PUBLIC SAFETY

TECHNOLOGY
Professor H. John Damino
 Chapter 4 – Corrections
Learning Objectives After reading this chapter, the student will:
• Have a basic understanding of contemporary and emerging issues in
corrections.
• Explain the main trends impacting the field of corrections.
• Define the basic technology terminology used in corrections.
• Articulate the main advantages and disadvantages of using technology in
corrections.
• Understand the role of a correctional manager in the evaluation of technology
in a jail or prison.
 Correctional Economics
• Correctional facilities utilize technology for a variety of reasons. This includes the
tracking of inmates on supervised release programs and within jail or prison settings.
• Correctional managers will understand the importance of technology when evaluating
operational needs and preventing future litigation against a municipality, county or
state government agency.
• Technology can be used to effectively monitor offenders in a community setting and
improve the operational efficiency of a jail or prison including prison realignment
issues and prison overcrowding.
• As in law enforcement across the country, correctional systems are under severe
budgetary constraints and look to technological advances to ease the economic strain
 What Is Corrections?
• The field of corrections is the third prong of the criminal justice system.
• Corrections responsibilities include incarceration and rehabilitation.
• At the federal level, the United States has prisons specifically for those persons
convicted and imprisoned for federal violations.
• Throughout the nation, states maintain and control large prisons for offenders
serving a lengthy amount of time.
• County sheriff’s departments and some large metropolitan police departments house
inmates in local jails.
• In the United States, the main function of a sheriff is to maintain a jail system on
behalf of all law enforcement agencies within the county.
• Local police departments also house inmates for a short period of time. Police
departments will hold inmates that are arrested for misdemeanors and will be cited
and released.
• All of the aforementioned areas have a technology component.
• The jail information management system is a large database that stores pertinent
information about each inmate including:
• booking offense,
• court dates,
• demographic information,
• classification status and housing history.
• The relationship between local, state and federal correctional facilities is also
important because technology links them all together.
• Fingerprints, photographs and charge information is captured at each level and
eventually stored in federal systems like the Integrated Automated Fingerprint
Identification System (IAFIS).
• Some states also capture DNA samples inside of their local jails and submit the
sample to state or federal databases.
 Current and Emerging Trends
• Issues like prison realignment, supervised release protocols, legislation initiatives and
crime trends all play a significant part in the evaluation and implementation of
technology.
• In the early 2000s, the inmate population in local, state and federal correctional
facilities continued to grow at an alarming rate.
• Legislation like “three strikes and you are out” has helped keep inmates in custody for
longer periods of time.
• Local and state governments have had to spend billions of dollars on new prisons or
jails throughout the country.
• Many agencies received grant funding to build new jails or expand existing ones just
to keep up with the growing inmate population.
• Additionally, recent court rulings on overcrowding and the lack of medical/mental
health care for inmates have taken a toll on correctional institutions. The courts
imposed sanctions and essentially forced facilities to comply or face lengthy and
costly legal battles
 Other factors driving these upward & downward budgetary trends are:
• Finding innovative methods to electronically track offenders.
• Establishing remote check-in parameters for probationers.
• Providing medical care for offenders with special needs or the aging inmate
population.
• Access to rehabilitation and education programs.
• Issues with classifications, especially high-risk offenders.
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance in correctional settings.
• Online visitation.
• Statistical or data gathering.
• Video surveillance systems.
• Inmate accountability (facility count) systems.
• Security control systems that include touchscreen monitors.
 Correctional Budgetary Shortfalls
• o mitigate these factors, correctional managers have utilized technology to effectively
manage operations, improve efficiency and address the court sanctions.
• Even when faced with budget shortfalls, technology upgrades can and will save money
in the long run.
• in the last five years, some correctional facilities have observed a downward trend in
inmate population.
• So what is driving the declining prison population and how is the decline impacting
local communities and law enforcement:
• Transferring prison inmates to out-of-state prisons to ease overcrowding.
• Controversial “No Bail” programs that let virtually anyone including murderers,
violent offenders, sexual abusers and domestic violence offenders out without any
bail requirements.
 The idea and technology of Prison Realignment
• Letting felons who met certain criteria be released back into the communities where
they lived supervised by county probation officers instead of state parole agents.
• Offenders are released to community supervision programs had to remain on
probation from six months to a year. The length of time was left up to each county.
