Harold Sass, chief information officer for KDOC/JJA, said the new system for JJA should be ready for use this summer. The system was designed by 3MV (Third Millennium Visions) of Kansas City, MO. The contractor will begin training JJA employees on the new system, known as the Kansas State Juvenile Justice Information System (KSJJIS), in late August. Approximately 70 trainers will launch the program in late summer, beginning the process of equipping JJA’s 1,400 staff members to use the system.

KSJJIS will consolidate the current systems employed by JJA, which Sass said have become too confusing and are too limited in their scope. He said the process of streamlining the systems began four years ago, and the lengthy effort is coming to fruition.

“It’s basically three systems that we’re consolidating into one, with real enhancements added,” said Sass. “The process of reporting information should improve greatly. Its ease of use and search capability will be a dramatic advancement.”

From the time Sass was promoted in July, 2012, getting the JJA program online has been one of his chief tasks. Gov. Sam Brownback recommended moving JJA to KDOC in the fall of 2012, but he had encouraged the sharing of information technology staff between the two agencies before the merger took shape. The cooperation between the two agencies allowed for the more effective sharing of IT resources, and smoothed the transition of JJA to its new home in KDOC.

“We’re making great strides to improve JJA in every area of operation, and bringing our information systems up to date will be a strong enhancement,” said JJA Acting Commissioner Terri Williams. “This is an ongoing
project, which will ultimately allow our staff to access data quickly and efficiently, and ensure that the data is more reliable and extensive. It will help everyone to be more effective in their jobs, allowing for better service
in every area.”

KSJJIS will become the internal offender management system of the JJA central office in Topeka, the juvenile facilities in Larned and Topeka, and of the juvenile community corrections offices in the state’s 31 judicial districts.

Sass said the new system will serve generally the same purpose that the Offender Management Information System (OMIS) and Total Offender Activity Documentation System (TOADS) serve to the adult correctional system.