

and as a basis for discussion of sanctions.

Any imposed sanction should be recorded

in the MIS in order to establish a clearly

documented history of events and responses. Similarly, positive actions, noteworthy

progress events, and associated awards also

should be recorded in the MIS. The MIS

can also be a vehicle for immediate communication, as warranted, among the drug

court team members.

Most drug courts conduct a staffing conference that precedes the calling of the day’s

drug court calendar. This conference often

relies on the MIS for status information

about all persons scheduled to appear

before the court. Some systems, in addition

to containing various preformatted information fields, allow the judge and perhaps

other team members to enter free-form

narrative notes into the system. These may

serve as reminders of things to discuss with

a program participant or as aids for recalling why a particular decision or recommendation was made.

The MIS is fundamentally important to the

day-to-day decisionmaking of the drug

court, but its significance does not end

there. The drug court should monitor its

activities to determine whether they

remain true to the original plan for the

court:

■ Is the drug court serving the target

population?

■ Are eligibility determinations being

made in a consistent, unbiased fashion?

■ Are the interrelationships among the

judicial, legal, and treatment communities functioning as envisioned?
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

6

MIS documentation can help the drug

court answer these questions and weigh

the need for changes to original plans.

Most drug court programs receive financial

support from multiple sources, including

Federal, State, and local government agencies. The MIS is used to collect specific

data that the drug court is required to

report as a condition of continued funding.

Typically, although not always, the information sought by funding and oversight

agencies also serves the operational or

evaluative interests of the drug court 

program.

In many communities, a wide range of

stakeholders have a keen interest in the

drug court. The entities that control the

purse strings certainly need to be kept

informed, as do political and legislative

leaders who steer public policy. Many will

take the position that the largest and most

intensely affected constituency is the community. What information is available to

inform stakeholders? The evaluation plan

is the key. Whether stakeholders are evaluating individual participant results or

broad-based program effects, the role of the

MIS is critically important. It is here that

the drug court evaluator and researcher

may look for baseline data and other information essential for determining the effectiveness of the program. Thus, the MIS will

also aid the drug court in demonstrating its

effectiveness.

None of the systems discussed in this report

completely support all the functional areas

and activities of the drug court. However,

each in its own way supplies a sound foundation for building a comprehensive MIS.

Software Terminology

This report uses the following softwarerelated terminology:

Operating System

The operating system provides computer

hardware with instructions to perform

tasks. It serves as the brain of the computer, as the hardware cannot perform any

function without the operating system.

Microsoft’s Windows 95/98 is the most

common operating system found on desktop and laptop computers. Several systems,

including Windows NT and Unix, are frequently used to enable multiple computers

to function on a network.

Application

An application is a specific software program in its entirety; for example, Microsoft

Word and Excel are applications.

User Interface

The user interface is the software that creates the part of an application with which

the user interacts.

Database

Database software stores data. Sometimes

the application software comes with a database that may be used with a user interface. For example, Microsoft Access is a

user interface and database software. Software developers can use Microsoft Access

as a user interface with another database

or use it as a database with a different user

interface.

Summary of Software

Applications

The table at right lists basic information

about each MIS reviewed in this report.

Features and functions and basic modules

are listed; these do not precisely match the

composition and names of the modules in

each of the software applications used in

the four drug court jurisdictions. Each

application has its own set of modules and

naming conventions, but the general categories are almost identical.
Introduction

7

Overview of Drug Court Management Information Systems Reviewed in This Report

— Drug Court and MIS —

Buffalo Drug Washington/Baltimore Brooklyn Treatment South Florida 

Court: DMIS HIDTA: HATTS Court: TA HIDTA: TARS/JAMS

Features and Functions

Operating system Windows Windows Windows Windows

95/98/NT 95/98/2000/NT 95/NT 95/98/NT

User interface Microsoft Access Visual Basic (VB) PowerBuilder Visual Basic (VB)

(client-server) (client-server) (client-server)

Database software Microsoft Access Microsoft SQL Server Sybase SQL 11 Microsoft SQL Server

Access Dial-up network Dial-up network Dial-up network, Dial-up network

(if not on network) dedicated line

Resources needed Microsoft Access VB programmer PowerBuilder VB programmer

to make independent programmer SQL server programmer SQL server DB 

modifications manager Sybase SQL DB manager

manager

System documentation Some Highly detailed Some Some

Training manual Yes Yes No No

Online help Yes Yes Yes Yes

Level of support needed Low High High High

Acquisition requirements None Detailed agreement Detailed agreement Detailed agreement; 

and training costs training and

acquisition costs

Basic Modules

Intake Yes Yes Yes Yes

Assessment instruments None ASI, CAI, BPRS–M, Custom assessment ASI, CAI, ASAM

DSM–IV, GAF, HIV Risk,

MECE, MECN, QOL, RTC

Judicial case management Yes No No Some

Special screens for different No Yes Yes Yes

drug court practitioners

Management of referrals to Some Yes Yes Yes

treatment providers

Treatment case management Yes Yes Yes Yes

Criminal supervision Some Yes Some Some

case management

Drug testing management Yes Yes Yes Yes

Operations management Some (relatively Yes (many) Yes (for statewide Some

reports easy to create) system but otherwise

difficult to create)

Federal reporting Yes Yes Yes No

(DCPO grantees)
9

II. 

Buffalo Drug Court: 

Database Management

Information System

he Buffalo Drug

Court’s Database Management Information

System (DMIS) supports the city’s Court Outreach Unit Referral and Treatment Service (COURTS), an

extensive social services treatment consortium and referral program for persons

charged with misdemeanors, felonies, or

probation violations. The program serves

defendant-clients appearing before any of

the 13 judges of the Buffalo City Court, a

court of original jurisdiction that handles

arraignments for all levels of cases. The

Buffalo Drug Court functions within the

environment of COURTS. However, unlike

other courts, the Buffalo Drug Court has a

full-time judge supported by COURTS, and

the program provides the Buffalo Drug

Court with administrative and case management services.

DMIS was originally created as a simple

tracking system to assist COURTS. It was

designed and developed by court personnel, not professional software developers.

T DMIS continues to be enhanced in

response to the evolving requirements of

the Buffalo City Court. As the drug court

movement expands to other jurisdictions,

it is evident that an inexpensive automated

information system could be a highly valuable asset.

The Buffalo Drug Court donated DMIS free

of charge to DCPO to help other drug court

communities. It has been distributed to

more than 100 drug courts across the

country through the Drug Court Clearinghouse at American University (www.american.edu/justice/drugcourts.html) and the

National Criminal Justice Reference

Service (www.ncjrs.org).

DMIS collects basic information helpful for

intake, makes treatment referrals, and

tracks clients through the drug court

process. It is written in Microsoft Access,

which is readily available and modifiable.

A virtual tour of the Buffalo software application is available on the Drug Court

Technology Web site (developed by the
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

10

Center for Court Innovation) at www.

drugcourttech.org/tours2_1_2.html.

Acquisition Requirements 

and Costs

The National Criminal Justice Reference

Service can provide a demonstration version of the software free of charge to any

jurisdiction. The software may be installed

and modified to better meet local requirements. Any costs incurred for data communications associated with the acquisition of

hardware or modification of the DMIS software are the responsibility of the drug

court.

Contact Information

For a copy of the software program, 

contact:

National Criminal Justice Reference 

Service (NCJRS)

P.O. Box 6000

Rockville, MD 20849–6000

Telephone: (800) 851–3420

Internet: www.ncjrs.org

For information or documentation about

the software, contact:

Hank Pirowski or Jose Ferrer

City of Buffalo Drug Court

50 Delaware Avenue, #400

Buffalo, NY 14202

Telephone: (716) 851–5178

Basic System Elements

Operating System

DMIS runs on Microsoft Windows 95/98 

or NT.

User Interface

DMIS is written in Microsoft Access for

Windows. This program is inexpensive to

purchase or license compared with other

programs discussed in this report. Microsoft

Access is widely used to create databases

that can be searched and sorted. It can be

purchased by itself or as part of Microsoft

Office Suite (Professional Edition). Many

nonprofessional programmers have taught

themselves Microsoft Access programming.

Instructional materials and courses are

widely available on CD–ROM and at many

computer stores and educational institutions, making local modification of the program feasible at minimal cost. Microsoft

Access also allows local jurisdictions to customize reports and meet various data collection needs much more easily than more

complex software packages. However, mastery of either Microsoft Access or the DMIS

database structure can be a challenging

task.

Database

The DMIS database is also written in

Microsoft Access. All the advantages mentioned in the User Interface Software section also apply to using Microsoft Access as

a database. It is important to note that

Microsoft Access is not a relational database software program. Consequently, it is

limited in terms of how much data it can

handle and how it handles data. Microsoft

Access is not as well designed for networks

as the other database software mentioned

in this report. The larger the system, the

more performance problems users will

encounter.

Access

DMIS can be used on networks and

accessed via other common methods 

of accessing programs on a network.

Basic Modules

Personal

This module collects client demographic,

address, and contact information.
Buffalo Drug Court

11

Cases

This module collects court case information, referrals, and a listing of cases by

judge with contact dates, return court

dates, and dispositions.

Legal

This module collects four criminal history

data elements: (1) past arson convictions,

(2) past violent crime convictions, (3)

number of arrests in the past 24 months,

and (4) number of months incarcerated in

the past 24 months.

Community Service

This module collects specific operational

data about client involvement in community service, such as location, contacts, 

hours completed, and so forth, facilitating

monitoring of client community service

obligations.

Medical

This module collects basic medical and

insurance information, such as name of

physician and medications.

Mental Health

This module registers any known client

mental health diagnoses, medications, and

hospitalizations.

AOD

The Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) module records the client’s primary, secondary,

and tertiary drugs of choice, along with use

patterns.

Treatment History

This module records known treatment history by agency, kind of care, dates, and

outcomes.

Auditing

This module is used for tracking program

fee collections.

Releases

This module contains all releases of information authorized by the client.

Linkage

This module collects other agency referrals

(usually for treatment) and registers basic

information, such as name of provider,

therapist, and other basic contact and

referral information.

Comments

This module contains the staff’s general

comments.

Reports

This module collects, and allows for variations of, form letters to be sent to the court

in reference to the client’s performance.

TOX

This module collects drug test information,

such as the test date, the drugs for which

the client was tested, and the test results.

Photo

This module can contain a digital photograph of the client.

Documentation

Although the DMIS interface is user-friendly,

a basic manual is available that shows and

describes most screens and discusses the

database structure. The manual does not

provide information about modifying the

application or creating management reports,

and there are no online help functions. For

additional information or documentation,

call Pirowski or Ferrer at the Buffalo Drug

Court at (716) 851–5178.

System Description

Intake

DMIS has no distinct intake module; rather,

portions of different screens capture and

present information typical of intake activity. The Personal screen contains the main

client information, including name,

address, contact numbers, Social Security
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

12

number, date of birth, ethnicity, gender,

marital status, number of children, school,

educational level, age, reading ability,

employer name, annual income, and

source of income. Additional intake information is collected in other modules.

Assessment

There is no separate assessment capability

in DMIS. Several screens allow users to

record basic personal, medical, mental

health, and substance abuse information,

but they do not collect more detailed

assessment data. Unless DMIS is modified,

users of the application must continue to

use any standardized or custom assessment

outside the system. However, users may

record the details of this outside assessment in narrative notes in DMIS. The 

Buffalo Drug Court relies on treatment

providers to assess clients and record and

maintain this information.

