ORS: Project-Colorado Trusted Interoperability Platform

Colorado Trusted Interoperability Platform Summary
Improving health and safety outcomes through the exchange of information and enhanced record accuracy.

Problems to Solve, Opportunities to Realize
The development of a capacity for the secure sharing of health and safety information between jails and other criminal justice partners in the State of Colorado can improve health and safety outcomes for justice-involved individuals and the staff who serve and help people during and after incarceration.

Background
The criminal justice system population has higher medical and mental health acuity levels than the general population.

The lack of exchange of historical and current physical and mental health information across justice entities and community providers creates delays in services that pose serious health and safety risks for individuals, first responders, and justice professionals who manage and ensure access to treatment.

Criminal justice system agencies often do not have resources to identify and treat individuals under their supervision. Inefficient processes to re-assess needs and re-establish treatment result in destabilizing impacts to individuals and soaring healthcare costs. 

These problems persist when information does not follow an individual who may cycle in and out of incarceration and the community. Creating a mechanism for transferring information as an individual transitions through these cycles can help break these cycles and promote long-term stability.

The Trusted Interoperability Platform Advisory Committee, established in Senate Bill 2020-037/C.R.S. 24-33.5-524, developed a strategic plan to implement a secure exchange of information between the criminal and juvenile justice systems and community health agencies to improve the health and stability of individuals in the justice system, decrease recidivism and evaluate system needs and programs. This project is helping to execute the proposed S.B. 2020-037 Strategic Plan. 

How the platform helps criminal justice system partners

• Custodial Data (Jail to Jail)
  • Upon booking or transfer the intake processor can request a report on health and safety concerns from jails that previously held the inmate.
  • Automation reduces the workload for staff during intake by informing on the need to place alerts, set up appropriate care, and have resources in place for successful transition. Automation reduces workload for this data gathering.
• Statutory Reporting Data (Jail to CDPS)
  • Quarterly jail reporting requirements set forth in SB19-1297 currently requires manual data entry.
  • Enabling a software and API-driven process can automate this task. At runtime a jail-defined process gathers the data, formats it, and sends it to the state, reducing several manual steps and improving consistency.
• Failure to Appear (Jail to Judicial)
  • When an inmate fails to appear, the courts have no way of knowing if they are incarcerated.
  • Querying across jails allows the court to quickly find out if an individual is in custody. This reduces the workload from hours to seconds and prevents unnecessary warrants.
  • Research and planning to meet the needs of this use case has determined that a resource already exists to search the in-custody status of individuals in Colorado Jails. CTIP recommends courts utilize the VINE Victim Notification Network. VINE is the nation's most reliable and confidential source for updated custody status and criminal case information. Use this link to access the Colorado VINE search form.
• Release Data (Jail to Judicial)
  • Courts are often unable to verify if an individual has been released from custody and if their sentence has been completed. This frequently results in the continuation of other sentencing conditions, such as protection orders, that should have otherwise been vacated. This can unfortunately result in further and unnecessary CJ involvement for the individual and additional system-wide demands.
  • If the subscribed jails can provide courts with release information, the courts can then address other sentencing considerations for more efficient court processes.

During 2023-2024, our team is working to integrate four primary pilot jails (jail management system):

• Arapahoe (Central Square - Jail 5)
• Broomfield (Tyler Technologies - New World)
• Denver (ATIMS)
• Moffat (EFORCE)

These jails were selected because of their geographical location, capacity, inmate population, jail management system vendor, and health information management processes. 

The grant application period for jails (April - June 2024) garnered applications to participate in CTIP from 17 different jails across Colorado! Between the 4 pilot jails (above) and these 15 jails (listed below), CTIP’s benefits will serve about 40% of Colorado’s jail-incarcerated population. Jails receiving grants to participate will begin integration processes in January 2025, with the goal of  these jails being connected by June 2026:

Future efforts will add more jails across the State to the CICJIS infrastructure. Benefits to other Colorado Counties who would like to join the interoperability information exchange include:

• Initial development for infrastructure is already accomplished,
• More participating jails means higher likelihood of receiving helpful information, and
• Future use cases based on CICJIS partners’ priorities will be established.

CDPS offered two opportunities for county jails to apply for grant funds to support onboarding and integration to the CTIP platform. The first round of grant applications closed May 16, 2024 and the second closed June 24, 2024. For grants awarded during both application opportunities, the grant period will run from December 1, 2024 through June 30, 2026, giving grantee jails over 18 months to work with CDPS and manage the integration process. 

To help provide jails with additional information to prepare a grant application, the Colorado Trusted Interoperability Platform Technical Specifications document featured a “Grant Application Development” section that outlined many requirements, considerations, and questions that were addressed in the grant applications.

The Colorado Trusted Interoperability Platform Technical Specifications provides information that all interoperability platform participants should review. This documentation manual includes an overview and explanation of the initial data exchange processes proposed for participants, as well as participation requirements and considerations. 

One of the primary requirements for participation is agreement with the CICJIS Participation Agreement. We encourage any potential participant to review this document with your legal representatives for approval. 

Please refer any questions to:

Project Manager: 
Alexis Harper, Ph.D.
Office of Research and Statistics
Division of Criminal Justice
Email: alexis.harper@state.co.us