Chapter 4 – Information Technology

The Department shall maintain complete and accurate case records on all prisoners in the custody of the Department as required by PCPenal Code 2081.5. Case records include all information received by the Department from courts, probation departments, sheriff and police departments, DA offices, the State DOJDepartment Of Justice, the FBIFederal Bureau of Investigation, and other pertinent agencies and persons.

OBISOffender Based Information System was created to provide for automated tracking of all inmates assigned to the Department’s jurisdiction from the time of admission through discharge from prison or parole.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that complete and accurate records are maintained on all prisoners under the jurisdiction of the Department, and to establish and fix responsibility and accountability for the management of OBISOffender Based Information System.

Overall responsibility (e.g., security, data integrity, QAQuality Assurance, QCQuality Control) for OBISOffender Based Information System resides with the Director and Chief Deputy Director. Delegated responsibility resides with OISBOffender Information Services Branch of the ASDSee Division of Administrative Services (DAS) (see ASB), and with management, supervisory, and end-user personnel involved with OBISOffender Based Information System use. OISBOffender Information Services Branch is responsible for training data input staff and providing QCQuality Control oversight to ensure data integrity in OBISOffender Based Information System.

As primary users of this system, the case records offices in facilities, parole regions, and headquarters, as well as OISBOffender Information Services Branch, input and update offender information in OBISOffender Based Information System.

As the custodian of this system, the ISDInformation Services Division (see EIS) is responsible for application, hardware, and software support, and maintenance of OBISOffender Based Information System.

Parole Violator Work Credit Subsystem

• The Parole Violator Work Credit Subsystem records paroleeatlarge, parole revocation, and revocation extension information, and applies work credit earned/lost from the inmate work incentive subsystem to calculate violator revocation release dates.

OBISOffender Based Information System is a centralized, on-line, mainframe system that links all facilities, parole regions, selected parole field units, and headquarters to the Teale Data Center. OBISOffender Based Information System is the only database which tracks an inmate from initial admission in a state prison through discharge from prison or parole.

Composition Of OBISOffender Based Information System

• OBISOffender Based Information System is comprised of the following subsystems: movement, commitment, descriptive, inmate work incentive; and holds, wants, and detainers.

Movement Subsystem

• The movement subsystem records each movement and status change of an inmate from the date of reception from the committing court to discharge from CDC jurisdiction.

Commitment Subsystem

• The commitment subsystem records the legal commitment received from the California Superior Court that sentenced the offender to the jurisdiction of the Department.

Descriptive Subsystem

• The descriptive subsystem records detailed information regarding each offender’s height, weight, hair color, ethnicity, social security number, CII number, FBIFederal Bureau of Investigation number, and date and place of birth.

Inmate Work Incentive Subsystem

• The inmate work incentive subsystem is a collection of an offender’s applied credits (including vested credits, administrative time, work and vocational assignments, work credit losses and restorations) that affect the release date of the offender.

Inmate Time Collection System

• The Inmate Time Collection System (ITCS) is used to track the hours of inmates participating in the IW/TIP. Inmates who participate in the IW/TIP shall earn work time credit toward the reduction of their sentence.

• The ITCS introduces a scanning process to the existing time collection system. The scanning system is designed to provide the following:

  • Key data entry workload relief for the facility.

  • A more expedient method of updating OBISOffender Based Information System.

• The ITCS scanning process uses revisions of the CDC Form 191, Inmate Timecard, the CDC Form 1697, Work Supervisor Log, and a Sentry 4000 scanner. The work supervisor tracks the inmate work time for a 31 day period, using the CDC Form 1697. Information from the CDC Form 1697 is transferred on to the CDC Form 191. The CDC Form 191 is sent to the case records office for scanning and timecard retention. Scanned information is used to update the OBISOffender Based Information System database, and generate error and statistical reports.

Holds, Wants and Detainer Subsystem

• The Holds/Wants/Detainer subsystem records holds, wants (warrants), and detainers (HWDHolds/Wants/Detainer) on a particular offender. HWDs are entered on-line immediately after receipt from another agency (e.g., federal, other states) which may have a legal right to hold the offender.

• Requests for offender information residing on the OBISOffender Based Information System database shall be addressed to the Information System Support and Specialized Reporting Unit, located in OISBOffender Information Services Branch.

The Assistant Secretary, EISEnterprise Information Services (formerly Information Services Division), or designee shall be responsible for ensuring that the contents of this Article are kept current and accurate.

PCPenal Code § 2081.5.