Substance Abuse

Two screens record substance use and

treatment history information. Neither provides a formal assessment. The first screen

collects three drugs of choice and, for each,

information about substance, age at first

use, route (method of use), frequency, and

amount of use. The second screen records

basic information about the client’s treatment history, such as dates of treatment,

agency or organization providing services,

level of treatment, and outcome.

Mental Health

One screen in DMIS collects some basic

mental health data. A provision is made for

recording past formal mental health evaluations, diagnoses, hospitalizations, medication(s), and self-reported sexual abuse.

Psychological/Social History

DMIS contains no assessment tools such as

the Addictions Severity Index. The system,

however, allows users to list diagnoses

resulting from the use of a mental health or

substance use evaluative instrument.

Medical

One screen collects basic medical information, including name of client’s insurance

company and physician as well as medication and pregnancy histories.

Criminal Information

The Legal screen contains four data elements, allowing users to collect the following criminal background information about

program participants: (1) past arson convictions, (2) past violent crime convictions,

(3) number of arrests in the past 24

months, and (4) number of incarcerations

in the past 24 months. There is no direct

link to any local law enforcement criminal

history system or the State’s criminal

records repository.

Education

DMIS contains no formal education section, but the Personal module does record

the client’s level of education, ability to

read/write, school attendance, and school

name.

Capability To Add Assessment Instruments

Automated standard assessment profiles

are increasingly commonplace within the

treatment community. Many assessments

are added to applications without sharing

any data. It would be relatively easy to add

an assessment capability to DMIS but

much more difficult to integrate the actual

assessment so that it automatically updates

data or exchanges data with other segments of the system.

Client Information

Identifiers

The system records identifiers commonly

collected with client demographic and

court information, such as name, date of

birth, case number, and so forth.
Buffalo Drug Court

13

Search Parameters

DMIS enables users to search for program

participant information by first and last

names (separately), court case number

(docket number), and many other fields.

This allows various staff to look up cases by

the criteria most important to them. A

court clerk or judge might use case numbers as the main reference for his or her

work. A caseworker might use the client’s

name (first or last), and others may want

to locate a person or groups of people by

other fields, such as positive drug tests.

Staff can also look up clients by searching

on other fields such as primary and secondary treatment providers.

Users, even those with limited Microsoft

Access experience, can design searches to

access the information they need. One staff

person may want to identify all new clients

to assign them to a treatment provider.

Another may want to list all the clients

who failed to appear in court to prepare

court notices, while another may want to

track positive drug tests to identify the

most commonly used drugs when program

participants relapse.

Addresses

DMIS collects the client’s current address.

It does not allow staff to collect previous

addresses or to retain a client’s former

addresses. Addresses are kept in a simple

format, with fields for address, city, State,

ZIP Code and extension, and two telephone

numbers, one of which is an emergency

contact number.

Other Contacts

Other contact information is entered in

DMIS in a free-form notes format. The 

system does not collect separate information about family members and significant

others.

Employment

DMIS contains three fields that relate to

employment: employer name, source of

income, and annual income. The application does not allow staff to collect employment data for community supervision case

management purposes. Case management

requires operational data, such as details

of each job (address, telephone number,

supervisor, type of job, date started, verification data, date ended, reason for leaving

or termination, and more). Clients often

change jobs or have more than one parttime job.

Financial Information

DMIS collects employer name, source of

income, annual income, and basic insurance data. It does not provide any community supervision case management

capability. Case management could require

a list of all assets, rate(s) of pay from particular jobs, and a list of regular and

unusual expenses, such as child support

and other family requirements. 

Education

DMIS collects education information about

clients, such as level of education, current

school enrollment, name of school, and

ability to read and write. 

Criminal History

Criminal history information collected in

DMIS is limited to data entered on the Legal

screen, which presents summary information about arrests and incarcerations within

the past 24 months. These fields do not

interface with other systems, such as the

State criminal records repository, that could

automatically update the records (albeit

with considerable difficulty).

Case Management

DMIS has a universal case management

tool: the Triage screen summarizes information from many parts of the system. It
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

14

combines information from the following

screens: Personal, Drug History, Mental

Health, Treatment Referral Agency or

Linkages, Release of Information, and

Court. The Triage screen is used to obtain

a quick summary of a client’s progress.

Information entered through the Triage

screen will appear in the appropriate specialty screen and vice versa.

A narrative Notes section can be programmed to be accessed by all parties or

only by those with limited access.

Provider/Treatment

DMIS provides two screens that collect

information about treatment providers.

The first screen, Linkages, details referral

information, such as referral date and time,

treatment agency, program, therapist, and

discharge date and reason. It also includes

the name of the client’s probation officer

and whether the client is assigned to a dayreporting program. The second screen

tracks treatment events. It is a simple grid

that allows either the treatment agency

staff or the supervision case manager to

track treatment sessions and drug tests. It

records attendance at treatment sessions,

drug test dates, substance(s) for which the

client was tested, and test results.

Consents or Releases of Information

The system allows users to record information about what client releases have been

signed; this is entered in a special text box.

The system has no inherent automated

control or security that restricts access by

user or limits access to information about

any client in the database.

Court

DMIS focuses on the court process. It can

track multiple current cases and events

within each case. The Cases screen is

divided into two sections. The first section

pertains to the intake process, recording

that a drug court interview was conducted,

the name of the interviewer and judge,

docket number, most severe charge, and

results of the case. The second section

records contact dates, court return dates

and times, and disposition and sentence

information in more detail. It allows staff to

enter future court return dates.

Court/Criminal Supervision

DMIS does not have a separate section to

collect data on criminal justice supervision

or court-ordered requirements. A supervision agent can record treatment provider

and court information but not any criminal

justice agency contacts. All events are

recorded through the other screens, such

as the Case, AOD (treatment), and other

screens.

Drug Test Management

The DMIS TOX screen records drug test

information, including test date, the

drug(s) for which the client was tested, 

and test results.

Operations Management

Information

Reports

DMIS offers a set of preformatted reports—

printable letters that advise the court of

client compliance or noncompliance.

Ad Hoc Reports

Because DMIS is written in Microsoft

Access, extracting data from the system is

relatively easy without using any other

report-writing software. Data can be gathered in different formats using crosstabulations, as long as the information is

entered in a format that fits the data

request. For example, collecting “average

education level” of participants is possible

only if the system collects “number of years

in school” or “highest grade completed.”
Buffalo Drug Court

15

Evaluation and Research

Information 

Users can extract information from the

database for both operations management

and research purposes. Before local information needs in other jurisdictions are

met, some modifications to the system will

likely be necessary. There are no prepared

reports supporting process or outcome

analysis; that is, examination of aggregate

information.

Navigation and User Tool Screens

Navigation in DMIS is fairly intuitive. The

system offers a set of menus that allows

users to access a single case and obtain a

list of cases for court on a particular date,

among other things. Within each client

record, a simple “file tab” design allows the

user to jump easily from one screen to

another. The Triage screen is a very useful

feature that provides an overview of the

individual client and enables users to

update basic information.

Drug Court Role Screens

The Triage screen summarizes information

from many different areas of the system.

This provides an overview of a client’s progress. It includes demographic, court, mental health, drug use history, and treatment

referral information. Data are automatically

updated from other screens or through

direct entry through the Triage screen. A

separate treatment management screen, the

TOX screen, shows all treatment events,

including drug test results and treatment

attendance or nonattendance.

Speed

Overall, DMIS responds fairly quickly, but

system response is greatly influenced by

the number of records in the system and

the amount of information associated with

each record. Low- to medium-capacity drug

courts are likely to find DMIS fast enough

to accommodate their needs when the

database is mounted on a desktop computer. Buffalo Drug Court staff recently

achieved faster performance by establishing a server-based system, which is now

accessed by 16 desktop computers.

Security

As delivered, DMIS has little in the way of

built-in security measures. There is no

inherent automated control or security that

restricts access by user or limits access to

information about any client in the database. Security can be enhanced by modifying the Microsoft Access program. The

system allows users to record details about

client consent form authorizations for disclosure of personal identifying treatment

information.

Portability

DMIS is portable and easily installed on

most desktop computers. However, screen

terminology will likely be unfamiliar to

staff in other jurisdictions. Local requirements and differences in workflow will

compound the problem and almost certainly necessitate modifying DMIS to effectively

integrate it into the day-to-day operations

of a drug court.

Ongoing Development

Users of older versions of DMIS or those

acquiring copies from sources other than

the Buffalo Drug Court do not benefit from

the court’s continual enhancements. Newer

features and improvements are described

below.

■ Several screens are easier to read,

resulting from the addition of color to

some of the fields.
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

16

■ Users can no longer enter duplicate

docket (case) numbers.

■ Enhanced-use combo-boxes (small

drop-down boxes that present forcedchoice options) have been added, facilitating the selection of acceptable fields.

■ DMIS separates court information by

case or judge, reducing confusion. Formerly, the system displayed all court

dates for all pending cases, including

cases being heard in different courtrooms.

■ Digital photos can be added to the database. The operational system in Buffalo

now includes records with digital photos of clients.

■ A new separate screen is used to track

client consent to release information.

This is not an automated process but

instead allows the user to enter the

names of the organizations for which

such releases are authorized in a Notes

field.

■ Staff now can track community service

sentences separately by case and by

type and cumulative hours of community service.

■ The system now includes some automated calculations (for example, number of days between the date of

admission to and separation from the

program).

■ The COURTS intake process requires

active participation by the prospective

client, including his or her review of

certain screens to ensure the accuracy

of information as it is entered. Consequently, a decision has been made to

create Spanish-language versions of

several screens that clients typically

observe.
17

ince November 1999,

the Washington/

Baltimore MIS has

been administered by

the Bureau of Governmental Research at

the University of Maryland. Originally created with funding from the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area

(HIDTA), the HIDTA Automated Treatment

and Tracking System (HATTS) is primarily

supported today by Maryland’s Alcohol and

Drug Abuse Administration. HATTS, which

focuses on treatment case management,

has two parent software applications:

1. The Treatment Automated Referral

System, developed by the South 

Florida HIDTA in conjunction with the

Washington/Baltimore HIDTA. Subsequently, the two HIDTAs separated 

all ongoing application development

efforts. As the systems underwent modifications, they took on different features, capabilities, and characteristics.

2. The Drug Testing Management System

(DTMS), developed by the District of

Columbia Pretrial Services Agency as

an automated drug testing and reporting system, automates the urine testing

process by preparing barcoded stickers

that track specimens through the entire

testing process. Test results are automatically updated in the case management database.

Outside the Washington/Baltimore area,

HATTS is used in Jackson County, Missouri. The Jackson County Prosecuting

Attorney’s COMBAT Program in Kansas

City added several assessment questionnaires and made other modifications.

These enhancements were permitted and

encouraged under a cooperative agreement

with the University of Maryland. Another

jurisdiction that has worked with the University of Maryland to implement HATTS 

is the drug court in Key West, Florida.

III. 

Washington/Baltimore High

Intensity Drug Trafficking Area:

Automated Treatment and

Tracking System

S
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

18

Acquisition Requirements

and Costs

Two methods have been used to disseminate HATTS. In both cases, prospective

user agencies negotiated a cooperative

agreement. The first method is represented

by a number of user agencies in the Washington/Baltimore area that implemented

the system either through reliance on the

server operated by HATTS staff at the University of Maryland or independently on

their own server. This requires data communications capability and the ability to

maintain local-area network equipment.

Under this approach, HATTS staff maintain

the database and the software. System

modifications and training are provided

free of charge to participating agencies. In

the second method, other jurisdictions

acquire HATTS as a separate system.

