January / February 2016 by Criminal Justice Media Inc.

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 VOL. 25 NO.1

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D Com r o ing nes Yard to a P : ris n

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

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Donna Rogers Contributing Editors Michael Grohs, Kelly Mason, Bill Schiffner, G.F. Guercio

Drones: Coming to a Prison Yard Near You

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Contraband Detection, Security & Access Control

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MOVING JUVENILES OUT OF ADULT PRISONS IN N.Y. MUST BE FOLLOWED BY MEANINGFUL CJ REFORM On December 22, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order requiring all minors to be housed in juvenile facilities, rather than adult prisons. New York and North Carolina are the only two states to automatically prosecute 16- and 17-year-olds as adults. “This is a welcome first step in bringing the juvenile justice system in New York in line with international human rights standards,” said Jamira Burley, senior campaigner

with Amnesty International USA. “Under international law, anyone under the age of 18 is a child, and should be treated as such at every point in our criminal justice system. Removing children from the violent and harmful environment of adult prisons is progress, but the state must pass legislation to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 18 in order to achieve meaningful and lasting reform in New York." "Other states should use this as an opportunity to revisit their own policies on juvenile justice.”

United States are rearing endangered plants and animals for release into the wild, according to a Voice of America story on 12/15/2015. Through Washington State's prison environmental program, nurseries have raised 64 different plant species for restoration of South Puget Sound prairies. The program has also partnered with Northwest zoos and state and federal agencies to rear endangered animals. At one facility, inmates raise the endangered Taylor's Checkerspot butterfly from larvae for release into the wild.

PROGRAM CONNECTS PRISONS WITH NATURE

PULASKI, KY., WELCOMES NEW SCANNERS

Inmates in some prisons in the

Jailers in Pulaski County are

PRES. OBAMA BANS SOLITARY FOR JUVENILES IN FEDERAL FACILITIES On January 25, President Obama announced a ban on solitary confinement for juvenile offenders in the federal prison system, saying the practice is overused and has the potential for devastating psychological consequences. In an op-ed that appears in January 26 editions of The Washington Post, the president outlines a series of executive actions that also prohibit federal corrections officials from punishing prisoners who commit “low-level infractions” with solitary confinement. The new rules also dictate that the longest a prisoner can be punished with solitary confinement for a first offense is 60 days, rather than the current maximum of 365 days. The president’s reforms apply broadly to the roughly 10,000 federal inmates serving time in solitary, though there are only a handful of juvenile offenders placed in restrictive housing each year. Between September 2014 and September 2015, federal authorities were notified of just 13 juveniles who were put in solitary in its prisons, officials said. However, federal officials sent adults inmates to solitary for nonviolent offenses 3,800 times in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2014, suggesting that policy change will have more sweeping ramifications. The reforms come six months after Obama, as part of a broader criminal-justice reform push, ordered the 4 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

Justice Department to study how solitary confinement was being used by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. In his op-ed piece the president said there are as many as 100,000 people held in solitary confinement in U.S. prisons—including juveniles and people with mental illnesses. As many as 25,000 inmates are serving months, even years of their sentences alone in a tiny cell, with almost no human contact, he wrote. Research suggests that solitary confinement has the potential to lead to devastating, lasting psychological consequences, he furthered. It has been linked to depression, alienation, withdrawal, a reduced ability to interact with others and the potential for violent behavior. Some studies indicate that it can worsen existing mental illnesses and even trigger new ones. Prisoners in solitary are more likely to commit suicide. At least a dozen states have taken steps in the past two years to curtail the use of solitary confinement, either in response to lawsuits or through legislative and administrative changes. An increasing number of studies show a connection between isolating prisoners and higher rates of recidivism. While Obama is leaving the details of policy implementation to agency officials, the Justice Department's report includes “50 guiding principles” that all federal correctional facilities must now follow. VISIT US AT WWW.CORRECTIONSFORUM.NET

