Almost a year ago, a small company called POcheck launched it’s patent pending, web based report-in system for low risk offenders. Many a reviewer referred to the POcheck System as “too good to be true”. Now that several agencies are using this innovative software, we’ve found it to be both too good, and true…

Using POcheck, probation and parole agencies can effectively receive their offender monthly reports via the web. The system automatically flags reports containing changes of address, changes in employment, and any reported law enforcement contact. This allows one officer to easily manage a large pool of offenders.

Besides it’s extremely easy-to-use interface, the POcheck System also features the ability to look up and print old reports, send messages to one offender or your entire caseload, and many other features that makes one believe that the system was actually designed by practioners. In fact, POcheck is designed by practitioners. Officers can access the system from any computer or mobile device connected to the Internet which is amazingly convenient when you’re working on the road.

As if all of that isn’t enough, POcheck is an offender pay system. Agencies can quickly and easily get their accounts setup and ready to go in mere minutes. Using this new technology, you’re saving money while significantly reducing the manpower needed to manage your low risk offenders.

To find out more about POcheck, you can visit them on the web at www.pocheck.com or call their sales department at 208-602-2553.

As Coroners and Medical Examiners begin to overwhelm their homemade Access database programs, many have begun to search for the perfect replacement. The field of choices have expanded in the past two years however, when boiled down to a salt, there’s really only two options if you want to include mobile access in your new system; a .NET framework application or a PHP application.

PHP

With the release of PHP 5, PHP is a more appealing technology than ever, offering object-oriented features for building large, sophisticated Web-based applications, with the efficiency of a tool that will get the job done. What’s more, you have as your Web servers solid, reliable Linux-based servers running Apache to bring you performance and unmatched uptime. Which Coroner Case Management Systems are written in PHP 5 and deployed from Linux servers? Only one; M.E. Fieldware™.

What About .NET?

Overall, I would say that whatever you want to do in PHP, you can most likely do in ASP.NET, and vice versa. The problem comes down to deployment. Microsoft®’s .NET applications must be deployed from Microsoft® servers. Microsoft® servers are notoriously slower, less secure, and unreliable when compared to Linux-based servers. Which Coroner Case Management Systems require Microsoft® servers? Forensic Filer, CoronerME, and QUINCYTECH.

Web-Based Coroner Case Management Systems

There are Web-based applications, like M.E. Fieldware, that run completely from a Web server. You don’t need to install anything on your own computers or lap tops. Then there are “Web-enabled” systems where you have to install the software on each computer that you intent to run the system on (and pay a licensing fee for each one). This is another area where M.E. Fieldware has the decided advantage. Because the M.E Fieldware system is written in PHP 5, it’s built specifically to run on the Web. When M.E. Fieldware arrived on the scene in 2006, they immediately leaped ahead of every one of their competitors by offering mobile accessibility, lightning fast data transactions, and better security and overall reliability. The rest of the pack has not gained an inch on them in four years. Yes, some of the competition have since added web access, but none of them have departed from their .NET/Microsoft® environments. Why? My guess would be that there is money to be made from selling user licenses for each individual computer that their software is installed on. M.E. Fieldware allows you to have as many system users as you want at no additional cost. Taken with their superior product, it’s no surprise that M.E. Fieldware is making such a big splash in the Coroner Case Management System pool of offerings.

Cut To The Chase

Blue Wave Data LLC, the creators of M.E. Fieldware, are in their third year with a product that is beginning to garner alot of attention across the country. Why? Because they are the only true web-based Coroner Case Managament System on the market, they have retained every client they’ve ever had, and they continue to acquire clients from their .NET competitors. Clearly something is going terribly right there.

Find out more about the M.E. Fieldware Coroner Case Management System by visiting www.meprogram.com.

A petition launched in December by MySQL creator Michael ‘Monty’ Widenius to “save” the open-source database from Oracle has quickly gained momentum, collecting nearly 17,000 signatures.

Widenius on Monday submitted an initial batch of 14,174 signatures to the European Commission, which is conducting an antitrust review of Oracle’s acquisition of Sun Microsystems, MySQL’s current owner. European authorities had expressed concern over the future of MySQL under Oracle, which holds a major chunk of the database market with its own proprietary software.

The petition calls for authorities to block the merger unless Oracle agrees to one of three “solutions,” including spinning off MySQL to a third party and releasing all past versions and subsequent editions for the next three years under the Apache 2.0 open-source license.