HATTS is a complex system that requires

support and training.

A jurisdiction planning to implement

HATTS should prepare a requirements

analysis of its operation as an aid to developing a HATTS modification design and

implementation plan. These steps should

be taken in close coordination with the

HATTS administration. A close cooperative

relationship with the University of Maryland also provides a foundation for sharing

future system enhancements.

Contact Information

Stephan Sherman

University of Maryland

Bureau of Governmental Research

4511 Knox Road, Suite 301

College Park, MD 20740

Telephone: (301) 403–4448

Fax: (301) 403–4404

E-mail: ssherman@bgr.umd.edu

Basic System Elements

Operating System

HATTS runs on Microsoft Windows

95/98/2000 or NT.

User Interface

HATTS is written in Microsoft Visual Basic.

This Windows-based, 32-bit client-server

software has few limitations in terms of its

generic capability. It can be used for any

application size and can operate on a single, stand-alone computer, or on small or

large local- and wide-area networks.

Database

The HATTS database uses Microsoft’s SQL

(Sequel) Server, a powerful database that

accommodates systems of various sizes. It

is a complex database that requires more

sophisticated levels of maintenance than

smaller, less powerful databases. Microsoft’s

SQL Server and Visual Basic are designed

to work together.

Access

The University of Maryland HATTS staff

maintains a large central database for its

user agencies in the Washington/Baltimore

area. The database is designed with access

and security controls that restrict the

retrieval, viewing, and updating of specific

data to authorized agencies. These security

controls accommodate multiple agency

data-sharing agreements to be accommodated as if each were effectuated on its own

computer system. There are several Washington/Baltimore jurisdictions—for example, Alexandria and Prince William

Counties in Virginia—that use HATTS on

stand-alone computer hardware. In these

cases, agencies must independently obtain

SQL Server software and maintenance

capabilities.
Washington/Baltimore

19

Basic Modules

Intake

In this module, users can enter client data

into the database, establishing clients as

candidates for drug court or as enrolled

clients. Entering the requisite data results in

the generation of a unique identifier number

for each potential or existing client.

Assessment

This module collects data that screens and

evaluates client risks and needs, using

standardized instruments that are provided

with the system.

Referrals to Providers

This module helps staff refer clients 

to appropriate treatment provider

organizations.

Supervision Case Leveling

This module allows criminal justice supervision staff to establish case levels and

monitor level compliance.

Case Management by Treatment Staff

This module establishes client treatment

requirements and tracks compliance. 

Drug Testing

This module collects data on client drug

tests and results.

Graduated Sanctions

This module tracks client violations of

treatment conditions and the treatment

provider response.

State and Local Reporting

This module provides preformatted reports

and information that can be used for local

and State reports.

System Administration

This module enables the system administrator to perform maintenance activities.

Among other tasks, the system administrator can enter and delete users, add and

delete treatment providers, and establish

or change user security levels.

Documentation

The HATTS application has a training manual and a user’s guide. Written documentation is extensive and detailed, and an

online help feature is available. 

System Description

Intake

The intake process involves entering limited personal information about the client,

including name, race and ethnicity, identification numbers, two contact telephone

numbers, an address, and so forth. (Users

can add, modify, and store additional

addresses subsequent to intake.) Users can

access the Intake screen from any computer on the HATTS network. The application

automatically records the location, user’s

name, time, and referral source. HATTS

creates a unique system identification

number for the client, which consists of

the client’s gender, birth date, Social Security number (last four digits), and last

name (first two letters of the last name).

Assessment

Users complete client assessments in

HATTS by using a number of built-in standardized instruments developed by third

parties. These instruments are available in

paper format; the developers then automate them for products that are in the

public domain. If a product is not in the

public domain, these instruments can be

purchased for use as a module that can be

integrated with the rest of the application.

The assessment instruments in HATTS can

be reproduced on screen or paper.

The assessment instruments are treated as

distinct parts of the system. For the most

part, they do not share information among

themselves or with other HATTS modules;

generally, assessment data are neither
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

20

updated through nor exchanged with other

parts of the system. Consequently, the

same or similar questions may be asked in

a module and in several instruments. This

requires users to enter repetitive information. Limited assessment data are linked to

the needs assessment and referral process

and included in State reporting as required.

Assessment data may be shared electronically with other agencies by consent.

Assessment Instruments in HATTS

■ Addictions Severity Index (ASI).

■ Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale–

Modified (BPRS–M).

■ Client Assessment Instrument (CAI).

■ Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of

Mental Disorders–Fourth Edition

(DSM–IV).

■ Global Assessment Functioning Scale

(GAF).

■ HIV Risk Assessment (HIV).

■ Medical Evaluation Checklist–

Emergency (MECE).

■ Medical Evaluation Checklist–

Nonemergency (MECN).

■ Quality of Life Questionnaire (QOL).

■ Readiness to Change Questionnaire

(RTC).

Substance Abuse

CAI and ASI allow users to undertake

extensive and intensive assessments of 

the type and frequency of client drug use.

HATTS handles the assessment function

and tracks the client’s substance abuse

treatment while under supervision very

well.

Mental Health

The CAI, ASI, and BPRS–M instruments

contain sections that record current and

past mental health information about

clients. HATTS also records DSM–IV 

classifications.

Psychological/Social History

CAI, ASI, QOL, and RTC collect psychological and social history data.

Medical

CAI, ASI, HIV, MECE, and MECN collect

information about current and past physical health.

Criminal Information

ASI and CAI collect extensive self-reported

criminal history information for assessment purposes.

Education

ASI and CAI collect extensive educational

history information.

Capability To Add Assessment 

Instruments

Additional assessment instruments can 

be added to HATTS, enabling jurisdictions

to add their own locally developed 

instruments.

Client Information

Identifiers

As previously mentioned, following intake,

HATTS creates a unique client identifier

based on the client’s gender, birth date,

Social Security number (last four digits),

and last name (first two letters). Specific

client data include name, birth date,

Social Security number, alias, and alternate number.

Search Parameters

Users can locate a record in HATTS by

using the client’s name, alias, and alternate

number. Clients cannot be located or identified by any other search parameters, such

as date of entry, other events, or physical

description.
Washington/Baltimore

21

Education

ASI and CAI collect historical information

during the assessment process, but do not

collect much information about the client’s

education that could be made available for

case management purposes (such as school

the client is currently attending, address,

and contact persons). In terms of collected

client education data, it would be preferable to allow users to change the details

during the period of supervision and maintain historical records.

Criminal History

The screen that collects information about

the client’s criminal history captures data

generally used in assessments, such as age

at first arrest and number of convictions.

CAI and ASI also collect extensive criminal

information in an assessment format. The

system does not provide a way for users to

list specific past criminal events (including

associated dates, locations, and charges)

often needed for case management purposes. A criminal justice supervisor may need

the specifics of a client’s criminal history,

such as jurisdiction and probation officer’s

name, and so forth. This is the type of

information that is not captured during the

assessment process.

Case Management

Provider/Treatment

Treatment agencies can access HATTS

remotely by telephone. The application’s

treatment case management capability is

thorough and allows multiple agencies to

work with a client. HATTS allows recording

of and access to events at two levels of

management:

1. Treatment agency manager. Agency 

managers can access information about 

events involving their agency and other 

information that they are authorized to 

see, such as drug tests.

Aliases

The system collects aliases and alternate

numbers; however, to be used as a search

parameter, the user must specify whether

the search is on an alternate number or

an alias.

Addresses

The address format comprises fields for

street address, city, State, ZIP Code and

extension, and two telephone numbers.

Users can record only one address per client

at intake. Users cannot record previous or

alternative addresses at intake, but can

record these later. The database tracks the

dates on which these changes are made.

Other Contacts

Users must enter other contacts’ information in a free-form notes format. Family

and significant others are not recorded

separately in the database.

Employment

HATTS does not capture information about

the client’s past and current employment,

such as employer name, address, supervisor, telephone numbers, or job description.

This type of information is helpful for criminal or treatment case managers who

supervise clients living in the community.

The assessment instruments capture extensive general information about employment

history, but this information is not shared

with other parts of the system.

Financial Information

HATTS does not collect or make available

for case management purposes specific

financial information about the client,

including salary, property, real estate, or

legal and financial obligations such as child

support. Although salary information is collected during the assessment process, this

information is not available for case management purposes. 
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

22

2. Case manager. The case manager can 

access information about all treatment 

agency events.

Referral

HATTS includes an automated provider

referral process as a part of the Assessment

module. Staff completes a checklist of needs

and categorizes each as either primary or

secondary. Assessment instruments link partial data with specific responses in the

needs-assessment checklist. Wide-ranging

fields include vocation/education, medical,

legal, social, mental health, and counseling

services. Users can enter additional criteria,

such as gender-specific needs, adult/juvenile

classification, treatment modality, county,

and State. The system matches client needs

to provider services and issues a list of suitable providers based on the percentage of

the client’s needs that each provider can

meet. Staff can also select a provider manually by entering nonautomated criteria.

Staff may use the system to set an appointment with the provider or place clients on a

waiting list. The system automatically notifies the provider of the appointment. Staff

may set appointments with many providers

at one time and may also set appointments

directly with outside providers and other

units within their agency without using the

Assessment module.

Consents or Releases of Information

HATTS is carefully designed to ensure that

information is not released or made available unless the proper client consents have

been obtained. The referring agency must

approve any information release and consent to the release of specific information

to another agency as a part of the

referral/appointment process, such as

■ ASI.

■ CAI, intake.

■ Assessment/needs/admission.

■ Discharge/case history.

■ Client summary details.

■ Case management/sanctions/

progress/probation/drug testing.

A participating provider agency may

request specific client records from another provider agency using HATTS and must

use the consent process for authorization

to access records. The system allows an

agency to accept another agency’s declaration that a client has signed a consent form

and it is on file, but an agency may choose

not to authorize access until it receives a

signed release.

Court

HATTS does not contain a court case management module. Users may record freeform notes in one of the other management

areas such as criminal justice or treatment.

The system has no set method for tracking

court docket(s), bond issues, or case

events; the name of the judge, prosecutor,

or defense counsel; or other case-related

issues and events.

Criminal Justice Case-Leveling and 

Community Management

Supervision-tracking screens allow criminal case managers to monitor what has

occurred in a client’s case. Supervision

case-leveling screens provide these managers with the ability to define what types

of contacts and field work are required on

a case and how frequently these contacts

should occur. Neither set of screens, however, enables staff to schedule future events

or to be alerted when an event does or

does not occur. HATTS allows users to

select various types of actual contacts or

events from a list. These can be modified

from one jurisdiction to the next. Users can

enter narrative information, which basically involves writing notes online. The

system automatically records information

such as date, time, and counselor name
Washington/Baltimore

23

based on who is signed on to the system

at a given time.

HATTS allows a jurisdiction to establish different sets of requirements for each level of

supervision. An example would be the various kinds of contacts and the number that

the case manager or client are required to

complete. This might include the need to

verify the client’s employment and to document that finding in the system.

Other Referrals

In addition to making direct referrals to all

agencies that use the HATTS network,

criminal case supervisors can record referrals made for other services listed in

HATTS, such as vocational training, counseling, and life skills. They can also record

the source of the referral. HATTS does not

list the actual providers or their services,

nor does it automatically match needs to

providers outside the HATTS network.

There is no apparent sharing of data

between this function and those in the

treatment case management portion of

HATTS. 