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hoping new scanners will help cut down on contraband being brought into the building. They are the first of their kind in the State of Kentucky, according to TV news station WKYT on January 6. "One of our goals was to make this jail as secure as can be because things were fairly rampant in it," Major Ron Swartz said. The Pulaski County Detention Center admits January of 2015 wasn't the best of times when it came to contraband. "We were finding drugs," Swartz said. "We were finding weapons. All kinds of different things.â&#x20AC;? That's why 2015 was the year to get rid of contraband. And the jail is the first in the state to use a full body scanner giving them essentially an x-ray image and the ability to view anything the inmate is carrying on them inside and out. It's a quick process. It only takes about 10 seconds for a jailer to learn if an inmate is carrying anything abnormal. Once a scan is taken a jailer can view the image and immediately know if there's anything abnormal, like an example used for training purposes where there are balloons full of drugs inside of this person. "They would have to be taken to the hospital for it to be medically removed," Swartz said. This is a big step forward for the jail. It means far less contraband making for a safer environment. "It's going to be really hard for them to get it in here. Nothing is 100 percent perfect, but this really gets it close."

CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMPUTER INTEGRATION PROJECT LAUNCHES New Hampshire officials say a program designed to improve the efficiency of the state's justice system is off to a good start, according to The Associated Press via The Charlotte Observer on January 7. The Justice-One Network Environment project integrates computer systems across agencies, bringing together the systems of courts, prosecutors, law enforcement, corrections and the motor vehicle department, and makes all criminal justice data available electronically to authorized users. The 6 CORRECTIONS FORUM â&#x20AC;˘ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

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goal is better tracking of criminal offenders from arrest through disposition. Information on criminal warrants, restraining orders and offender status will be

available statewide. Also, criminal justice personnel will spend less time processing data received via paper records from other agencies.

DEPUTIES: SEX OFFENDER'S GPS BRACELET TRACKS HIM TO GREENVILLE, N.C., ELEMENTARY SCHOOL On January 8, a WITN news account reported that a registered sex offender's GPS tracking bracelet led to the discovery that he was on the grounds of an elementary school in Pitt County, N.C., according to county deputies. Deputies arrested the man on a probation violation. Deputies say the man's tracking bracelet showed that he went to South Greenville Elementary School. He was jailed on a $50,000 secured bond. Records show the man was convicted in 2002 for taking indecent liberties with a minor and was just released from prison in November.

EXAMINING ELECTRONIC MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES Local and state agencies are increasingly using electronic monitoring technologies to supplement supervision of pretrial defendants awaiting trial and convicted offenders on probation or parole. Although recent studies have found that the technology is a promising tool for reducing recidivism and controlling corrections costs, questions remain about its effectiveness as an alternative to incarceration. The Pew Charitable Trusts interviewed five experts to get their perspectives on the uses, advantages and disadvantages of electronic monitoring technologies, and possible directions for future research. See the report at www.pewtrusts.org. continues on page 10 8 CORRECTIONS FORUM â&#x20AC;˘ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

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UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX LAUNCHES CORRECTIONAL PROGRAM SUPPORT SERVICES DEGREE

n October 1, 2015 the University of Phoenix announced a new bachelor's degree designed to address growing needs in corrections. The institution said that in order to address challenges faced by our nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s correctional facilities and better serve the professionals who seek sustainable

solutions to the effective reintegration of offenders into society, its College of Social Sciences will offer a Bachelor of Science in Correctional Program Support Services. The undergraduate program provides correctional and criminal justice industry professionals with an understanding of how justice

WAYWARD DRONE LANDS IN WIS. PRISON YARD

A wayward drone was located on the grounds of the Waupun Correctional Institution in Wisconsin after its owner notified authorities that he had lost communication with the device and was worried it was headed toward the prison, said fdlreporter.com on December 30. Prison staff found the drone and returned it to its owner. Police said they can't find any wrongdoing by the owner, but the incident could result in talking with Waupun's city attorney and council about creating ordinances against flying drones near correctional institutions.

USE GPS TO TRACK DOMESTIC ABUSERS, ADVOCATES SAY

Proponents of using GPS devices to track the movements of domestic abusers are renewing an effort to get legislation passed in the Iowa state legislature, says a January 11 article in The Des Moines Register. One proposal would require law enforcement to assess an alleged domestic abuser at the time of an arrest. An offender deemed to be a potentially lethal risk to the victim could be required to wear an electronic tracking device. A bill proposed last year included allowing tracking domestic abuse offenders with a GPS device, but the bill did not get through the legislature. Concerns about using electronic monitoring to help enforce protec10 CORRECTIONS FORUM â&#x20AC;˘ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

systems and social services intersect, allowing them to expand their skillsets to help address mental health, rehabilitation and recidivism issues. University of Phoenix College of Social Sciences overall offerings include programs in human services, psychology and counseling.

tive orders include that it would be costly and difficult to implement, and that it gives victims a false sense of security. Nineteen states allow pretrial electronic monitoring of defendants, particularly in cases of domestic violence. If an offender gets too close to a victim, law enforcement is notified. Seven states have authorized the use of electronic receptors to notify victims as well.

