The Rhode Island judiciary will be converting its computer records to what the courts say will be a more user-friendly system, beginning with files from the Workers’ Compensation Court.
The records are going from a WANG computer program to an ACS system. Once all the courts are converted, the new computer system will give citizens the opportunity to access civil case records from the database in a more efficient manner, court officials said. The new program will also provide the groundwork for future advancements and updates of the computer court system as technology progresses.
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“This will benefit all users of the judiciary with speedier access to files, better organization, and the ability to facilitate the eventual implementation of electronic filing,” said Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank J. Williams in a press release.
The Workers’ Compensation Court is the first court to convert civil files, however the entire Rhode Island judiciary is expected to convert to the new ACS system by January 2006.
Implemented in 2003, the computer conversion will cost approximately $6 million upon completion. The Rhode Island Judiciary Technical Center is in charge of the computer conversions for all of the court databases.
Converting the outdated court system was one of the major priorities of Williams when he was appointed Supreme Court Chief Justice in 2001, he said.
Over the last week, the successful transfer of more than 3 million Workers’ Compensation Court files marked a huge step in the direction toward greater access and information online for citizens.
Workers’ Compensation Court Chief Judge George Healy praised the success of the conversion of files: “The ACS software will allow the Workers’ Compensation Court to better serve the citizens of Rhode Island. This system provides the foundation to allow broader access to our files and to make the Workers’ Compensation Court even more user friendly.”
Dyana Koelsch, assistant administrator of community outreach and public relations for the Rhode Island judiciary, noted that upon completion, citizens will be able to access the civil court records from the Internet.
Eventually, courts will be able to use this new system to communicate with each other, and eventually citizens will be able to participate in e-filing, which Koelsch said will be a huge benefit.
The civil court records will not be available online until the computer conversions are complete in January 2006. Koelsch added that criminal court records are now available online using the new ACS system.
Jill Szaro, a PBN intern, is a senior at Providence College.