Criminal History

The Criminal History screen captures data

on the client’s current charges and a criminal history summary.

Graduated Sanctions

The Graduated Sanctions module requires

the responsible case manager to record

each supervision/treatment violation and

identify the action taken in response. A

summary screen presents all violations/

responses for each client. The user selects

from a list of violations, and then picks

from the list of possible sanctions. This is

not limited to the criminal supervision

module and underscores the Washington/

Baltimore HIDTA philosophy that every violation requires sharing information to elicit

a possible response from multiple agencies

and that responses should be coordinated

and incrementally more severe if and when

additional violations occur.

Drug Test Management

DTMS allows users to enter data and track

drug tests manually or automatically. In

some jurisdictions within the Washington/

Baltimore area, the process is fully automated. Each urine sample is barcoded, and

test results are automatically entered into

the case management software. All drug

test results are available in the system in a

summary format that identifies the tests

that were performed and the results.

Operations Management

Information

Reports

HATTS offers a wide variety of report

formats about individuals, counselor

caseloads, agency caseloads, and the like.

Almost all summary screens throughout the

system can be printed in hard copy. Some

examples are

■ Active cases by site and counselor.

■ Case history: lists all treatment events

by client by provider.

■ ASI narrative.

■ Consent overrides: lists all consent

overrides.

■ Referral management: lists clients

referred to a treatment provider.

■ Supervision level: lists supervision levels for a specific client.

■ Client information: reports detailed

information about a specific client.

HATTS prepares online and hard copies of

each assessment instrument: ASI, CAI,

BPRS–M, DSM–IV, GAF, HIV, MECE, MECN,

QOL, and RTC. It offers a list of specially

prepared reports for different States and
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

24

localities, and many reports can be downloaded for more manipulation.

Ad Hoc Reports

HATTS includes a feature for agencies and

jurisdictions to export their data to a local

computer. Jurisdictions can then use other

commercially available software, such as

Crystal Reports, to rework information

from the database and create ad hoc

reports for a variety of purposes.

Evaluation and Research

Information

The system is designed to collect information for use in research. The system

administrators at the University of Maryland are especially cognizant of this need.

Staff may use commercially available applications, such as SAS and SPSS, to analyze

data stored in the database.

Navigation and User Tool Screens

Navigation is intuitive; it takes little training for users to become comfortable with

the system. The system makes extensive

use of “summary” screens that allow users

to see an overview of activities or events

but also access details. A number of “tool”

screens, such as the Client Summary

screen, provide the user with access to

client information screens, including

■ Appointments.

■ Significant Events Summary.

■ Drug Review.

■ Treatment Tracking.

■ Case Management.

■ Graduated Sanctions.

■ Instant Arrest History.

■ Admission.

■ Discharge.

■ Assessment.

■ Needs Matching.

■ Client Details.

Drug Court Role Screens

Court

The system is not designed to track court

appearances other than in the most general

way. Users can record court event details

in a Notes section, but there are no fields

to collect information about the disposition

of the court appearance, charge, or case.

Future appearance dates cannot be scheduled, and the system cannot be set to automatically notify staff about upcoming

events.

The system has no screens designed

specifically for criminal justice roles, such

as judge, prosecutor, and defense counsel.

However, the available screens can serve

some of those functions. For example,

summary case management, treatment,

drug testing, and supervision screens can

be used to follow each client’s progress.

The Client Case Management screen is a

door to all other information.

Treatment Case Manager

The system offers screens that enable users

to view the client’s treatment progress.

These screens offer users the ability to

complete an assessment and automatically

select an appropriate treatment provider

from a list of service agencies that meet the

client’s needs. Setting appointments is a

separate process, however.

Supervision Case Manager

This module captures data on different

supervision contacts and allows the supervision case manager to record, but not to

schedule, events. The module also enables

the case manager to record referrals separate and apart from the Treatment module.
Washington/Baltimore

25

Speed

The system is slow when transmitting

across regular telephone lines. This is

attributable, in part, to a database security

design that ensures that each request for

information is allowable under the authorized consents that have been executed by

the participating agencies and clients. 

Security

Database security is designed to ensure

that no information is passed from one

user to another without proper authorization. This level of security may be diminished when the system is accessed on an

independent network external to the

Washington/Baltimore HIDTA central

database. 

Portability

Several jurisdictions in Virginia use HATTS

on separate servers not connected to the

central database operated by the University

of Maryland. Some of these are on networks

and at least one is on a stand-alone computer. In addition, drug courts in Kansas City,

Missouri, and Key West, Florida, are each

operating HATTS as a separate system.

Other Jurisdictions Using HATTS

One or more agencies use the application in

the Virginia counties of Fairfax, Alexandria,

and Prince William. Several Maryland State

agencies, Maryland counties (including

Montgomery, Charles, Howard, and Prince

George’s), and the city of Baltimore also use

the system. The District of Columbia is a

user. The system has been adapted by drug

courts in Missouri and Florida.

Ongoing Development

Similar to the other systems discussed in

this report, the Washington/Baltimore

HATTS is a work in progress. Recent

enhancements include

■ A billing module.

■ Expanded administrative reporting.

■ Extensive inclusion of notes fields.

■ An administrative oversight module

being developed for State agencies.

■ A juvenile system under development.
27

IV.

Brooklyn Treatment Court:

Treatment Application

he Brooklyn Treatment Court (BTC)

uses a custom information system called

the Treatment Application (TA). It was

created and continues to be supported by

the New York City-based Center for Court

Innovation (CCI), in partnership with the

New York State Unified Court System. The

design of TA is an outgrowth of CCI’s work

that produced the award-winning technology used by the Manhattan Midtown Community Court (MMCC). 

MMCC and BTC, though marked innovations

in justice processing, have very different

missions. MMCC’s jurisdiction is limited to

misdemeanors and relatively minor violations. Processing calls for quickly collecting a wide range of information, getting it

before the judge, and quickly moving the

defendant through the justice system. Emphasis is placed on immediate imposition

of community-based treatment referral and

community service as punishment.

BTC, in contrast, has jurisdiction over both

felony and misdemeanor charges. It aims to

quickly screen for program eligibility. Subsequent processing and verification of information is far more detailed. The focus is

on a full psychosocial assessment to determine drug and alcohol treatment, health,

housing, education, and employment needs

and to provide a structure that helps meet

those needs. The system closely tracks the

client’s progress while enrolled in one or

more treatment programs.

Under the aegis of the New York State Office

of Court Administration (OCA), TA has

become the basis for standardized information collection and reporting by drug courts

throughout the State. This is an ongoing

process requiring consultation with each

site and software modification. It is anticipated that eventually 30 or more drug courts

will be using TA with minor variations. Outside New York State, TA has been operating

in Birmingham, Alabama, since 1998, and

in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since 2000.

T
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

28

A virtual tour of TA is available on the

Drug Court Technology Web site

(developed by CCI) at 

www.drugcourttech.org/tours_1_2js.html.

Acquisition Requirements 

and Costs

CCI, in cooperation with the Fund for the

City of New York, controls dissemination of

TA. BTC software is publicly funded, and

the source code is available to interested

jurisdictions. OCA distributes a modified

version of the software throughout New

York State for use by drug courts.

TA is a complex, custom-made, clientserver system. Implementation and support requires experienced and skilled

technology staff. Any jurisdiction planning

to implement the system should prepare 

a thorough analysis of its operation and

available resources before beginning to

modify the system. This should be followed by an implementation plan. CCI 

is available to assist with developing an

understanding of the system or simply to

provide a tour of its operation.

Contact Information

Center for Court Innovation

520 Eighth Avenue, 18th Floor 

New York, NY 10018

Telephone: (212) 373–8088

Fax: (212) 397–0985

Basic System Elements

Operating System

TA runs on Windows NT. It is designed to

be deployed on either local- or wide-area

networks. In BTC, it runs on Digital Alpha

hardware and the UNIX operating system.

User Interface

TA is coded in PowerBuilder 6.5 and is a

32-bit application.

Database

The TA database is Sybase System 11. 

The application can operate on any SQLcompliant database management system.

Access

TA has a large central database, which is

designed with a focus on security and data

protection. BTC is beginning to experiment

with providing treatment providers with

dial-up access to the system. Although it

currently has dial-up capabilities, the system operates better through a more direct

means of connection.

Basic Modules

Assessment

This module provides a custom clinical

screening instrument that assists staff in

determining the client’s level of risk and

needs.

Monitoring

This module tracks client compliance with

court-ordered obligations, such as treatment and drug testing.

Court

This module tracks court dates and calendar parts. It provides a case lookup/search

function by these variables.

System Administration

This module contains TA’s administrative

functions, such as entering and deleting

users, establishing security levels, entering

new providers and codes, and changing

“treatment band” requirements.
Brooklyn Treatment Court

29

Documentation

TA lacks a basic training manual for users.

However, the database is well documented.

System Description

Intake

TA has a central intake function that can

be used from any station in the system.

The system automatically identifies the

staff person recording the intake, the date

and time, and other factors. The system is

designed to receive referrals from many

sources; this information is included in the

demographic section of the assessment.

Assessment

TA includes a custom, comprehensive

assessment function that is typically completed by staff case managers but can be

completed by anyone with access to the

system. The assessment has approximately

20 screens, including

■ Demographics.

■ Residence.

■ Identifications.

■ Education.

■ Family.

■ Children.

■ Family Court.

■ Employment.

■ Physical Health.

■ Mental Health.

■ Hospitalization.

■ Medication.

■ HIV.

■ Substance Use.

■ Treatment History.

■ Treatment Barriers.

■ Abuse.

■ Service Needs.

■ Criminal.

■ Impressions.

The assessment yields two results. First, 

it helps staff place clients into treatment

bands that have set supervision and treatment requirements at each level. All BTC

clients have the same supervision requirements for the first 30 days; afterward, they

are placed in their respective treatment

bands based on the assessment. Although

the requirements for each band are set in

the system, they can be changed by a system administrator. There are four variables

for each treatment band:

■ Frequency of urine testing.

■ Frequency of program attendance.

■ Frequency of court appearances.

■ Frequency of case management 

meetings.

The second result of the assessment is the

selection of a treatment provider. The system helps determine the appropriate treatment provider based on the psychosocial

assessment, treatment modality recommendation, client address, and other factors.

Substance Abuse

The assessment function includes a comprehensive set of questions on client drug

use and history as well as related health

questions and identification of treatment

barriers.

Mental Health

The assessment includes a separate section

on mental health. It provides a comprehensive screening tool and allows recording of

diagnoses.
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

30

Capability To Add Assessment 

Instruments

In addition to the built-in assessment tool,

separate instruments can be used to conduct assessments. TA does not contain any

fields that record the results of these other

assessment instruments, but users can

record results in narrative note fields.

Client Information

Identifiers

TA has a Client Identification screen and

a regular Demographic screen. The two

screens cover a wide range of client identifiers, including one set of aliases. Other

identifiers include Social Security, Medicaid, passport, green card, and driver’s

license numbers as well as military history (the “dd214” form), employment history, and birth certificate.

Search Parameters

Users can search for a client by name and

case numbers but cannot use combinations

of these elements as search parameters. No

other parameters are allowed, such as date

of entry or other events that can be used to

identify a client. The system does not allow

searching on physical descriptions because

that information is not collected.

Aliases

TA collects alias information for first, middle, and last names only. The system can

search on those names.

Addresses

TA collects three addresses: the client’s

residential address, the client’s mailing

address, and a contact address. Multiple

addresses cannot be added as a client

moves from one place to the next while

under supervision; users must instead

record over existing information.

