Justice and Public Safety Cloud Resources

At the start of the pandemic, courts had to transition quickly from in-person to virtual hearings. In a moment of crisis, many short-term or makeshift solutions were developed just to keep the doors open. They ended up with solutions that worked in a pinch, but didn't possess the bells and whistles courts needed, like integration with other systems and data storage.

AWS has partners who offer flexible, end-to-end solutions for virtual courts. Solutions like these offer registration and scheduling, video streaming, encrypted document upload, fine payment, and more.

All courts have a case management system, either something they bought from a vendor or something they developed on site. Some like their systems and others struggle with day-to-day processing, lack of automation, or poor integration.

AWS can help create an environment to bring in future vendors. Our vetted list of case management partners can help point courts in a new direction.

Courts have an abundance of records and these records are often sizeable. Storing all the records tends to cause problems, either courts use an inefficient third-party content management system (CMS) or they store records on-premise, usually at significant cost.

Cloud storage on AWS can offer cost savings and increased security over on-premise solutions, as well as retrieval speeds and services like natural language processing that CMSs can’t provide. Plus, thanks to the AWS Transfer Family, it’s simple to manage and share data with simple, secure, and scalable file transfers.

Video evidence needs to be stored for the lifetime of a case, some of which can last up to 6 years. Plus, in some jurisdictions, courts need to be able to prove video evidence hasn’t been tampered with.

AWS has solution teams who can help courts understand what they’re looking for in terms of video storage. After a business requirement review, we’ll know if we should bring in partners or recommend AWS-native tools.

Courts across the country struggle with connectivity because some are in remote areas, while others are in big buildings lacking good coverage.

AWS can help courts with connectivity issues. We start by bringing in a solutions architect who can diagnose the problem and make recommendations for next steps.

AWS meets the requirements of the most security-sensitive organizations with support for 98 security standards and compliance certifications, more than any other cloud offering.

On-premises, legacy systems can hinder lifesaving services. AWS GovCloud (US), Amazon API Gateway, AWS Lambda, and AWS Fargate are just a few AWS services that can host sensitive data and regulate workloads. These services help customers scale automatically to meet the growing technology needs of citizens without compromising on Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Security Policy compliance.

Law enforcement agencies can utilize AWS and our partners to bring together structured and unstructured information in data lakes. This allows for the sharing of data seamlessly across platforms and between different units to uncover valuable insights and increase efficiency of reporting.

AWS provides a set of cloud-based disaster recovery services that enable fast recovery of your IT infrastructure and data. Read how Livingston Parish prepares for natural disasters by running its computer aided dispatch (CAD) on Amazon Linux 2 and Amazon EC2 to improve resiliency in the cloud.

A new generation of cloud-based software can accelerate response times when seconds or minutes could have life-or-death consequences.

911 centers are losing staff and these roles are hard to backfill and train. Amazon Connect, our simple omnichannel cloud contact center automates processes and improves call answering times for non-emergency calls.

Due to where they are and how they’re built, correctional facilities across the country struggle with connectivity.

AWS Direct Connect can help. Plus, we have several partners who offer a broad spectrum of solutions, including Wi-Fi, 5G modems, and last-mile PTP microwave.

Case management systems, most often called offender management systems (OMS) or jail management systems (JMS), are critical, but often out of date. This makes them ripe for replacement done responsively, meaning not in one fell swoop. Modernization of these systems creates efficiencies while also enabling data analytics not available on existing legacy systems. Analytics in the corrections environment helps to identify trends and allows organizations to make data informed decisions regarding policy and operations.

AWS has partners and solutions that can help agencies explore if incremental modernization is possible. One size does not fit all in this area, but we can assist by evaluating your options as you move forward. 

Increased retention requirements and the adoption of body-worn cameras have made corrections facilities some of the biggest video data consumers in justice and public safety.

AWS partners can help store and manage data. Plus, customers in all 50 states can host criminal justice information on AWS. Storing data in AWS provides for high availability, security, and the ability to modernize workloads, like eDiscovery which can be otherwise time consuming in the corrections environment.

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed how important technology was to corrections facilities. Without it, people couldn’t learn, couldn’t visit, and couldn’t stay connected to their legal counsel.

AWS has partners who can help increase capacity, provide video visitation, allow electronic delivery of legal discovery documents, curate resources that prepare people to re-enter society, and more. Solutions are implemented with security—the top priority in this environment.

The demand for transparency and accountability in the American justice system continues. As a result, agencies throughout the country are adopting tools like body-worn cameras to increase availability of relevant information. AWS services and partners can assist. Efficiencies in storage solutions and modernized workflows combined with the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) enable organizations to improve operations while ensuring accountability.

Organizations around the world scrambled to identify alternatives to incarceration for low-risk offenders due to the increased impact of COVID-19 in corrections facilities. As a result, several AWS partners have developed smartphone apps to enhance electronics supervision. These apps are focused on enabling people to remain compliant with terms of release by utilizing calendar reminders, automated check ins, remote mentors, counseling, and healthcare services. Effective assistive supervision-leveraging technology can reduce the number of people incarcerated and lower the rate of recidivism.

Studies show one of the best ways to reduce recidivism is by helping incarcerated people obtain education and training required to gain and retain living wage employment upon release. We have several partners focused on this issue. Amazon actively invests in supporting this work, including upskilling to help incarcerated develop cloud skills.