About 5,500 of the signatories on the initial submission list are identified as self-employed software developers. Another 3,155 work for companies that use MySQL. The remaining are listed as “private users” of the database or are “concerned about MySQL’s future for some other reason.”

Nearly 7,000 respondents are from European Union member states, followed by about 3,300 in the U.S. and 2,800 in the rest of the world.

As of Monday, almost 94 percent supported the notion of Oracle divesting MySQL.

“Countless blogs, websites, encyclopedias are based on MySQL. It is the engine of the internet community, and with it one of the pillars of modern society, the support for freedom of speech,” one signatory from Austria wrote. “I do not believe in big companies’ promises to have an eye on the community – there’s just too much money involved!”

“MySQL powers the majority of innovative database deployments. It’s open nature allows for high-level modification enabling sites like Facebook to harden it for high demand/minimal hardware configurations,” a U.S. signatory said. “Oracle is the least likely candidate for a guardian of this technology, it would be like giving the keys to heaven to the devil for safekeeping.”

While Oracle has released a statement containing 10 commitments to MySQL users, including a promise to invest more money in development, Widenius maintains those pledges don’t go far enough.

But European authorities responded favorably to Oracle’s overture, and the merger could be approved imminently.

Despite the apparent success of Widenius’ signature drive, other observers have said concerns over MySQL’s fate are overblown, since the databases don’t directly compete and MySQL can survive through offshoot “forks” like Widenius’ own MariaDB.

To that end, Widenius himself has drawn fire from some critics, who consider his motives self-serving.

He may be hoping to “pinch Oracle’s improved code and basically have his MySQL money and access to the MySQL code as it improves so he can plug it into his branch,” user “thetoadwarrior” posted on a Slashdot thread in December. “No one should take his opinion seriously because if he really cared then it wouldn’t have sold it.”

But forking a project like MySQL is easier said than done, Widenius said in a blog post on Dec. 28.

“There is very little chance that a fork can get enough money to do the needed development when there are very few companies that can use the fork to generate direct revenue,” he wrote. “There are also very few investors that are prepared to put money into a product with no sure income stream and a model that is only based on services.”

In addition, a fork “can’t be used with other products that are using MySQL as a building block for their closed source applications,” Widenius said.

The company Widenius formed around MariaDB, Monty Program, focuses on new database features and support for companies that use MariaDB.

Forking MySQL has not been easy, according to Widenius.

“I have the best possible team working on MariaDB, still it has taken us 9 months to do some small required changes and create an infrastructure to be able to do our first release,” he wrote. “We are spending 100,000 Euros/months just to keep MySQL alive (as MariaDB) and there are no sure signs we will ever be able to get that money back. Fortunately we have enough funding so we can continue some years with doing this. This is however not sustainable forever.”

Monty Program wouldn’t benefit greatly from the proposals in the petition, Widenius said. For one, if MySQL was divested to a “strong player” that was committed to its further development, Monty Program would gain a strong competitor, he said.

The company doesn’t expect to make much money, Widenius said. “It’s more important for us that MySQL will continue to be free, available for all, and developed in a way that meets the needs of all major market segments.”

An Oracle spokeswoman declined comment.

New Castle, PA. January 4, 2010 – OBITMAX Newspaper Obituary System provides newspapers with pre-paid, pre-formatted obituary orders directly from funeral homes while automatically providing online obituary hosting. This revolutionary new web based system reduces labor costs, significantly improves cash flow, and opens new revenue streams for newspapers – all at no cost.

“We’re very excited about everything that OBITMAX does for the newspaper industry” said Thomas Kempf, President of Clearinghouse Technologies LLC. Since May of last year the New Castle News has been using OBITMAX to receive their obituary orders. In January of this year, the New Castle News stopped using Legacy and went with OBITMAX as their online obituary content provider.

OBITMAX is an easy-to-use, web-based system where funeral homes fill in a simple obituary form, select the newspaper(s) they want to send the obituary to, and click “submit”. A small processing fee is added and the funeral home credit card is charged for the order, the obituary is formatted to each selected newspaper’s standards, and then the obituary order is delivered to each selected newspaper’s OBITMAX account. When the newspaper obituary staff logs in, the obituary order is waiting for them to process. Once the obituary order is processed, it is automatically available on the newspaper’s obituary web page. If a photo was sent with the order, the image is included on the online obituary. There is no cost to the newspapers for the OBITMAX service. Advertising space is provided on the newspaper’s obituary web page and the newspapers retain all advertising revenue. OBITMAX provides online remembrance/guestbooks for the family for a small fee. The revenue generated from the online remembrance is shared between the newspaper and OBITMAX.