Addresses are kept in full format with fields

for address, apartment, city, State, ZIP Code

Psychological/Social History

TA does not have a single psychosocial

assessment; however, it provides for a comprehensive overview of the client and can

identify most provider needs. In addition,

the system offers separate sections on

Family and Social Situation and Children.

Medical

The system offers a medical screening 

that includes a Trauma section, which

identifies severe negative experiences 

that have occurred in a client’s life. This

section also captures basic insurance 

company information.

Criminal Information

TA contains criminal history information

downloaded from New York State’s criminal

records repository, the Division of Criminal

Justice Services. The criminal history information is downloaded as narrative and is

not available as data that can be used in

other parts of the system. The technical

ability, policies, and statutory authority

regarding online updating of criminal history information to a local drug court information system vary widely across the

country. Many States prohibit sharing this

information, either through secondary dissemination or by providing access to treatment providers and other agencies outside

the criminal justice system.

TA includes a Criminal History Summary

screen that records information such as

the client’s total number of arrests, drug

arrests, misdemeanor and felony convictions, drug convictions, and probation and

parole information. Case managers input

this information.

Education

The system collects a limited amount of

data about the client’s level of education

and vocational education.
Brooklyn Treatment Court

31

and extension, and two telephone numbers. The database can mark the date of

changes and can keep changed address

information, but this function is not readily

available to users.

Other Contacts

TA has fields for one additional contact

and a contact person at the current address.

Additional contacts can be entered only

in note format. Family and significant others are not recorded separately in the

database.

Employment 

A separate screen collects current employment data that are useful for case management in the community (company name,

address, telephone number, supervisor, and

so forth). The screen also collects a few

other data elements, including the longest

duration of employment and income for

the past year. The system does not collect

past employment information, nor does it

retain or retrieve details about client

employment changes that occur while

under supervision.

Financial Information

TA collects only a few basic data elements

regarding the client’s finances, including

primary means of support, nonsalary earnings, and government assistance. More

detailed financial information, such as property, real estate, and legal and financial

obligations, is not collected for case management purposes. The latter information is

used to develop financial plans and budgets

with clients to help them pay their legal

obligations, such as restitution, fines, and

court costs. This information helps determine the client’s eligibility for representation by the public defender and for many

other government assistance programs. For

example, eligibility is a key to BTC funding

of onsite social services.

Case Management

Provider/Treatment

Treatment case management is carefully

designed into TA, and BTC staff have

access to all treatment agency events. The

system has two levels of treatment monitoring corresponding to the following treatment scenarios:

1. Treatment provided by treatment agencies. Before client court dates, BTC

case managers enter treatment information into the system after contacting

the treatment agency to obtain compliance information. BTC intends to

enable treatment agencies to access

and update system information from

their own sites.

2. Onsite treatment provided by BTC.

BTC case managers enter treatment

information, such as visits to the case

manager, acupuncturist sessions, medical assistance, and other treatments

occurring in the court building, at the

time an event occurs.

Referrals

TA includes a provider-referral process that

is based on the assessment. The system

automatically shows the case manager a

list of providers based on the percentage of

the client’s needs that each can meet. This

online Rolodex contains more than 100

providers. Staff can also select a program

manually using nonautomated criteria.

Consents or Releases of Information

The database is designed to ensure that

treatment information disclosure is consistent with signed consent authorizations.

Court

The court case management section is used

primarily within the courtroom. It records

case number, date, court division, and

notes. TA can track cases by date. Operation is independent of the automated
The system is not yet fully automated for

capturing drug test results. Drug tests are

conducted onsite. Staff enter all information regarding the test and its results. Were

another jurisdiction to adopt TA, it is

possible that drug test results could be

automatically updated in the database.

Operations Management

Information

Reports

TA can generate a hard copy of the assessment and other documents. In terms of

management information, however, no programmed reports are readily available. BTC

research staff prepare specialized reports

as necessary.

Ad Hoc Reports

TA offers a great deal of flexibility in creating reports but requires skilled staff to realize this benefit. A jurisdiction may choose

to format its own reports, which can be

created as needed by programmers competent in the use of PowerBuilder or knowledgeable in third-party software tools such

as Crystal Reports.

Evaluation and Research

Information 

Information is readily accessible using fairly common programmer tools. TA has very

few preformatted reports. BTC has a highly

qualified staff person who prepares reports

as needed.

BTC has an advantage in New York State

because client rap sheets can be downloaded from the State’s criminal history

records repository as a narrative document. The document does not provide the

information in separate data elements, but

there are tools that can cull the specific

data from the narrative.

statewide OCA system, which downloads

limited information into TA. TA does not

record details such as current arrest and

charges or name of defense counsel or

prosecutor, although users can enter this

information in the notes.

Case Management in the Community

(Compliance Tracking) 

An overall Compliance screen identifies

the completion status of all court requirements and activities, including drug tests.

A Summary screen summarizes almost all

aspects of the client’s personal situation

and status: criminal history, housing,

employment, education, drug use history,

band level, treatment program, and compliance and treatment events. The system

records this information extremely well

and provides some attractive supervision

monitoring screens that all system users

can use. TA enables the case manager to

enter data efficiently and allows all users

to immediately obtain summary views of 

a client’s performance in meeting courtordered requirements.

Although TA allows staff to record both

onsite and offsite activities, it does not

allow staff to schedule a wide variety of

criminal justice-related appointments. For

example, TA does not have a calendar for

tracking office visits, home visits, payments

of different kinds, community service, or

other events. Without the capability to

track these events, the system cannot alert

the case manager when activities fail to

occur.

Drug Test Management

TA records drug tests and presents the data

in a very attractive and effective manner.

Through the use of color-coding and intuitive screen designs, the screen quickly

informs users how well clients are doing.

Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

32
Brooklyn Treatment Court

33

Assessment

The system uses a built-in assessment

instrument that shares information with

the rest of the application. 

Speed

Indicators suggest that the system performs

adequately for its users associated with

BTC.

Security

The database security is designed to limit

information access to authorized users, as

dictated by consent agreements.

Portability

Other jurisdictions considering adapting TA

should carefully analyze it first. The system

should require training for prospective users

and, most importantly, technical support

staff. A technical assistance agreement with

CCI is advisable. The software requires special skills and resources to operate and

revise. Many drug courts do not have ready

access to the kinds of assets necessary to

operate and maintain TA.

It is not clear how portable the software is

outside New York State. In 1998, TA was

exported to Birmingham, Alabama, to support the Break the Cycle Programs. A considerable amount of investment to redesign

the system was necessary before it could be

implemented. Subsequently, the Philadelphia Drug Court put TA into operation. 

Other Jurisdictions Using TA

The New York State OCA intends to provide all drug courts in the State with access

to a modified version of TA to accommodate local needs. At least 14 drug courts

are currently using TA in New York State.

OCA will provide ongoing support and

maintenance. A variation of TA is in

Navigation and User Tool Screens

Navigation between screens is intuitive.

Extensive training is not needed to begin to

enter or retrieve data. TA uses summary

screens that allow users to see an overview

of activities and events. These screens are

designed so that staff can look at a larger

picture and immediately access details in

any specific area of interest, such as court

appearances or drug tests.

Drug Court Role Screens

TA has several screens that drug court

team members can use. The system’s summary screens present “big picture” information and allow quick access to detail

screens such as Compliance, Treatment

Programs, Rap Sheet, and Appearance.

Users can record details about court events

in a Notes section. However, the system

lacks fields for entering court data (for

example, disposition of client appearances,

charges, or cases); consequently, this information is not searchable. Future court

dates cannot be scheduled or set to inform

staff about an upcoming event. 

Treatment Case Manager 

TA offers very good screens for viewing

the client’s treatment progress. Ease of

use is often a matter of user preferences,

but providers will likely find the BTC

design of TA’s screens pleasing. The system has a built-in capability for automatically selecting a provider from a list of

service providers that meet the client’s

needs, as determined by the assessment.

Supervision Case Manager

TA enables the supervision case manager to

record referrals separately from those

recorded in the treatment function. It

allows for events to be recorded but not

scheduled. Consequently, it cannot alert

staff about obligations the client failed to

complete. 
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

34

operation in Birmingham, Alabama, in

conjunction with the Break the Cycle initiative, and in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, drug court.

Ongoing Development

Like other software applications examined

in this report, TA is a work in progress.
35

V.

South Florida High Intensity

Drug Trafficking Area:

Treatment Automated

Referral System and Judicial

Access Management System

he South Florida

HIDTA’s MIS was developed under contract by

a commercial vendor to

track, quantify, and evaluate the effectiveness of drug treatment services. Subsequently, a coalition of State and local providers

formed TARSJAMS.ORG, a nonprofit corporation to administer the system. The coalition hired MANTECH, Inc., to provide

day-to-day technical support. Substantial

financial support to operate the system is

now provided by the Florida Department of

Children and Family Services.

The software is actually two separate applications: the Treatment Automated Referral

System (TARS) and the Judicial Access

Management System (JAMS). TARS is the

older and more completely developed of

the two. JAMS, a newer addition, was implemented primarily to serve the Broward

County Drug Court and more recently the

Miami-Dade Drug Court.

TARS is an automated system designed for

client intake and assessment as well as

automatic matching of treatment providers

and clients based on patient needs and

provider services. TARS allows some case

tracking of the client and contains several

assessment instruments: ASI, CAI, and the

American Society of Addictions Medicine

Supplemental Instrument (ASAM). 

JAMS provides a criminal justice component. It allows for users to enter basic

docket, court case, demographic, and

client background information, and it

enables case tracking of past supervision

events. Users may also enter notes from

judges, treatment counselors, the State’s

attorney, the public defender, and the State

Department of Corrections.

In addition to the two drug courts in south

Florida, more than 30 treatment providers,

spanning approximately 60 sites, use the

system.

A virtual tour of the South Florida HIDTA

system is available on the Drug Court

Technology Web site (developed by CCI) at

www.drugcourttech.org/tours_1_5.html.

T
Basic System Elements

Operating System

The application runs on Microsoft Windows

95/98 or NT.

User Interface

The South Florida HIDTA system is written

in Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0, a Windowsbased, 32-bit, client-server software that

has few limitations in terms of its generic

capability. Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0 can

be used for both small-scale and large

applications and can operate on a single

stand-alone computer or on local- and

wide-area (LAN/WAN) networks. 

Database

The database is Microsoft SQL Server, a

complex database that requires higher and

more sophisticated levels of maintenance

than smaller, less powerful databases. Jurisdictions adopting the South Florida HIDTA

system will require the services of a

database manager unless the jurisdiction is

tied to the HIDTA network or other networks providing these services. Microsoft’s

SQL Server and Visual Basic are designed

to work together.

Access

TARSJAMS.ORG maintains a large central

database that supports many jurisdictions.

Access to data is restricted to authorized

entities and consistent with executed consent agreements. Providers use different

forms of LAN/WAN connections or use dialup capabilities. Approximately 30 treatment providers spanning more than 60

sites are TARS users. 

Acquisition Requirements 

and Costs

The TARSJAMS.ORG coalition controls any

future development and dissemination of

the software applications. All user agencies

access the system on a central server.

MANTECH personnel maintain the database and the software.

Jurisdictions may be permitted by TARSJAMS.ORG to acquire and operate the software as a system independent of the central

server. Because the applications are complex, it is likely that initial technical installation support and training would be required.

