A troubled Leon County technology upgrade has disrupted the local criminal justice system, creating inaccurate court records, forcing some operations back to paper and reportedly resulting in some defendants remaining in jail longer than required.
The Tallahassee Democrat, which first reported the problems Thursday, reported that the issues began following an Aug. 18 upgrade to the county’s jail management software. The system records bookings at the Leon County Detention Facility and feeds information into the Justice Information System used by courts, prosecutors and law enforcement.
State Attorney Jack Campbell described the problems as “catastrophic,” telling the Democrat that inaccurate information has included nonexistent or “ghost” cases and records incorrectly indicating that individuals should remain incarcerated. The errors raise concerns about both wrongful detention and the possibility that inaccurate records could result in someone being released when they should remain jailed.
The problems also prompted Chief Circuit Judge Frank Allman to move first-appearance hearings from electronic proceedings to in-person hearings at the courthouse. Some courthouse offices have reverted to paper systems, while inmate visitation at the detention facility was temporarily disrupted.
County Administrator Vince Long told county commissioners in an Aug. 27 email that the county experienced “significant complications” following the software upgrade. County officials now plan to return to the previous jail management system this weekend, which Long called the fastest and lowest-risk option for restoring accurate records.
Leon County commissioners approved an agreement with Chenosa Systems Corporation in 2023 to replace the county’s aging jail management system. Even after the previous system is restored, county officials will face the task of identifying and correcting records affected by the failed upgrade.
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