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| Conn. Correction Department puts Inmate Info on the Web |
| By Journal Inquirer |
| Published: 01/27/2003 |
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A new service by the Connecticut Correction Department is making it easier to track criminal defendants. Anyone with access to a computer can now log on to the department's Internet Web site and look up a defendant's status under 'inmate information.' 'It really was an issue of public safety because it enhances the public's access to information,' Correction Department spokes-woman Karen Oien said Wednesday. The tracking system was launched Dec. 24. Computer users can punch in a defendant's first and last name, and birth date or inmate number if known. Without using a birth date or inmate number as part of the search criteria, common names can yield dozens of hits. It's up to the user to determine which is the defendant sought. Once a hit is made, the site displays the inmate's Correction Department-assigned number, birth date, latest admission date, prison location, sentencing status, bond amount, criminal charge, sentence date, maximum sentence, and estimated release date. The information is updated nightly, Oien said. The department also is mulling the feasibility of adding defendants' mug shots to the site, Oien said. Prior to the addition of the tracking system, those wanting an update on an inmate had to call the department's public information office, which closes by 5 p.m. each day. The online system makes the information available around the clock. Oien said the department gets nearly 400 phone requests each month for defendant status. While the news media accounts for a fair percentage of those requests, she said, the information also is sought by state agencies, inmate families, and crime victims. The anonymity of perusing the site removes some of the intimidation factor sometimes involved when dealing with state agencies. And it may help bring peace of mind to crime victims, who want to know whether the person accused of crimes against them is behind bars. 'Victims are absolutely using it' to get inmate updates, Oien said. The Web site also has links and phone numbers for victim services, as well as escape information, facility locations, and the state's most wanted defendants. |
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