Any jurisdiction contemplating implementing the application(s) should prepare a

requirements analysis to identify modifications necessary to tailor TARS/JAMS to

local needs. This should be followed with an

implementation plan and detailed coordination with MANTECH personnel.

Using this software outside the South Florida HIDTA network requires Microsoft SQL

Server database management skills and

Visual Basic programming services. In most

cases, jurisdictions using the South Florida

HIDTA system on their own server will also

need a network manager.

Contact Information

Bob Kidd

Systems Manager

South Florida HIDTA/MANTECH, Inc.

8401 NW 53 Terrace, Suite 205

Miami, FL 33166

Telephone: (305) 716–3099 or 

(800) 767–4709

Fax: (305) 716–3214

Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

36
South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area

37

Basic Modules: JAMS

Docket

This module is used for tracking cases 

by date.

Pretrial

This module provides intake functions for

the drug court. It allows pretrial services

staff to enter defendants into the system.

Treatment

This module records information about

client attendance at treatment sessions and

tracks urinalyses.

Department of Corrections (Probation)

This module tracks client attendance at

appointments and scheduled urinalyses,

including missed appointments.

Judges Screen

This overview screen provides information

for the use of drug court judges.

Reports

This module provides preprogrammed

reports regarding drug court activities.

Documentation

A thorough training manual is available.

Quick reference guides are available for

TARS, JAMS, and the Utilization Management module.

System Description

Intake

TARS and JAMS have separate intake

processes, as the two systems operate

independently, but data entered in one

application are available through the other.

Both applications are accessible from any

station in the system. TARS records the

location, staff person’s name, and date and

time of the intake. It also collects referral

source information. Both employ the same

unique identification number scheme

Basic Modules: TARS

Intake

This module is used to enter defendants

into the database as either program candidates or treatment clients. Intake creates a

unique client identification number.

Assessment

This module screens and evaluates client

risks and needs using one of three assessment instruments associated with the

application.

Referrals to Providers

This module aids staff in referring clients

to appropriate provider organizations.

Case Management 

This module tracks treatment requirements and activities.

Provider Services

This module collects and provides information about the different treatment

providers.

Drug Analysis Processing System

This module tracks client drug tests.

Billing

This adaptable module offers sophisticated

billing capabilities designed to meet the

needs of Florida-based providers.

State and Local Reporting

This module provides preprogrammed

reports on treatment services.

System Administration

This module is used to administer and

maintain the application. The system

administrator can enter and delete users,

add and delete new treatment providers,

and establish or change user security levels, among other tasks.

Utilization Management

This module was created at the request of

a user to manage the care and services provided to clients.
Mental Health

CAI and ASI contain sections focusing on

current and past mental health, including

past treatment and other information.

Psychological/Social History

CAI and ASI provide a psychological-social

history and assessment. They include

overviews of client background, which lead

to an assessment of client degrees of risk

and needs in many categories, such as education, employment, and level of danger to

self and others.

Medical

CAI and ASI contain data on the client’s

current and past physical health.

Criminal Information

ASI and CAI collect general criminal history information. Neither, however, collects

specific criminal history events, such as

individual charges, location, dispositions,

and sentences.

Education

ASI and CAI collect extensive education

history information.

Capability To Add Assessment 

Instruments

The application is written in a well-known

software development language. It is possible for jurisdictions to add assessment

instruments.

Billing

TARS has a sophisticated billing system,

which providers can use to bill different

entities.

Client Information

Identifiers

■ Client ID (unique identifier constructed

from intake data).

■ Birth date.

■ Social Security number.

consisting of the client’s gender, birth date,

Social Security number (last four digits),

and last name (first two letters). Intake

involves entering a small amount of personal information, including name, race,

ethnicity, identification numbers, two telephone contact numbers, and an address.

Assessment

Users complete assessments in TARS by

using commercially available instruments

that State or local oversight agencies have

approved. TARS has three assessment

tools, which are completed separately, and

assessment data are not exchanged with

other parts of the application. For example,

the same or similar questions may be

asked in a TARS module and an assessment

instrument. This requires repetitive data

entry on the part of users.

The following assessment instruments are

used in TARS and JAMS:

Addictions Severity Index

ASI assesses and scores the following

client areas: medical, employment, alcohol,

drug, legal, family/social, and psychiatric 

well-being.

Client Assessment Instrument

CAI collects and provides client information about substance abuse history, treatment history, education, employment,

military service, criminal history, family

composition, living arrangements, physical

and mental health, case summary, and

impressions.

American Society of Addiction Medicine

ASAM facilitates patient placement for the

treatment of substance-related disorders.

Substance Abuse

CAI, ASI, and ASAM provide extensive and

intensive assessments of substance use.

Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

38
South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area

39

Addresses

The address fields include city, State, ZIP

Code, and telephone number and extension. Users can record only one address,

although users can update address information to reflect changes. Users cannot record

previous or alternative addresses, such as a

mailing address. The database marks the

date any changes are made and keeps

changed address information on file, but it

is not available to users without the help of

a programmer.

Other Contacts

TARS does not include information about

other contacts. JAMS collects this information through a screen that captures multiple other contacts, including fields for

names, addresses, telephone numbers, and

each contact’s relationship to the client.

Employment 

TARS captures the type of employment

information used to assess a client, such as

employment periods, employment history,

and skills. JAMS captures detailed information about the client’s current employment,

for example, employer name and address,

supervisor, telephone numbers, job title,

and more. This information is needed for

criminal justice case management (supervising clients in the community).

Financial Information

The assessment instruments capture extensive general information about the client’s

current financial circumstances for assessment purposes. Specific financial information, such as client property, real estate,

and legal and financial obligations, is not

collected for case management purposes.

Education

ASI and CAI collect historical education

data for assessment purposes, but for those

clients that attend school, neither TARS

nor JAMS collects much education information for case management purposes.

■ First name, last name.

■ Alias.

■ Fingerprint ID number.

■ Judge.

Search Parameters

Users can search by combinations of the

following elements: 

JAMS Search Parameters

■ Client ID.

■ Names: last or first.

■ Social Security number.

■ Case number.

■ Defendant number.

■ Next appearance date.

■ Docket number.

■ Fingerprint ID number.

■ Judge.

TARS Search Parameters

■ Client ID.

■ Names: last or first.

■ Social Security number.

■ Reports allow selecting clients by

various criteria.

There are no other parameters, such as

date of entry or other events that can be

used to identify a client. The system does

not allow searching based on physical

descriptions, although a basic physical

description is collected in JAMS.

Aliases

JAMS collects some alias information, and

the application can search on those names.

TARS does not collect aliases.
Users can also select a program manually

based on nonautomated criteria.

Assessment instruments do not share 

data with the needs-assessment checklist.

Staff complete the checklist separately, 

at which time the matching of provider

services and client needs can take place.

Staff may use the system to set appointments with providers or to put clients on

waiting lists, and the system can notify

the provider of the referral. The referral

system also allows the intake person to

know what treatment space or beds are

available with each provider. (Each bed 

in the inventory has a numeric identifier

that is used when a bed is reserved.) The

application also has a waiting-list analysis

function that informs referral staff of

clients who are on the waiting list for a

given provider and the average wait time.

Consents or Releases of Information

The TARS/JAMS applications allow more

than one agency to work with a particular

client; however, releases of information are

separate from the application process. The

first provider must issue a referral to the

second agency. It is assumed that when an

agency provides a referral to another,

authorization to share information has

been given.

Court

JAMS is the court and criminal justice part

of the system. Staff can track cases, check

the docket, and follow a case from inception through disposition. JAMS is designed

not to supplant a traditional court management system but to integrate court data

with treatment and supervision data into

one system. Jurisdictions can transfer

information between JAMS and a court system several ways. The application records

information such as arrest number, case

number, docket number, and next appearance date. The JAMS Case Detail screen

includes some basic arrest information:

Criminal History

CAI and ASI collect extensive general

criminal history information for assessment purposes. They do not provide a list

of specific past criminal events, such as

locations, dates, charges, and so forth,

which are often needed for case management purposes.

Case Management

Provider/Treatment

The treatment case management functions

in TARS are thorough and allow multiple

agencies to work with a client when there

is a referral from one agency to another.

The application has a section for provider

case management that allows case managers to record various treatment events. A

summary screen shows all events. Treatment agency case managers can only enter,

update, or view information about events

involving their agency and other information they are permitted to access, such as

drug tests.

TARS has screens that allow the case manager to track treatment notes and create a

treatment plan that records goals and

objectives by program phase.

Referral (Needs Matching)

TARS includes an automated provider

referral feature. Users can enter specific

information about a client’s service needs

and other limiting criteria, such as county

of residence. Wide-ranging services information includes vocational/educational,

medical, legal, social, mental health, and

counseling services. The system matches

client needs and criteria to provider services and presents a list of those providers

that best suit the client. Users can enter

additional criteria, such as gender-specific

needs, juvenile status, treatment modality,

and location. The system then displays a

list of providers based on the percentage of

the client’s needs that each can meet.

Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

40
South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area

41

■ CAI Narrative.

■ Case History.

■ Case Inactivity.

■ Client Needs.

■ Client Roster.

■ Counselor Caseload.

■ Daily Residential Census.

■ Cases by Source of Referral.

■ Treatment Referrals by Modality.

■ Provider Discharge.

■ Referral Directions.

■ Waiting List.

■ Provider Admission.

TARS/JAMS prepares online and hard

copies of both ASI and CAI evaluations.

Specially prepared reports are available for

different localities, and many reports can

be downloaded for user alteration, if needed.

Ad Hoc Reports

Jurisdictions that implement the South

Florida HIDTA system may opt to use other

commercially available reporting programs,

such as Crystal Reports, to create customized, ad hoc reports.

Evaluation and Research

Information 

Because data are maintained in a Microsoft

SQL Server database, they are available for

downloading and manipulation. As with ad

hoc reports, the data are accessible via a

number of commercially available and wellknown research applications, such as SPSS

and SAS.

case and docket number, judge, and

defense attorney and prosecutor, along

with the date of the initial appearance. A

Status Conference screen updates the cases

and records each court event. JAMS has a

Disposition screen through which users can

record many elements of the case disposition and sentence.

Case Management in the Community 

The Probation section of JAMS names the

probation officer and tracks drug tests and

attendance in a summary fashion.

Other Referrals

The TARS application provides a function

through which counselors can refer clients

for nontreatment services, such as housing,

employment, or legal services.

Criminal History 

Case history screens record the client’s

current offense(s) and as many previous

cases as a jurisdiction chooses to enter.

Drug Test Management

The Drug Analysis Processing System

(DAPS) is a separate system that is integrated into TARS. Users can enter data and

then track the data manually or automatically. The system also allows users to set

and track appointments. The application

can track the urine specimens (in batch) 

to ensure the chain of custody, and the

results are provided in DAPS and TARS

screens in both detailed and summary 

formats.

Operations Management

Information

Reports

TARS provides a variety of preformatted

reports, including

■ Active Caseload.

■ ASI Forms.
Navigation and User Tool Screens

Navigation is fairly intuitive; it does not

require extensive training to become comfortable using the system. Navigation integrates traditional Windows tool bars.

Summary screens allow users to see an

overview of activities or events to obtain 

a quick and comprehensive update of the

client’s progress while still being able to

access details. For example, the Today’s

Cases screen provides summary court data

that includes the case status and a list of

clients, court dates, times, case numbers,

docket numbers, and attorneys.

