In addition, in-house services are offered through the program at the National Criminal Justice Computer Laboratory and Training Center. The National Technical Assistance and Training Program was created in 1986 to address the critical information management needs of state and local justice agencies. Hundreds of agencies and thousands of practitioners have benefited from this multifaceted program since its inception. Technical assistance is available to law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, public defenders, jail administrators, court officials, corrections officers, probation and parole officers, and associated agencies. Technical assistance activities, services, and products are designed to assist state and local justice agencies in determining system needs, establishing system requirements, and designing or procuring cost-effective, integrated information and workload management systems.
Technical assistance includes both in-house and onsite assistance.
Onsite assistance is provided to help agencies and jurisdictions effectively plan for, design, develop, procure, and implement automated information systems. Through lectures, discussions, exercises, and hands-on computer use, trainees learn the skills necessary to deal with the application of computer technology to criminal justice. Most courses run from 3 to 5 days. It serves as a hands-on resource for criminal justice practitioners to learn and evaluate computer technology. Outreach training is provided at regional training facilities nationwide.