Attachment 10 - Online Public Access Juror Management Functions.pdf

Online Public Access Juror Management Functions

Web-Based Jury Management System Requirements

Version 1.0

Attachment 10

Contents Overview

Users and Roles Stakeholders

Online Public Access Juror Management Functions Login Welcome Page Personal Information Online Form Completion Contact Us Link Logout Page Excuse/Postpone/Partial Excuse Links Attendance Letter Link Personal Information Link Home Link Current Status Link Fillable PDF Supplemental Questionnaire Configuration Options Nationwide Changes

Property of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Attachment 10 1

Overview

Online Public Access Juror Management is a web-based application that jurors can use to complete Qualification Questionnaires, Juror Information form, and other forms online. It can also be configured to allow jurors to request an excuse, postpone their jury service, or request a partial excuse. Online Public Access Juror Management can also be used to print attendance letters, update personal information, and to check the juror’s status.

The following business functions are required.

Users and Roles

Jury Administrators, Jury Clerks, courtroom deputies, prospective jurors, and other jury-related user roles

Stakeholders

JMS users

Attachment 10 2

Online Public Access Juror Management Functions

Login

At a minimum, and based on current technology, two methods are available for accessing Online Public Access Juror Management.

• Access the website by using the URL printed on the questionnaire or summons forms.

• Scan the QR code on the forms using a smartphone or other mobile device which redirects the user to the Online Public Access Website.

The following information is verified when logging in to the Online Public Access Website:

• Unique Juror ID Number ID number

• First three letters of the Last Name

• Date of Birth (DOB) – MM/DD/YYYY

Welcome Page

After a successful login, the Welcome page displays with text defined in the Wording (refer to the Configurations Options section below) verifying that the person filling out the form is the same person on the questionnaire:

• Are you <juror name> filling out this form?

o If Yes, the next screen in the sequence displays.

o If No, a textbox is displayed to enter the name, address and reason another person is filling out the form.

• Is the juror deceased?

o If Yes, enter the date of death.

o If No, a personal information screen displays.

• Is the juror deployed?

o If Yes, enter the date of deployment.

o If No, a personal information screen displays.

• Is the juror incapacitated?

o If Yes, enter the date of incapacitation.

o If No, a personal information screen displays.

• Is the juror out of the country or county?

o If Yes, enter the date the juror became unavailable.

o If No, a personal information screen displays

Personal Information

The juror may update contact information through the Online Public Access Website instead of contacting the court. The webpage shall display the following information for the juror to complete:

• First Name

• Last Name

• Street Address

• City

• State

• Zip

• County of Residence

Attachment 10 3 o County Selection List

• Contact Phone Number

• Email Address

• Confirm Email Address

• Email Notification (Y/N)

Cell Phone Information

If the user elects to receive email notifications (text messages), a cell phone information screen shall display allowing the user to perform the following actions:

• Enter a cell phone number.

• Select a cell phone carrier.

NOTE: Currently, the cell phone carrier data is supplied by the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system and cannot be updated through the Jury Management System (JMS) application.

When personal information is updated through the Online Public Access Website, the system shall write a history record to the juror’s record in the system.

Online Form Completion

The Online Public Access Website must allow jurors to complete several forms online. Please see Attachment 21: Current Forms Used by District Courts for samples of the following supported forms:

Form Number Description 292300-9 Juror Qualification Questionnaire 290731-2 Juror Summons (Horizontal Signature) 291313-2 Louisiana Juror Summons (Horizontal Signature) 295977-1 Juror Summons (Vertical Signature) 295986-1 Louisiana Juror Summons (Vertical Signature) 290909-2 Supplemental Questionnaire

The online forms must mimic the paper forms sent to prospective jurors. If an answer requires the juror to provide additional information on the paper questionnaire remarks section, the juror must be required to provide the same additional information when completing the questionnaire on the Online Public Access Website.

For example, the paper qualification questionnaire (292300-9) requires those answering “No” to question number 3 to provide additional information. This means that jurors answering “No” to question number 3 on the Online Public Access Website must also be required to provide additional information. A juror completing the questionnaire online must answer the current question before moving on to the next question. Before submitting a form online, the juror shall be presented with a summary of their answers and information provided. The juror shall have the opportunity to edit answers. Then the juror will be required to check a box certifying the information is correct before submitting the form.

Incomplete forms must be rejected by the system when submitted online, and the system shall identify for the juror which required fields are missing.

Attachment 10 4

Contact Us Link

The webpage shall allow jurors to contact the court by clicking on a Contact Us link. This link shall be specific to certain webpages within the Online Public Access Website if the parameter to display the link is configured:

• N in the Value column does not display the link

• Y in the Value column displays the link

The system shall allow the court to customize their website to include or not include the “Contact Us” link on several public webpages. Refer to the Configuration Options section below.

