Criminal Case Initiation Change Order Criminal Case Initiation through the Portal The law enforcement officer, jail or state attorney will submit minimal case initiation information to the Clerks through the Portal. The Portal will route the case information and document[s] to the County and based upon the Division and Case Type selected create a Uniform Case Number for the filer to use. 7/10/2017
Application Version Release 2017.02 or TBD Functional Area Filer s Interface HEAT Ticket Environment Production Date 5/18/2017 Short Description: With minimal criminal case initiation information, create a Uniform Case Number Table of Contents Scope... 1 Business Rules... 2 Business Requirements... 2 Functional Requirements... 3 High Level Business Process Model... 4 Enhancement Description... 4 E-Filing Portal Software Modifications... 5 Request E-Filing Support... 5 E-Filing Map... 5 My Cases... 6 My Submissions... 10 Search Criteria... Error! Bookmark not defined. Filing Received Confirmation... Error! Bookmark not defined. Criminal Case Initiation Filing Path... 11 Batch E-Filing... 11 Criminal Case Initiation Work Flow... 11 Portal Review... 12 Local Review... 12 County Docket Codes... 12 Online Help... 12 To Do... 12 Document Version Control Date Version # Editor Description of Change 5/18/2017 1.0 Portal Team Creation 7/6/2017 2.0 Portal Team Lee County Input Page 1
7/7/2017 3.0 Portal Team Brevard County Input 7/10/2017 4.0 Portal Team Blended Lee and Brevard County suggestions 5.0 Portal Team 6.0 Portal Team 7.0 Portal Team Scope The issue/goal: 1. What information has to be provided to the Portal for a criminal case to be initiated so that the Uniform Case Number is assigned before the preliminary hearings take place? 2. What Agencies/Organizations will be allowed to initiate these criminal cases? 3. What documentation, at a minimum, must be filed in order to initiate a criminal case through the Portal? 4. What The scope of this document includes defining a process whereby filers are able to submit a limited amount of data with a charging document (either a capias, Notice to Appear, Warrant to Arrest, Indictment or Information) to the Portal and the Portal will immediately transmit this information to the County. Upon completion of the filing by the Clerk, the CMS will generate a new criminal case number [UCN] for use at the preliminary hearings. The County will then complete the case initiation information if necessary in their CMS. This will not be a mandated process but available for those Counties that wish to utilize this feature. If a County already has an alternative process for criminal case initiation in place, they may continue to use that process. Business Rules The Portal will provide the filers with the ability to create a criminal case with minimal case initiation information and generate a Uniform Case Number The Portal will be able to provide this Uniform Case Number 24 hours a day seven days a week A charging document must be attached to the submission The Counties will be able to utilize this functionality if they choose to do so Case Initiation is done by the jail and Filing is done by the State Attorney Uniform booking information converted to an electronic data element format by the detention facility, prior to first appearance, in a timely fashion, and transmitted to the Clerk is a precursor to criminal case initiation Business Requirements 1. The Portal will transmit the case initiation information and documents to the appropriate County. 2. The criminal case initiation screen will be available to law enforcement agencies, booking agents at a jail and state attorney organizations only. 3. A Uniform Case Number will be automatically generated by the County s CMS based on the Division and Case Type selected by the filer. Page 2
4. A new case may be initiated with minimal case data but does need to attach a document to the submission. The remaining supporting documents may be submitted after the preliminary hearings and a UCN has been created. 5. The Counties will be able to supplement any missing data in their CMS upon receipt of additional documentation or other informational documents. Functional Requirements 1. The documents are submitted by the filer as either a PDF or Word document. 2. The Uniform Case Number will be generated without the charging statutes or underlying offense specified in the initial data submitted. 3. The County will be able to turn on this functionality when and if they decide to do so. 4. Determine the definition of Division as it relates to the judicial assignment versus Case Type. 5. The Portal will bypass the Portal Review Queue to generate the Uniform Case Number during hours specified by each County. 6. The County may take this information and establish email rules for routing within their County. Page 3
State of Florida Criminal Justice Process Florida Courts E-Filing Portal Enhancement Description Add functionality for certain organization filers to enter minimal case initiation information, upload a document and pass this information to the County s CMS to generate a Uniform Case Number [without the need for Clerk Review]. The Page 4
