Monroe County first in state with ‘Odyssey’

Monroe County is slated to be the first county in Indiana to launch a new computerized system for court cases, starting Dec. 17. \nThe new system, named “Odyssey,” is meant to simplify the court’s everyday tasks. It is the first step in the Indiana Supreme Court’s plan to switch all counties to an electronic system in the future. \n“It is a way for them to not track all the cases that are filed and all the different hearings, but (it) actually uses this application to more efficiently handle the cases,” said Mary DePrez, director and counsel for trial court technology.\nThe Indiana Supreme Court decided to switch over to the new computerized system so that one day all counties in Indiana will be able to look up cases in the computer and communicate through this system. \nThe idea of a computerized court system was first introduced to the Indiana Supreme Court in 2001. But due to problems with vendors, the project was unable to successfully surface until now, DePrez said.\nThe new system will also help the court communicate with the sheriff and jail more efficiently to handle the different cases, Monroe County Circuit Judge Francie Hill said.\nMonroe County was chosen as a pilot for the Odyssey program because all of the county’s judges have been involved in trying to improve the judicial system, DePrez said. Marion County will also be one of the first counties to use this new technology. \nAlthough a computerized system of this sort is new to Indiana, other states, such as Minnesota and New Hampshire, have been using similar systems for years, DePrez said. \nBut the technology is not perfect. For example, Odyssey does not include a way for the probation office to be involved in the new system, said Linda Brady, chief probation officer for Monroe County.\n“We are working with them to help develop a probation module,” Brady said. \nIt will take time to adapt to the new system, Hill said. \n“Everyone knows that it is going to take three to five months to really get comfortable,” Hill said. “(The software company) will continue to adapt the system to our needs.”