• Probationers would remain on probation for twelve months.
• Another tenet of prison realignment was the reclassification of certain felony
convictions.
• The reclassification of certain crimes allowed state prison inmates to serve their time
in county jails as opposed to state prison.
• In California, State officials believed that realignment would effectively reduce prison
overcrowding, comply with the court ruling and save money.
 Prison realignment
• Prison realignment focused on criminal sentencing, punishment and community
corrections.
• To be eligible for the program, offenders had to be convicted of a non-violent,
non-serious and non-sexual offense.
• Realignment also required that the offender serve their supervised release in the
county where the offense occurred.
• Although reclassification was an advantage for inmates seeking a supervised
release program, the future will dictate whether this venture makes communities
safer or more dangerous.
• While some studies reveal prison realignment has cut down the “state” prison
population much a mental health “dumping” in the 1970s lowered the mental
health state institutional population, the costs have just been pushed
“downstream” to county and local sheriffs and police agencies.
 • FLAWS IN REALIGNMENT PROGRAMS
• The flaw in the program was that they only considered the current conviction & not
taking into consideration that inmates had prior convictions that were violent and
dangerous.
• Some experts believe that realignment works because it allows low-level offenders
to be supervised near their homes or work.
• What is not taken into account is that most offenders in a correctional setting have
severe alcohol and illegal drug dependency or addiction.
• Because many of these offenders commit property crimes, engage in prostitution or
sell drugs to support their habits, there is little incentive to stay away from old
habits and haunts.
• The Los Angeles County program identified another threat to the community.
Almost 2,000 low-level offenders are out of compliance, meaning they have simply
disappeared and most likely are committing new offenses.
 Global Positioning Technology and Corrections
• Jessica’s Law in the state of Florida requires the use of electronic monitoring of sex
offenders for life.
• In 2006, California required convicted sex offenders to wear global positioning
systems (GPS) for life. Additionally, the sex offenders could not be within 2,000 feet
of a school or park.
• California also changed the definition of sexually violent predatory offenders,
making more offenders eligible for the GPS requirement, thus making technology an
integral part of corrections and the supervision of inmates outside of a jail facility.
• Recent evidence reveals that a global positioning system (GPS) when attached to sex
offenders does reduce recidivism. A National Institute of Justice (NIJ) study
published in 2013 reported that sex offenders who wear GPS devices commit fewer
crimes than offenders who do not.
 Jail Information Management Systems (JIMS) in Corrections
• Provide Efficient data management systems streamline operations, improve staff
effectiveness, reduce overall costs and limit liability.
• Technology companies offer sophisticated jail information management systems
(JIMS) for correctional facilities worldwide.
• Similar to other technology advances, JIMS uses state of the art technology to
properly manage inmate information including:
• Demographic data
• Booking information including charges, property inventory, etc.
• Court data for pending cases
• Visitation records and schedules
• Commissary records that are used for tracking
• Classification module or matrix
• Medical information or records
 Video Surveillance Systems
• Correctional facilities are tasked with monitoring thousands of inmates. One piece of
technology that helps correctional officers monitor inmates is a video surveillance
system (VSS).
• This is often referred to as closed circuit television or CCTV.
• Video surveillance systems use fixed video cameras to transmit data to specific
locations within each facility.
• Video monitors are located in specific segments or areas of concern like intake,
receiving, lobby, transportation, infirmary and high-liability areas.
• Video surveillance assists correctional officers, because it provides continuous
coverage of the entire facility.
• Typically, video surveillance systems monitor and track inmates or correctional staff.
• This technology can also be used for crime prevention and criminal investigations by
monitoring interaction of inmates.
 Security Control Systems
• A security control system maintains the security of a jail or prison by coordinating
locks, doors, windows and other points of entry or exit. Technology has been
upgraded using a series of relays, switches and air compressors to open and close
doors.
• Prior to this technology, correctional staff used keys to open and close each door,
which was very time consuming and not cost effective.
• Over time, the technology has continued to improve and many correctional facilities
have upgraded their security control systems to integrated human machine interface
(HMI) systems that use mobile or desktop computers with touch screen monitors.
• The new HMI systems operate with a standard desktop computer and local or wide
area networks (fiber).