Drug Court Role Screens

Court

The system is designed to track court

appearances and handle many other court

issues well. Although the system is not

intended to replace a court’s MIS, it does

have screens that allow users to schedule

events and track court cases. Screens collect and present other relevant information,

such as names of the prosecutor and

defense attorney. A Judges screen is available that provides information in these four

areas: TARS treatment summary, DAPS

drug-testing results summary, court case

summary, and arrest and charges.

Treatment Case Manager

Screens allow treatment case managers to

view a client’s treatment progress in TARS

and to record a client’s treatment plan and

progress notes.

Supervision Case Manager

Case managers have a limited ability to

record various forms of client contacts.

Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

42

The system does not allow supervision

events to be scheduled; thus, there is no

automated mechanism to alert managers

whether an event has occurred.

Assessment

Assessment is a strong part of TARS; however, the various assessment instruments

do not share information among themselves or with the larger application.

Speed

The system works well but can be slow

when it is accessed through regular telephone lines. 

Security

The application is designed with normal

security in the database. All information

about every provider is stored in the same

database, but is protected first by provider

number and then by subroutines. For

example, in JAMS a user can be authorized

at various levels of access depending on the

screen in use.

Portability

TARSJAMS.ORG has not been approached

to export the system to other jurisdictions.

Consequently, portability issues have not

been explored. 

Other Jurisdictions Using JAMS

The system has not been transported 

outside south Florida.
43

Appendix 1

Data Items From the 

Buffalo Drug Court’s Database

Management Information System
Field Name Description

Main Table

Abused Physical, sexual, both, or no

Address

Age

AKA Also known as

Annual Income

Appt

Arson

Avg Age

Baby Status Were there any unusual conditions attributable to drug use?

City

Comments

Currdate

Current School

Day Treatment

Date Treatment Where

Date Entered

Date Failure

Date Schedule

Days

DOB

Dr. Patchell Drug court files transferred to Dr. Patchell for research purposes

Education Level

Emergency Person

Emergency Phone

Employer

Failed Schedule

Failed To Contact

First Name

ID

Incarceration

Instructed Verification

Insured

Is Participant in School

Last Name

Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

44
Appendix 1

45

Field Name Description

Lethality HX

Lethality Present

LOF Letter on file

Marital Status

Medical Insurance

Medical Problems

MH Agency Mental health agency

MH Diagnosis

MH Evaluation

MH Hospitalization

MH Hospitalization HL

MH Medications

Name of Agency

No. of Children

Occupation

Other

Other Medications

PO Name Probation officer name

PO Phone Probation officer telephone number

Participant Phone #

Photo

Pregnant

Prescribed Medications

Primary Drug Primary drug of choice

Primary Route Preferred method of drug intake

Primary Amount Amount of drug 

Primary Frequency Frequency of use

Primary Age Began

Primary Last Usage

Primary How Much

Primary Physician

Primary Provider

Primary Therapist

Primary Date

Primary Time
Field Name Description

Primary Phone #

Primary Extension

Primary Location

Primary Discharge Date

Primary Discharge Reason

Provider

Race

Read/Write PX

Referred To

Releases

Reported Active Counseling

R/S Appt

RUS Released under supervision

Scheduled Appt

School Name

Secondary Drug

Secondary Route

Secondary Amount

Secondary Frequency

Secondary Age Began

Secondary Provider

Secondary Therapist

Secondary Date

Secondary Time

Secondary Phone #

Secondary Extension

Secondary Location

Secondary Discharge Date

Secondary Discharge Reason

Sex

Source of Income

SS #

State

Tertiary Drug

Tertiary Route

Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

46
Appendix 1

47

Field Name Description

Tertiary Amount

Tertiary Frequency

Tertiary Age Began

Tertiary Last Usage

Tertiary How Much

Time Entered

Total Arrest 24 Months

VA

Violent Crime

What Counseling

ZIP Code

Disposition Table

Judges ID

ID

Contact Date

RCD Return court date

AM/PM

Disposition

Sentence

Probation

RC Reserve calendar

WO Warrant outstanding

Violations
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

48

Field Name Description

Judges Information

Main ID

ID

Judge

Docket

Linkage Referred Kind of referral (alcohol, drug, youth counseling, etc.)

Court Source

Contract Date

Condition

Date Entered

PO Origin Judge making referral to specialized court

Charges

Interviewer

Status

Community Services

Comm Serv ID

# of Hours

Agency

Phone

Ext

Contact

To Be Completed By

Were Completed On

Judge

Docket

Comm Serv Status

Date Entered
Appendix 1

49

Field Name Description

Comments

Main ID

Date

Comments

TX History

ID

L Care Type of care (outpatient, detoxification, residential, etc.)

Svces Type of service (mental health, substance abuse, etc.)

Agency

A-Date Admission date

D-Date Discharge date

Outcome

Tox Records

ID

Tox Date Date of drug test

Tox Result Drug test result

Drugs
51

Appendix 2

List of Tables From the

Washington/Baltimore High Intensity 

Drug Trafficking Area’s Automated

Treatment and Tracking System
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

52

Table Name Description

ALTONO_TYPES Reference for alternate numbers

ASI Client information—evaluation

■ Interview information

■ Demographics

■ Address

■ Medical

■ Limited psychological information

■ Education

■ Job skills

■ Employment

■ Finances

■ Substance use

■ Treatment history

■ Criminal past (general)

■ Relations

ASI2 Client information—evaluation

■ Psychological

■ Test scores

■ Drug test results

ASI3 Client information—evaluation

■ ASI comments

ASI4 Client information—evaluation

■ ASI comments

BEHAVIOR CODE Code of client behaviors

BPRS Instrument—psychological review rating 

by rater

CAI 1 CAI assessment instrument

■ Demographic information

■ Substance use and history

■ Treatment history

■ Education and employment history

CAI 2 CAI assessment instrument

■ Some criminal history

■ Residence and relations

■ Medical

■ Treatment

CAI 3 CAI assessment instrument

■ Psychological background

■ Treatment history

CAS Assessments completed

CASE_HISTORY Basic client/HIDTA system information

CASE_MANAGEMENT Case management tracking

CASE_MANAGEMENT ACTIVITY Events tracking—more detail

CLIENT Client information—very basic

CLIENT_ALIAS Alias by provider
Appendix 2

53

Table Name Description

CLIENT_ALTNO Alias or alternate number(s) by provider

CLIENT_CONTACT Address and telephone numbers

CLIENT_NARRATIVE Narrative assessments

CLIENT_NEEDS Client needs for matching with provider 

services (long checklist of needs)

CLIENT_POP LIST Reference list of codes for special populations

CLIENT_RECONCILES List of clients with multiple files to be 

reconciled (internal to system)

Consent Info Consent agreements between clients and agencies

County County list

CRIMJUST Criminal justice history—summary elements

DEFAULT_ADMITDC Admission information for DC

DEFAULT_ADMITMD Admission information for MD

DEFAULT_ADMITMD_OLD Old admission information for MD

DEFAULT_ADMITVA Admission information for VA

DEFAULT_DISCHDC Discharge information for DC

DEFAULT_DISCHMD Discharge information for MD

DEFAULT_DISCHMDOLD Old discharge information for MD

DEFAULT_DISCHVA Discharge information for VA

DEFAULT_PROVIDER Provider information—information about who is served

DEFAULT_SUBSTANCE Substance abuse elements, DC admission/discharge

DEFAULT_SUBSTANCE_MD Substance abuse elements, MD and VA admission/discharge

DEFAULT_SUBSTANCE_MD_OLD Old substance abuse elements, MD and VA

DOWNLOAD List of available HATTS.exe downloads

DSM_AXIS1 DSM–IV Axis 1 diagnosis code—mental health substance abuse

DSM_AXIS2 DSM–IV Axis 2 diagnosis code—mental health substance abuse

DSM_AXIS3 DSM–IV Axis 3 diagnosis code—mental health substance abuse

DSM1 DSM–IV Axis 1–2 data—mental health substance abuse

DSM2 DSM–IV Axis 3–5 data—mental health substance abuse

DTMS_ACTIVITY HATTS drug-testing data—set of tables that operate all aspects of DTMS 

(clients, tests, schedules, etc.)

ETHNICITY Ethnicity codes, defaults for DC, MD, and VA

ETHNICITY ASSESSMENT Mappings among ASI, CAI, and normalized ethnicity value

GRAD_SANC Data from graduated sanctions screen
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

54

Table Name Description

HATTS_ERRORS Record of HATTS errors coded automatically

HATTS_RESOURCE Editable constants for preload

HATTS_VARIABLES HATTS system variables

HIV Public health assessment and history (simple) for HIV, TB, hepatitis, and 

sexually transmitted diseases (MD Department of Health form)

INTAKE Record of all client intakes

LOG Log of consent form overrides from referral screen

LOGIN User login history

MECE Staff-completed medical evaluation for clients showing immediate 

signs of impairment

MECN Staff-completed medical evaluation for clients showing no immediate 

signs of impairment

MODALITY Modality codes

OFFENSE Criminal justice offense codes and 

descriptions used in the criminal history

PROB_ACTION_CODE Probation/Treatment Accountability for Safer Communities (TASC) 

drug test screen codes

PROBTASC_CLIENT_DRUG_TEST Drug test results for TASC screen

PROBTASC_CLIENT_REC Client supervision (kinds of contacts) for 

probation/TASC supervision screen

PROBTASC_CLIENT_REFERRAL Probation/TASC client referral screen data

PROBTASC_CLIENT_SERVICES Probation/TASC supervision events data

PROBTASC_DRUG_RESULT_CODE Drug test results codes

PROBTASC_REFERRAL_CODE List (simple) of probation/TASC referral types

PROBTASC_SERVICES_CODE Service codes for probation/TASC supervision screen

PROBTASC_SOURCE_CODE Referral codes for services

PROGRESS_TRACKING Data from the progress tracking screen

ProInfo1 Provider contact information (screen 1)

ProInfo2 Provider data (screen 2)

ProInfo3 Provider schedule information (screen 3)

ProInfo4 Provider treatment and other data (screen 4)

ProInfo5 Provider information (screen 5)

ProInfo6 Provider information (screen 6)

ProInfo7 Provider information (screen 7)

PROINFO_CBO2 Provider information—treatment approach

Provider_Services_1 Kinds of counseling provided

Provider_Services_2 Kinds of addictions treatment

Provider_Services_3 Kinds of vocation and education counseling
Appendix 2

55

Table Name Description

Provider_Services_4 Kinds of medical services

Provider_Services_5 Kinds of legal/social services

Provider_Services_6 Kinds of mental health/detoxification services

Provider_Services_7 Provider case management, special populations, and comments

QOL Assessment (simple, client-completed) of overall quality of life

RACE Client-race codes—admission screen translation

RACE_ASSESSMENT Partial mappings between “race” by ASI, CAI

RACE_ETHNICITY_VALID List of valid, normalized race-ethnicity combinations

REF_APPOINT Referral and appointment information for providers

REFERRAL Referral information record

REFERRAL_HISTORY Referral history

REFERRAL_SOURCE Referral source codes

REPORTS Reports data table

REPORT_PARAMS Additional parameters to report

REPORT_TABLES Add table to report table

REPONSE_CODE Graduated sanctions response codes

RTCD (Readiness to Change – D) Alcohol assessment (client-simple); Likert scale

SAA Assessment (client-simple); Likert scale

SECURITY Counselor/staff information and security

SCL (St. Louis Symptom Checklist) Psychopathology assessment (client-simple); 98-item ordinal list