criminal case initiation functionality may be enabled in a phased approach. The New Case option for Criminal Division should only be visible to those designated organizations. E-Filing Portal Software Modifications Request E-Filing Support What impact does adding this criminal case initiation functionality have on the service center? What additional information needs to be included on the request help screen to handle criminal case initiation by an Organization? E-Filing Map This screen does not need to be modified. The Criminal Division option will appear in the Case Information page based on the filing Organization and whether the County has allowed this process to take place. This allows the counties within a circuit that are ready to embrace this process to do so without the need to wait until all counties within the Circuit are ready to proceed. Trial Court Case Initiation Pleading on Existing Case Proposed Order Appellate Court Case Number Pending Case Initiation Pleading on Existing Case Page 5
Case Information Add the Criminal Divisions to the drop down. Florida Courts E-Filing Portal Add the Case Type and Sub Type Page 6
Case Parties For counties that do require party information, make sure that the parties for Criminal Case Types are available to be added Documents Make sure the documents the initiating filer will need to submit are available in the Add/Edit Document tab Page 7
ServiceList Create the Service List Fees and Payments There is no fee to file a Criminal case so we can remove this page from the Criminal Case Initiation filing path Page 8
Review and Submit Submit the new Criminal case for initiation by the county Page 9
Filing Received Confirmation Florida Courts E-Filing Portal My Cases The filers will be able to submit subsequent filings through the Portal by accessing the My Cases screen after they have submitted the criminal case initiation documentation and received a Uniform Case Number. My Submissions Criminal Case initiation information will be displayed on this screen. Page 10
Criminal Case Initiation Filing Path Filing Tabs that will be used to submit criminal case initiation information Case Information Parties at a minimum the State of Florida would be listed as a Party Plaintiff with the Defendant information not a required field unless a County opts to use the Simple e-file option for criminal case initiation Documents submission may be sent without a document attached Service List Review and Submit Batch E-Filing Enhance CEI to allow criminal case initiation to be submitted to the Portal by the State Attorneys. Criminal Case Initiation Work Flow Filer Organization enters minimal case initiation information in data fields as selected by County Filing Confirmation page returns results of the submission to include a submission # (submission id) and any party information included in the submission in the Style of the Case field along with a NEF if applicable Portal sends the submission to the County s CMS Page 11
Portal Review No County Review is required 1. The Portal sends the submission straight into the CMS so that a Uniform Case Number can be provided by to the filing Organization for use at initial appearance 2. Based on the Division and the Case Type the CMS will generate and return a Uniform Case Number a. Transmit any documents submitted to the CMS b. Enter all data information provided by the filing Organization into the CMS c. Email sent to filing Organization that includes the Uniform Case Number d. The submission is added to the filing Organization s My Submissions and My Cases pages in the Portal for subsequent filing 3. Web services need to be passing return codes on the results of the xml transmission between the portal and the CMS. Web services also need to return submission statuses. The criminal case initiation information submission statuses are: a. Submitted the criminal case initiation information was successfully uploaded to the portal b. Received the criminal case information was successfully received by the County c. Completed the criminal case information was successfully received by the County and a Uniform Case Number was assigned Local Review 1. Web services need to be passing return codes on the results of the xml transmission between the portal and the CMS. Web services also need to return submission statuses. The criminal case initiation information submission statuses are: a. Submitted the criminal case initiation information was successfully uploaded to the portal b. Received the criminal case information was successfully received by the County c. Completed the criminal case information was successfully received by the County and a Uniform Case Number was assigned County Docket Codes Clerks must ensure that all criminal case initiation docket codes are assigned to the filing Organization s filer roles. The criminal case initiation documents will only be listed in the drop downs for the filer Organizations able to submit the criminal case initiation information. Online Help Update Organization Administrator Portal User Manual Create YouTube videos on submitting criminal case initiation information FAQ page to link to Portal application page To Do 1. Log into TEST and go through this process using the Simple E-File option for the Criminal New Case selection 2. Update outdated screen shots in the document 3. Request Kevin s documentation and see what can be included in this document 4. Create a Distribution List for the people involved in this Work Group a. Laurie Rice, Brevard b. Doug Bakke, Hillsborough Page 12
c. Kevin Karnes, Lee d. Kim Hudson, Polk e. Tom Morris, State Attorney f. Harold Sample, Pasco g. Jean Sperbeck, Alachua h. Justin Horan, Clay 5. Distribute document for comments a. Find out what and if any data is required by the Counties? b. What would be the minimal amount of data they would accept? c. Can we accept a submission without a document attached? 6. Email Melissa to see if I can watch the videos on the Clericus web service Page 13