• It does not use relays, switches, or hydraulics. If the system breaks, the software can
be replaced immediately.
 Supervision Within a Correctional Facility
• Processing inmates is cumbersome and staff intensive.
• Large prisons or jails are mini cities with housing, medical, culinary, and recreational
activities.
• The primary correctional manager responsibility is to properly identify, track and
monitor inmates within a facility.
• The warden must ensure that the inmates are properly supervised.
• Innovative technology supports correctional managers.
• Technology helps identify inmates, track their movement and eventually facilitates the
release of an inmate.
• Technology can be used to quickly identify, classify or track movement throughout a
jail facility.
 Inmate Identification Technology
• Most jail facilities have live scan devices that capture inmates’ fingerprints. They are
electronically sent to a regional database and eventually stored at the Federal Bureau
of Investigation (FBI).
• Biometric technology allows jail personnel to capture thumbprint for identification
purposes.
• Thumbprints are searched against a fingerprint database and the identity of the inmate
is returned within seconds.
• This type of technology can and is used at numerous parts of a jail facility including
intake, housing units, courtrooms and release windows.
• Technology can be configured to work with jail information management systems and
photo capture devices.
• It saves time and provides an additional security measure to ensure that the inmate is
not deceitful or lying about his or her identity.
 Inmate Tracking Technology
• The tracking of an inmate can be challenging, especially in large jails or prisons.
• Correctional personnel monitor all inmates and ensure that they do not escape.
• Modern jails or prisons are designed and built to eliminate inmate movement around
a facility.
• New facilities use housing units or pods complete with outside recreation areas,
showers, eating areas, barber shops, property rooms and medical offices.
• Keep the inmate in one location and bring the services to the inmate.
• Inmates are not allowed to wander the hallways unsupervised.
• This concept ensures that inmates cannot interact with other inmates that may have a
different classification.”
 Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology in Corrections
• According to the article “Prisons Use RFID Systems to Track Inmates” (2008),
radio frequency identification technology has been used to track inmates and
prevent disturbances and misconduct.
• RFID technology assists correctional personnel in their daily duties.
• It can be used to map incidents that may occur within jail or prison.
• inmates are outfitted with RFID wristbands.
• Staff monitor inmate movement throughout the facility.
• A signal is broadcasted to a central server every two seconds.
• If the wristband loses contact with the inmate’s skin for more than 15 seconds, an
alarm sounded.
• The alarm also went off if an inmate was in an area that was off limits.
• Concrete walls, long distances between access points and inmates tampering with
wristbands can be an issue.
 Corrections Technology—Liability
• Liability is always a significant issue within any jail or prison.
• Jail information management systems (JIMS) provide a standardized operating
protocols for jail operations, classification, fiscal, medical and housing assignments.
• JIMS also provides confidentiality and consistency.
• Many correctional facilities are under a consent decree for various violations
including excessive force, inadequate medical or mental health services, improper
classification or violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• The courts have also ruled that staff must monitor inmate-on-inmate assaults and
assaults on staff.
• With the use of the JIMS system such issues as correct classification and HIPA
protocols are automated to ensure and prove compliance.
 Corrections Technology—Liability Continued
• Correctional technology like video surveillance systems (VSS), security control
systems and inmate identification technology is essential for any jail or prison.
• Liability is a huge issue for public safety agencies, especially in corrections. Each
year, hundreds of lawsuits are filed against local, state and federal agencies and
individual personnel.
• The technology discussed in this chapter can and does help prevent potential
lawsuits from occurring.
• It is up to each correctional manager to evaluate the specific issues with his or her
facility and utilize technology to their advantage.
 Chapter Summary
• The field of corrections is changing. Technology has revolutionized how personnel in
a jail or prison effectively monitor, track and facilitate the required activities on
inmates in custody.
• Correctional managers deal with extensive litigation issues.
• New legislation creates new challenges.
• Prison advocates are actively filing federal lawsuits against jails and prisons
throughout the nation.
• Technology has a place in jails and prisons. It helps staff do their job, & it prevents
inmate assaults, escapes and other high-liability actions.
• The ability to effectively evaluate and utilize technology in a correctional setting is
paramount for all public safety managers.
• Perhaps the most important benefit of using technology in a jail or prison is that it
provides enhanced safety for correctional personnel and inmates alike.