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Probation Departments And Technology
Many criminals are placed on probation/parole instead of serving prison time. While on probation they need to stay out of trouble and comply with rules and regulations and are supervised by probation officers.
Over the last few decades officer caseloads have doubled while department budgets remain the same or decreased. With 5 million men and women on probation or parole in any given day in the U.S., the average caseload for today’s parole officer is 70-80 parolees, sometimes depending on the size of the city could be up to 200 offenders. Multi studies have shown that this translates to minimal, almost none-existent levels of supervision. (iSECUREtrac n.d.) This is a primary concern of federal, state, and local correctional agencies to properly manage these criminals and maintain the safety of our communities. Also, society calls upon criminal justice professionals to do more with less now more than ever. Alternative sentencing programs using Global Positioning Systems ( GPS ) and other technologies are quickly becoming increasingly attractive options because of lower associated costs. (iSECUREtrac.n.d.)
In order to address probation agency processes and to provide the capacity for sharing information with the courts, court support units, and criminal justice agencies, in implementing effective automated case management systems ( CMS ), the American Probation and Parole Association ( APPA ), Funded by The Bureau of Justice Assistance & U.S. Department of Justice, developed national functional standards. These standards were developed to standardize framework and to set higher standards of performance and functionality for probation automated systems. Whether from outside vendors, or through in-house development, these national standards will enable agencies to achieve more useful, efficient, and effective automation products. ( NIC n.d.)
One of the new technologies used for low risk parolees/probationers is the Automated Kiosk. This technology automates reporting visits between the offenders and the caseworker. A magnetic-stripe card is assigned which is used to activate the kiosk. Biometrics, including hand geometry and fingerprint devises, verify the identity plus a printed receipt gives the offender a record of the meeting. The benefits with the Kiosk are higher probationer compliance; improved collections; enhanced productivity and automates data entry. This cuts down on the number of hour’s parole and probation officers devote to meetings, time-consuming in-office interviews and paperwork, giving them more time to focus on critical cases. (Kiosk Marketplace 2007)
Another technology that uses the GPS tracking system is called the SMART System and is used in at least 16 states. This system keeps track of offenders anywhere, at all time. If rules of release are broken, the system automatically warns the offender first then if the problem isn’t immediately corrected the control center is notified. Instead of being plagued by database backlogs and frustrating unreliable information, this is a case-management tool that helps manage work effectively and efficiently. While simultaneously providing an electronic framework to manage probation and parole and probation programs for each offender SMART provides parole officers with the capability to quickly and continuously update files in the offender database such as drug use, re-arrest, criminal history, place of residence, incidents while incarcerated, job retention and etc. Local law enforcement can have access to this information also with just a few strokes on the keyboard. ( GIS Development n.d.)
Through out the last three decades officer caseloads have doubled without an increase in officers to manage the workload. It is without a doubt this new technology using modern case management software is warranted.
Although these systems can’t prevent a crime nor guarantee the elimination of re-offense, as you can see, they can act as a cost effective and powerful tool for probation and parole departments thus allowing existing Parole Officers to act more effectively, efficiently and to spend valuable time on the Organizational Mission including Public/Community Safety.
Reference
National Institute of Corrections Retrieved from http://www.nicic.org/Library/Default.aspx?Library=019430
KioskMarketplace Retrieved from http://www.kioskmarketplace.com/article_printable.php?id=11557&page=118
GIS Development (Role of Global Positioning) Retrieved from http://www.gisdevelopment.net/technology/gps/techgp0042pf.htm
iSECUREtrac Corp (Probation & Parole) Retrieved from http://www.isecuretrac.com/sa_pp.asp |
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This intel was contributed by D. STEVENS
D. STEVENS
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May, 2012
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