Newspapers receive their obituary fees once a week via electronic bank transfer. The OBITMAX system includes an accounting system that enables newspaper administrators the ability to track their past and present orders and fees.

To date, the New Castle News, is using OBITMAX with approximately 100 funeral homes. For more information about OBITMAX, visit www.obitmax.com

Well, it’s here. If any of you have been in the community correction field in the past 20 years, you knew this day was coming. It’s time to rethink how we supervise probation. We’ve talked about it for years. Our budgets are dropping, our caseloads are increasing, and our resources are dwindling. Now more than ever we must embrace the best practice that says “Put your resources towards higher risk offenders and do less with lower risk clients.” Lets start with the higher risk.

First off, I hope you’re using an assessment tool. There are several very good ones out there today. Level of Service Inventory (LSI-R), COMPAS, etc. The challenge we have is not only using the tool, but what to do after the assessment. If the tool shows a higher risk offender, I hope that’s where you’re placing your resources. National Best Practices, supported by research, shows that these offenders need intensive supervision coupled with treatment. They should be given all available resources to ensure public safety and their success. Ideally, this higher risk population would be on a reduced caseload (25-45 per Officer) and require all forms of contact with Officers. Home verifications, treatment contact, office visits, etc. As their criminal thinking and behavior continues to decrease, so does their risk to offend. Assessments should be completed with each “event change” to ensure they are being monitored at the proper level. Keep in mind, “event change” also means positive events. Graduation from school or a treatment program, promotion at work, etc. Bottom line, these offenders make up 20% of the nations probation and parole population but cause 80% of the crime and problems. It only makes sense for us to concentrate on this population with all levels of supervision.

Obviously, putting our resources towards the above creates less staff to handle everyone else. Believe it or not, that’s a good thing. Here’s why. Recently, I had a friend who’s daughter was arrested for Fraud through writing fake prescription’s. We’ll call her “Linda”. Linda was experimenting with the drug, oxycontin. Her boyfriend happened to work at a local pharmacy and they resorted to this crime to obtain the drug. Prior to her arrest, Linda had a great set of friends who were not aware of her recent drug use. She was never in trouble at school and never had contact with police prior to this event. Her family life was stable and upper middle class. Nonetheless, she dated the wrong person who introduced her to this drug and her trouble began. When she was convicted of the crime and sentenced to probation, she entered a system that didn’t understand how to maximize their resources. The Probation agency did what they do with all new probationers, they started her off with “level one” supervision, required her to attend 90 AA meetings in 90 days, and placed her in a treatment program for 3 months. Today, Linda’s friends are all drug addicts and ex-convicts. Her old friends are entering college and leading successful lives. Linda was forced into spending time with hard core felons while she attended these treatment programs and reported to the probation office each week for the first 3 months. Evidence Best Practices, supported through research, tell us that Linda’s arrest and the humiliation of going through an event like this, was probably all she needed. Yes, put her on probation to ensure she is paying restitution and getting help with her drug use. However, once the agency confirms that Linda is on the right track, they should keep her away from the office, stop having her attend “meetings” where higher risk offenders gather, and no longer supervise her at a high level. Today, agencies who understand this best practice utilize “banked” caseloads. They understand that their higher risk offenders need their resources. In fact, many state and local elected officials are now becoming more familiar with this research and are also demanding agencies to rethink supervision. These caseloads have several hundred offenders on them and require very little supervision. Unfortunately, the private sector hasn’t caught up with this best practice. Most companies focus on higher risk offenders by offering GPS and Electronic Monitoring. Lower risk offenders are an afterthought. That said, there are a few very good options available today. I would suggest probation agencies look for companies that utilize the Internet as opposed to kiosks or phone systems. The future is secure web based technology that places the burden of responsibility on the low risk offender to comply.

It doesn’t appear that any of us will receive additional Probation/Parole Officers in the near future. At the same time, our offender population is growing. The time is now to shift our resources towards the higher risk offender, and utilize technology to monitor everyone else. Not only is this something we have to do, it’s also the right thing to do.