Logout Page

Once the questionnaire has been completed, an informational screen is presented that includes further instructions for the juror. The system shall display the following links on the left side of the Logout webpage:

• Excuse/Postpone/Partial Excuse

• Current Status

• Attendance Letter

• Personal Information

• Home

• Logout

The logout link is also available on the questionnaire screens. If the juror logs out using that logout link, the system’s database shall be updated appropriately. The juror may log in again later to complete the questionnaire.

Excuse/Postpone/Partial Excuse Links

Jurors can log in to the Online Public Access Website to request a postponement (i.e., deferral), request to be excused, or to be partially excused from jury duty. Any information denoted with an * is required.

• Postpone Link o Enter your email address.* o Select appropriate month for postponement.* o Remarks*

• Excuse Link o Text from the Wording Table (refer to the Configurations Options section below) o Link to print medical form (The PDF is definable by court.)

o Email Address (This is for sending the medical form.)

o To: (Name of Addressee) o Enter your email address.* o Select reason from drop-down list*

• Partial Excuse link o Text from Wording Table (refer to the Configurations Options section below) o Textbox

If the juror is ineligible to postpone, excuse, or partially excuse, an error message is displayed.

Attachment 10 5

Attendance Letter Link

The website shall enable the user to print attendance letters for their employers. The system shall enable courts to customize and edit the standard attendance letter. Refer to Attachment 8:

Attendance Functions for Web-Based JMS Requirements (Attendance Letters) for a detailed description of the attendance letter.

Personal Information Link

The website shall allow jurors to log into the Online Public Access Website at any time to update their personal information. Refer to the Personal Information section above.

Home Link

When the Home link is selected, the website shall display a webpage reminding the juror that they can postpone their service as well as update their personal information. Also, the system shall enable courts to add a customized background for the homepage. Courts often have their district court seal as a background for the homepage.

• Text (Customization > Wording)

• Excuse/Postpone/Partial Excuse Link

• Current Status Link

• Attendance Letter Link

• Personal Information Link

• Contact Us Link

• Logout Link

Current Status Link

The Online Public Access Website shall allow jurors to log in and check their status from the Current Status link. The status message displayed shall be the same message the juror would hear from the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) application. If no message record exists, an error message displays instructing the juror to call the jury office.

Fillable PDF Supplemental Questionnaire

The system shall provide the capability of supporting customized fillable PDF supplemental questionnaires that jurors can complete and submit online through the Online Public Access Website. The completed forms shall be stored and associated with the jurors record for retrieval by court personnel.

Configuration Options

The Online Public Access Website must have specific options that may be configured by the courts as well as the capability to mimic the qualification questions with the paper juror qualification questionnaire. The end user shall be able to edit configuration options through easy-to-use management screens.

Webpage Configuration Table controls common Online Public Access Website parameters, such as whether to require a pool minimum, or date maximum when allowing jurors to excuse or

Attachment 10 6 postpone their jury service.

Webpage Wording Table controls the text that is displayed on the Online Public Access Website’s pages as well as the wording for automatic emails sent to jurors when questionnaires are completed or an excuse is requested, etc.

Court Location Table controls the links displayed on the Online Public Access Website’s pages.

Webpage Configuration Options

They system must be able to support general webpage options that require system administrator rights to add, delete, and edit customization options. When possible, options shall be location specific for a district court.

• Email Options

For excuse, postponement, or partial excuse requests the system shall allow courts to have the option of automatically accepting the request or flagging the request for court review. In addition, the court shall have the option of receiving a notification email or not receiving a notification email when a juror requests an excuse, postponement, or partial excuse. The default shall be “No” for automatic review and “No” for email notification.

• Excuse Options

The system shall allow courts to have the option of configuring the webpage where the juror selects one or multiple court defined excuses. Or, excuses are not displayed, and the juror must type in their excuse. The option shall exist to flag excuses for review or to automatically grant excuses. The default shall be to automatically grant excuses. If excuses are automatically granted, the court shall have the option to automatically queue or print letters/emails. The system shall have the option of setting the age to grant excuse for age.

• Postpone Options

These settings affect how postponements are handled. The Online Public Access Website shall present the juror with a calendar when requesting a postponement that indicates date(s) the juror may select to be deferred to for service. The system shall allow the user to toggle the following postponement options on or off:

o The court shall have the option of setting the rules to specify that postponements are allowed on Mondays and a holiday falls on Monday, the juror would be allowed to postpone on Tuesday.

o The court shall have the option of setting a threshold for the minimum number of jurors that have responded online as part of pool before allowing postpone, excuses, and disqualification requests to be automatically granted. This minimum can be set by specific pool.

o The court shall have the option of setting the time after a juror submits a request that a juror can log back into the website and view their status on the Current Status page.

o The court shall have the option of allowing the juror to postpone to the first available day after a holiday.

