York County of Pennsylvania: Act 44
GDC Empowers York County with Streamlined Act 44 Compliance Using Power BI
4 Min Read
Industry: Government
Location: Chambersburg, PA
The mission of York County Department of Probation Services is to enforce the mandates of the Court through community protection, accountability, victim restoration, and improving competency development through engaging family and community resources to individuals under our supervision. York County Department of Probation Services strives to achieve excellence in community corrections by providing the highest quality services to the courts, victims, individuals under the supervision of the Court, their families, and our community. This vision will be achieved through evidence-based interventions that demonstrate a balanced approach between treatment and law enforcement.
Business Need
As of December 14th, 2023, Act 44’s Probation Reform was signed into law in Pennsylvania, receiving strong bipartisan support. The significant change in the state’s probation programs has presented a challenge for law enforcement officers and personnel, who must identify and process individuals under court supervision when the law takes effect on June 11th, 2024. This process requires extensive effort to manually extract and review eligible individual’s data continuously, determining eligibility based on complex and evolving criteria on a case-by-case basis. This approach is not only error-prone but also unsustainable in the long term from a personnel perspective.
The Solution
To tackle this challenge, York County Probation turned to GDC IT Solutions. Our Application Services team collaborated closely with the department to understand the intricacies of their management system for individuals under court supervision. We developed a robust data pipeline and translated the complex eligibility criteria into actionable Power BI reports.
Our approach included:
- Data Integration: Establishing a seamless connection between the source system and Power BI to ensure real-time data updates.
- Custom Reporting: Creating tailored dashboards that not only identified eligible individuals due for processing but also forecasted future processing needs, enabling proactive resource planning.
- Agile Development: Conducting multiple weekly analysis sessions with the Data & Analytics team to refine reporting visuals and logic, ensuring precision and adherence to tight deadlines.
There is delicate balance between meeting the needs of those we supervise and the community we serve with the allocation of limited resources. The integration of Powerbi visualizations to help guide workloads and streamline workflow has been a welcomed advancement to our processes and procedures.
The ability to harness the power of the data we have, to see past trends and look at future possibilities is exciting. We look forward finding more and more ways in which we can use this information not only to the benefit of those we serve but also to support the work that our staff does.
Dana Brienza
Adult Probataion / Parole Supervisor
York County Dept. of Probation Services
The Results
GDC IT Solutions delivered a fully functional Act 44 Early Termination Tracking dashboard by the June 11th deadline, transforming how the department manages its caseload. Key achievements include:
- Efficient Processing: Automated identification of individuals under court supervision due for evaluation, reducing manual workload and minimizing errors.
- Forward Planning: Enhanced forecasting capabilities that allow the department to anticipate future processing demands and allocate resources more effectively.
- Data-Driven Decisions: A solid foundation for ongoing adjustments and improvements as state legislation continues to evolve.
This rapid deployment not only equipped the York County Probation Department with immediate operational efficiencies but also provided a scalable, data-driven framework to adapt to future legislative changes.
For more insights into Act 44 and its impact, visit Reform Alliance’s press release and WHYY’s article on Pennsylvania’s probation reforms.
GDC IT Solutions is proud to support York County in navigating these critical reforms and enhancing their probation management capabilities. To learn more about GDC IT Solutions, view our capabilities.
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