Well, here we are on the cusp of the 22nd Century and technology permeates and (according to your world view) rules or helps us simplify our everyday lives. Everything is computerized and digitized. Medical records are on the web; colleges are moving away from printed books to IPad and Tablet. You can get your property tax records from a website and pay the IRS without ever looking at a human face. Why, even law enforcement is moving out of the pen and pencil era. The Dispatch room now looks like the Houston Space Center and today’s average police car has more computing power than the entire Apollo Space Program!
Prison interior
Why even jails are…….. well, jails are likely the exception that proves the rule. If we took a tour of the local Sheriff Office or municipal Jail a large number of them would be using a software system that is inadequate to their needs. In my experience many jails are still using outdated systems such as Access (cobbled together by a local deputy) to manage their inmates. Now, this is astounding, when we consider that in the area that has the opportunity for producing the most lawsuits per square inch and opportunities for a fiscal cataclysm, an agency generally invests the fewest resources.
Let’s look at the typical Jail setup. The booking area is usually where the agency has shunted the oldest, slowest, least capable hardware. These hand-me-downs toil in an environment that would make Chateau D’If seem like a restful interlude. This entire infrastructure then depends on a server (in name only) that is quite often underpowered and incapable of handling the workload asked of it. Add to this the resigned attitude (regarding software and equipment) of the average jail staff and it is easy to see why it can be a veritable Petri dish for the production of formal grievances and a source for litigation.
Of course, the best basic defenses against these consequences consist of a well-trained jail staff paired with a capable Jail Management System. This system is ideally built for the specific purpose to protect the statutory rights of the inmates, the safety of the corrections staff and the information needs of the agency.
At a minimum the software should record when an inmate is booked; when he is to be released; any medical conditions; how much money did he have; when is he due in court; is he a gang member? There are many reasons to storehouse this data: inmate misconduct; prisoner safety; known associate’s lists; medical malfeasance; officer or jailer misconduct or neglect; the list seems endless. One thing is certain, without the proper system there is little that will help to reduce the possibility of misconduct, neglect or simple mistakes from lack of training and as a consequence the law suits resulting from that conduct. In addition, they know the system must conform to and include certain standards. Although not comprehensive list, even the most basic system must account for items such as, PREA, VINE, CLERY and LIVESCAN.
Without delving into the statistics in depth, we know in example that the City of Chicago paid out over $500 million in settlements from 2004 to 2014 and on the lower end Dallas paid over $6 million in the 3 year span from 2011 to 2014. Knowing that, your next question might be, “…how do I protect myself and my department from litigation?” In no other occupation (outside the NSA, CIA or some other three letter government entity) is the accurate collection of data and warehousing of information more important to your daily activities.
Every agency must evaluate their own needs and make a purchasing decision based on what is right for their agency. The needs of Beckham County, Oklahoma, differ greatly from Tarrant County, Texas. Your agency might require specific protocols and security redundancies to secure say, a Juvenile Correctional Facility, and another might need the functionality to track inmate work assignments and time credits.
Of course everyone wants the BMW that goes from 0-60 in 3.6 seconds but not everyone actually needs that performance. Sometimes the vehicle that gets 35 miles per gallon is the better, more logical choice? It is the same with JMS software. There are a lot of products on the market and in many instances a facility buys more than it needs and a lot of the more esoteric options go unused, even untried. Anyone that has ever used Microsoft Word knows that the software contains hundreds of options that they will never use when they write out the annual Christmas letter. Look for a company that knows how to customize the software to your agency so you get the best bang for the buck.
Software companies seem to gravitate to the two ends of the corporate spectrum. They are the monolithic companies that charge hundreds of thousands for a bloated system or the “Mom and Pop” operations where the owner is the programmer, salesman, tech support and accountant. For most agencies either of these extremes is not the best model to invest with. More often than not it is the mid-size company that provides the best options and value for the money.
Looking at this market segment companies such as Dynamic Public Safety stand out. Like other well put together companies they know their forte and design their company around it. The keenest companies employ people with a wealth of law enforcement knowledge and professional programmers that can purposely design their system for their market segment. These systems provide all the necessities at a sensible price that every agency can afford. Finally, the most valuable systems are modular, run with little maintenance and make the commitment to remain relevant to the changing needs of law enforcement.
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- Jail Management Software – Ins and Outs - August 25, 2016