Attachment 10 7 o The process for capturing the postponement reason shall track the excuse process exactly.

o Displaying the “Deferred To” date on the Current Status webpage. This is defaulted to not display the date.

o The option shall exist to set postponement requests as automatic or request only (reviewed by the court).

o The system shall have three options for presenting jurors with selection of postponement requests:

1. The juror enters a date request in a textbox, that is flagged for review.

2. The juror selects a postponement month, and the first day of the month is assigned as the postponement date.

3. A calendar displays with available postponement dates, which are controlled by the maximum deferrals by date option.

o When postponements are automatically granted, the court shall have the option of automatically sending an email or letter to the juror granting the postponement.

o The court shall be able to configure the system to accept postponements without the juror being required to provide a reason.

• General Request Options

The system shall provide the following options for multiple functions:

o Value = Y – For postponements as well as for excuses and partial excuses, and disqualifications, if the juror was denied a previous excuse, partial excuse, postponement, or disqualification which was deleted, the juror will still be allowed to request an excuse, partial excuse, or postponement if the maximum postponement count has not been reached for the day and the pool minimum count has not been reached.

o Value = N – The juror is not allowed to request an excuse, partial excuse, or postponement, if their history shows any previous excuse, partial excuse, postponement, or disqualification. The juror shall be able to always request a disqualification.

o The system shall allow the ability to set individual thresholds (i.e., number of jurors that have been granted) for automatically granting postponements, excuses, and partial excuses by date. Once the threshold is reached, postponements, excuses, and partial excuses shall not be automatically granted.

The threshold shall be configurable for postponements, excuses, and partial excuses individually.

o For postponements, excuses, and partial excuse requests, if the jurors next report date is less than the postpone lead time days, postponements, excuses, and partial excuses shall not be automatically granted. The court shall be able to set individual lead time days for postponements, excuses, and partial excuses.

o For postponements, excuses, and partial excuse requests the court shall be able to set the maximum that can be automatically granted for a date specific.

o The Excuse/Postpone/Partial Excuse link shall be configurable by the court to present the Postpone, Partial Excuse, and Excuse sub-menus (all, some, one) when selected by the juror.

• Login Options

The system shall enable courts to perform the following functions:

o Set the number of unsuccessful login attempts before the user is locked out of

Attachment 10 8 the system and how long the user is locked out of the system.

o Set the minutes of inactivity before timing out the juror and displaying a timeout message.

o Option to not display the questionnaire again if a juror has been postponed.

• Personal Information Options

These settings control whether to make name/address changes reviewable or to have them automatically update the person record. Address changes must be reviewed for the following juror status:

o Two-Step Questionnaire Issued o Two-Step Qualified o Two-Step Summoned o Assigned to a Pool o Responded o Assigned to a Panel o Actual Selected Juror o Deferred o Undeliverable

• Contact Us Options

The system shall enable courts to perform the following function:

o Show or hide the link to the Contact Us webpage for the following public pages:

Postpone Partial Excuses Excuses Attendance Personal Information Acknowledgment Login Juror Information Page Questionnaire Exit Survey Supplemental Questionnaire

• Email Options

The system shall queue emails for transmission. The system shall enable courts to configure the following settings:

o How often (in minutes) the system email queue sends emails to the email server.

If set to zero (0) the messages are sent immediately.

o How long an email has been in the system queue before it is sent to the mail server. For example, if transmit delay of 5 minutes is set, when the application checks the application email queue it will only send emails to the email server that are equal to or greater than 5 minutes old.

o Enter the name and address of the email server.

• General System Options o The Online Public Access Website shall perform the following functions:

Attachment 10 9

Support for one-step and two-step processing.

If juror’s age is 18 years old or less, the system will verify the juror’s age.

Allows all logins regardless of the juror’s age.

Verifies all juror’s ages against DOB field and automatically places them in a review management screen for court processing.

In all cases, if a juror is less than 18 years old, that juror shall be listed in the under 18 management screens and the option shall exist to adjust that to a greater age. For example, a court may want to look at questionnaires where the juror is 21years old or younger.

Option to list all qualified questionnaires in a qualified questionnaire management screen. The default shall be not to automatically list all qualified questionnaires in a qualified questionnaire management screen.

Webpage Wording Parameters

A Wording Parameters Table controls the wording on some of the webpages displayed on the Online Public Access Website. Wording not found in the table is hardcoded and cannot be modified. Access to this table is password (encrypted).

The table must include, at a minimum, the following fields:

1. Identifies the section (fixed) of the form being customized.

2. Provides actual working and HTML codes/tags.

3. A note field to describe change.

The system shall enable the user to search for entries in the wording parameters table. The search function must be robust and provide advanced searching such as using wildcard.

Court Location Parameters Table

The table shall be located in the host system and controls the links displayed at the top of each webpage on the Online Public Access Website.

• Jury Info URL

• Additional URL 1

• Additional URL 2

Nationwide Changes

Above and beyond court specific configurations, and whenever possible, nationwide changes to the Online Public Access Website shall be accomplished by configuration files accessible to Development and Support personnel only.

For example, if the decision was made to change the order of questions on certain webpages, the changes shall be accomplished through a sequencing configuration file. Some changes could require changing the source code and require the courts to install an update of the executable software. However, whenever possible, it is preferable that configuration files be edited to facilitate national changes to the Online Public Access Website.