Washington Courts: Press Release DetailModern case management for Washington superior courts now has statewide timetable for 2016 and beyondJanuary 04, 2016
Court IT implementation in Franklin, Thurston and
Yakima counties is a success; next stop is Snohomish County
A modern case management system for Washington superior courts and county clerk offices has been successfully implemented in three new counties — dubbed “early adopter” counties — and a statewide rollout schedule has been approved by the Judicial Information System Committee (JISC).
Courts and county clerks throughout the state now know when they will be implementing the system in their courthouses. The system will be launched in Snohomish County in May 2016, followed by Spokane, Whitman, Garfield, Asotin and Columbia counties in October, 2016.
The Odyssey case management system first piloted in Lewis County in June 2015, and was successfully implemented in Franklin, Thurston and Yakima counties on November 2, 2015. After two months of operation, the system is working well in all locations thanks to the hard work of the county clerks and court staff members.
The system provides modern communication and information-sharing abilities between courts across the state as well as modern case-management functions not available on the 1970s case processing system that unbelievably most superior courts are still using.
“Washington superior courts and county clerks handle high caseload volumes in matters critical to ensuring the safety, well-being and civil rights of state residents. Courts and clerks must have quality data and quick access to information to work accurately and efficiently,” said Washington Supreme Court Justice Mary Fairhurst, chair of the JISC.
“With legislators’ help, the courts have worked hard and carefully to research, choose and implement a modern system that will truly help courts do their important work,” Fairhurst said. “We are very pleased with the success of the system and look forward to the day the system is successfully implemented throughout the state.”
The search for a modern case management system for Washington superior courts began in 2010 at the request of the Superior Court Judges’ Association, the Washington State Association of County Clerks and the Association of Washington Superior Court Administrators. Odyssey was developed by Tyler Technologies specifically for court case management and has been implemented by courts in counties and states around the U.S., most recently in Oregon. The system was chosen for Washington superior courts after an extensive search and evaluation process involving courts and county clerk offices throughout the state.
The current case processing system used by Washington superior courts was built by the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) in the 1970s and was considered cutting edge at that time, but is now expensive to maintain and repair and does not have the badly needed functionality of a modern system.
“We are thrilled with the success of the Early Adopter launch of the Odyssey system,” said state Court Administrator Callie Dietz. “Any large technology implementation is complex and a great deal of work. The staff members in the courthouses and at AOC have put in a tremendous number of work hours and an outstanding effort that will greatly benefit the work of the courts and the residents of our state.”
Preparations for the 2016 implementations of Odyssey is already well underway in all counties involved. For more information, visit the SC-CMS web page at www.courts.wa.gov/sccms.
CONTACTS: Justice Mary Fairhurst, (360) 357-2053; State Court Administrator Callie Dietz, (360) 357-2120.
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