SCREENS Screen reference table

SISAR_ADMISSION Client information collected for admission in DC, MD, VA—6 pages 

of personal data and background, including substance use, treatment 

history, and assessment

SISAR_ADMISSION_OLD Same

SISAR_DISCHARGE Discharge from facility in DC, MD, VA—4 pages of data

SISAR_DISCHARGE_OLD Similar to SISAR_DISCHARGE

STATE State codes reference table

SUBSTANCE Substance use information used in admissions and discharge

SUBSTANCE_OLD Same

TEMPMATCH Not used

TEMPTABLE Not used

USER SCREENS User screen and security accesses

WAIT_LIST_ENTRY Not used

WAIT_REMOVAL Records reason for removal from waiting list

WAIT_REMOVAL_STATS Not used
57

Appendix 3

List of Tables From the 

Brooklyn Treatment Court’s 

Treatment Application
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

58

Table Name Description

ABUSE Records history of different forms of abuse

ALCOHOL_USE Records alcohol use and feeling about use

ANSWER Provides different kinds of answers for generic use

ASSESS_SCORE Scores for various areas of the assessment:

■ Drug use

■ Home

■ Education

■ Family

■ Work

■ Psychological

■ Treatment

■ Motivational

■ Impressions

■ Criminal

ASSESS_TRANS Assessment management

ASSESS_TRANS_CHANGE_LOG Log of changes 

ASSESS_ENTRY_DATE Tracks attendance

CLIENT_ADDRESS

COURT_TX_XREF Criminal and treatment reference numbers

CIM_JUST_HISTORY Criminal justice history summary

DICT_TRP

DICT_TRP_SESSION

DICT_ZONE

DRUG_TEST Drug test management

DRUG_TX_HISTORY Drug treatment history

DRUG_USE_HISTORY

DRUG_USE_SPECIFIC

DTPROPERTIES

EMPLOYMENT Current employment information 

EVENT_TO_RESPONSE Response to client event

FAMILY Immediate family/children information

FAMILY_COURT Family court information, including caseworkers, attorneys, and status

FIN_ASSIST Support information

HEALTH_MENTAL Brief mental health history

HEALTH_PHYSICAL Brief physical health history

HIV_TEST T-cell counts and dates

HOSPITALIZATION

IDENTIFICATION Collects various identifications (passport, green card, Medicaid card,

military dd214 form, driver’s license, birth certificate, Social Security,

and other)
Appendix 3

59

Table Name Description

IMPRESSION_BARRIER_TX Listing of barriers

IMPRESSION_MOTIVATION Rate of motivation

INTERVIEW_TABS Interview management

KEY_STATUS Key indicators

LANGUAGE Ability to use English and preferred languages

LOG_TABLE Administrations

LOOKUP_ADMIT_DRUG_USE

LOOKUP_ALCOHOL_TYPE

LOOKUP_APPARATUS_TYPE

LOOKUP_ARRANG_DURATION

LOOKUP_ASSESS_INCOMPLETE

LOOKUP_BAND

LOOKUP_BAND_FREQ_PERIOD

LOOKUP_BIRTH_PLACE

LOOKUP_CJ_RECENT_INCAR

LOOKUP_CJ_RECENT_SENT

LOOKUP_CJ_TIME_SERVED

LOOKUP_CJ_TIMES

LOOKUP_CLIENT_REF_SRC

LOOKUP_CLOSED_DESCRIP

LOOKUP_COOPERATION

LOOKUP_CUSTODY_IMPORTANCE

LOOKUP_DRUG_AVAIL

LOOKUP_DRUG_INDICATORS

LOOKUP_DRUG_LAST_USED

LOOKUP_DRUG_MONEY_SPENT

LOOKUP_DRUG_ROUTE

LOOKUP_DRUG_TIME_USED

LOOKUP_DRUG_TX_DURATION

LOOKUP_DRUG_TX_MODALITY

LOOKUP_DRUG_TYPE

LOOKUP_DRUG_USE_FREQ

LOOKUP_EDUC_STATUS

LOOKUP_EDUC_TYPE

LOOKUP_EMPLOY_DURATION
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

60

Table Name Description

LOOKUP_EMPLOY_EARNING

LOOKUP_EMPLOY_STATUS

LOOKUP_ENGLISH_ABILITY

LOOKUP_ETHNICITY

LOOKUP_ETHNICITY_HISPANIC

LOOKUP_EVENT_RESPONSE

LOOKUP_FACILITY_TYPE

LOOKUP_FIN_SUPPORT

LOOKUP_FLOW_STATUS

LOOKUP_FLOW_STATUS

LOOKUP_GENDER

LOOKUP_HIGH_GRADE

LOOKUP_KIDS_LOCATION

LOOKUP_LANGUAGE

LOOKUP_LIVE_WITH_REL

LOOKUP_LOST_CUSTODY_REASON

LOOKUP_MARITAL_STATUS

LOOKUP_MED_INSURANCE

LOOKUP_MEDICAL_CONDITION

LOOKUP_MOTIVATED_FOR_TX

LOOKUP_NOT_COLLECTED_REASON

LOOKUP_MARITAL_STATUS

LOOKUP_MED INSURANCE

LOOKUP_MEDICAL_CONDITION

LOOKUP_MOTIVATED_FOR_TX

LOOKUP_ NOT_COLLECTED_REASON

LOOKUP_NUM_DRINK

LOOKUP_NUM_TX_EPISODE

LOOKUP_NUMBER_CHILDREN

LOOKUP_PARTNER_SOCIAL

LOOKUP_PREGNANCY_STATUS

LOOKUP_PROF_MENTAL

LOOKUP_PROG_INACTIVE_REASON

LOOKUP_PROGRAM_DESIRED

LOOKUP_PROGRAM_SERVICE
Appendix 3

61

Table Name Description

LOOKUP_PROGRAM_TX_MODALITY

LOOKUP_QUEST_RESPONSE

LOOKUP_QUESTION

LOOKUP_RELATIONSHIP

LOOKUP_RELATIONSHIP_CHILD

LOOKUP_RESIDENCE_DURATION

LOOKUP_RESIDENCE_TYPE

LOOKUP_SAFETY

LOOKUP_SANCTION_TYPE

LOOKUP_SERVICE_NEED

LOOKUP_SEXUAL_PREF

LOOKUP_SPECIAL_NATURE

LOOKUP_STATUS

LOOKUP_STATUS_DESCRIP

LOOKUP_TREATMENT_RECOMMEND

LOOKUP_TX_BARRIER

LOOKUP_TX_DEFINING_FACTORS

LOOKUP_TX_LONGEST_DUR

LOOKUP_TX_MODALITY

LOOKUP_UNDERSTANDING

LOOKUP_VERIFIED

MEDICAL_CONDITIONS List of medical conditions

MEDICATIONS_CURRENT

PREGNANCY Pregnancy history

PROGRAM_DICT Provider program descriptions and services

PROGRAM_MANAGER Provider program manager information

PROGRAM_SERVICES Provider codes and identification

PROGRAM_TX_MODALITY Method of treatment

QUESTION New questions development 

SECOND_CONTACT_PERSON

SECURITY Security administration

SOCIAL_SERVICE_NEEDS

SOCIAL_SITUATION Brief information about live-ins and friends

TC_ATTENDANCE

TC_PROVIDERS_DIC
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

62

Table Name Description

TRP_CASE Case management—days required, date in/out

TRP_CASE_ATTEND Case management—attendance

TRP_LETTER Case management

TX_BARRIER Treatment barriers

TX_CASE Case identification

TX_CASE_ADMIN Case management—eligibility and progress

TX_CASE_BAND_LOG Log of required “band” activities by activity

TX_CASE_BAND_LOG_BACKUP

TX_CASE_NOTES

TX_CASE_PROG Administration

TX_CASE_PROG_ATTEND Attendance

TX_CASE_PROG_SERVICE Services provided

TX_CASE_READY Flag—case ready for court

TX_CASE_STATUS

TX_CLIENT Client demographics

TX_EVENT_RESPONSE Treatment negative event response

TX_FLOW_STATUS

TX_GROUPS Treatment group name

TX_JAIL_STATUS

TX_JUDGE_DATA Brief court and treatment information for judge

TX_NEXT_KEY

TX_PRIVILEGES Application administration

TX_TRANS Treatment transaction

TX-TRANS_CHANGELOG

TX-USER User administration

TX_WEEKLY_COMPLIANCE Treatment attendance 

VOC_EDUC Brief vocational/educational information
63

Appendix 4

List of Tables From the 

South Florida High Intensity 

Drug Trafficking Area’s 

Treatment Automated Referral System
Public Domain Drug Court Software: Functions and Utility

64

Table Name Description

Active Client Needs Not Used

ASI ASI questionnaire, responses, and scores

■ Interview information

■ Demographics

■ Address

■ Medical

■ Limited psychological information

■ Education

■ Job skills

■ Employment

■ Finances

■ Substance use

■ Treatment history

■ Criminal past (general) relations

ASI 2 Client information—evaluation

■ Psychological

■ Test scores

■ Drug test results

CAI CAI

■ Demographic information

■ Substance use and history

■ Treatment history

■ Education and employment history

CAI 2 CAI

■ Some criminal history

■ Residence and relations

■ Medical treatment

CAI 3 CAI

■ Psychological background treatment history

Case History Intake and discharge information

Case Management Activity Treatment events recorded by providers

Case Transfer Not used

Client Basic client intake information 

Client ADM Not used

Client Discharge Not used

Client Needs Client needs—used to match with providers

Client Referrals Not used

Client Transfers Not used

Counselor Not used

CSAT Providers Not used

dbo Provider Services 2 Not used

DT Appointments Drug test appointments management

DT Batch Drug test specimen management by batch

DT Client Contacts Client contact types
Appendix 4

65

Table Name Description

DT Messages Records messages or events

DT Preferences Records drug preferences

DT Results Records drug test results

DT Security Drug test security

DT Specimens Drug specimen collection management

Match Matching client with provider management

Provider Services 1 Services offered by providers

Provider Services 2 More of the above

Referral Referrals management

Referral Appointment Same

SDU Information Information about provider agencies

Security System security management

SISAR Admission SISAR admission information

SISAR Discharge SISAR discharge information

Span Admission Spanish version of admission information

Span Discharge Spanish version of discharge information

Span Family Spanish version of background information

Substance Washington, DC, system information about drug use

VI Admission Virgin Islands version of admission information

VI Discharge Virgin Islands version of discharge information

Wait Active Stats Waiting-list inquiry information

Wait List Entry Information to wait list a client 

Wait Removal Information to remove a client from list

Wait Removal Stats Waiting-list removal inquiry information
67

Notes

1. Public domain MISs are available without cost for installation and modification

by drug courts. However, the drug court

can expect to incur expenses for hardware,

possibly the purchase of software licenses,

maintenance, customization to tailor the

software to the needs of the adopting jurisdiction, and possibly other costs (for example, data communication costs) that should

be carefully determined before attempting

to implement any software program.

2. The software systems described in this

report were reviewed several years ago 

and may have changed since then.

3. 42 U.S.C. § 290dd-2; and 42 C.F.R. pt.2.

4. For further information on confidentiality, see Rebecca Holland, Practical Guide

for Applying Federal Confidentiality Laws

to Drug Court Operations, NCJ 176977

(Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Courts Program Office, June

1999); and Jeffrey Tauber, Susan Weinstein, and David Taube, Federal Confidentiality Laws and How They Affect Drug

Court Practitioners (Alexandria, VA:

National Drug Court Institute, April 1999).

5. That is, the State law bars disclosure of

information that otherwise would be permitted under the Federal regulations.
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