A CHALLENGE TO ELECTRONIC MONITORING

Teenage offenders might be better served by community-based programming as an alternative to electronic monitoring, according to a university researcher, the Pacific Standard reported in December. Offenders are required to call their probation officers three times a day and must put in a formal request to their probation officer 48 hours in advance if they want to go anywhere besides school, according to a study by University of California-Berkley professor Kate Weisbard. These can be challenging rules for youth to follow. According to a survey conducted by Weisburd, 50% of youth tethered to the monitoring device have violated program rules. An alternative could be community-based programming such as that offered by Oakland, which has Evening Reporting Centers where, she says, "the youth were kept busy, off the streets, got good programming, and there was no need at all for electronic monitoring." VISIT US AT WWW.CORRECTIONSFORUM.NET

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Driven by a rising national concern over public safety, and with the rate of mental illness among people incarcerated in our nation’s prisons and jails significantly higher than that of the non-incarcerated population, there is a heightened need for professionals who understand the systematic realities for offenders, both during incarceration and after their release. “There are critical roles in today’s society for correctional program support services,” said Dr. Stephen Sharp, academic dean for University of Phoenix College of Social Sciences. “Across the country, well-trained professionals have opportunities to help break the cycle for offenders who struggle with reintegrating into their communities and relapse into criminal behavior.” The Bachelor of Science in Correctional Program Support Services provides individuals who work in a myriad of positions in the correctional and criminal justice sys-

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tems to fulfill functions in a broad range of institutional and community correctional domains by using a multidisciplinary approach of psychology, human services, behavioral and criminal justice theories. Students will be trained to serve in positions such as case managers, program directors and program managers, which are designed to assist with the societal reintegration of offenders. The program will equip students with foundational skills to address correctional field trends such as prison overcrowding, gangs and mental health and substance abuse issues that impact correctional facilities and court-mandated programs, said the institution. “By preparing individuals for a variety of support roles in the correctional industry, we can help both our students and society by filling an area of significant need,” said Dr. Constance St. Germain, executive dean of University of

Phoenix College of Social Sciences. “The Bachelor of Science in Correctional Program Support Services was designed in collaboration with University of Phoenix College of Security and Criminal Justice as well as corrections industry subject matter experts, all of whom reflected the real-world needs of professionals in the field.” The new B.S. degree is an educational degree program that provides a foundation or knowledge in the field of correctional program support services. This program does not prepare students for any type of professional certification or licensure as a correctional officer, social worker or counselor, the college stated. For more information about each of these programs, including on-time completion rates, the median debt incurred by students who completed the program and other important information, please visit phoenix.edu/programs/gainful-employment. J

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DRONES DRONES

BY DONNA ROGERS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ph ot oc credit© Jens distelberg

COMING TO A PRISON YARD NEAR YOU.

They come in all shapes and sizes, with profiles that belie their presence. They transport contraband—from cell phones to drugs to weapons and explosives. They have the capability to execute an assassination. At the close of 2015, the number of drones, otherwise known as unmanned aerial vehicles, were estimated to be 2 million sold, up from an estimated 1 million the previous year. Exacerbating the issue, though the FAA has required that owners register their new acquisitions, these powerful devices are often going unregulated. The airborne devices can be controlled with a smartphone app from a remote location, far from the user. And 14 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

they are the perfect contrivance to pass over a razor-wire fence and land unaware in a prison rec yard. And last year they did. Though only a few actually have, they make news—and have potential for tremendous damage. In December 2015 a drone made an illegal delivery to the Rivière-desPrairies prison in Quebec, which sits on the Eastern edge of Montreal island, according to a report in Quebec newspaper La Presse. Sources who spoke anonymously to La Presse said the drone dropped a handgun in sector S2—which houses the prison's convicted mafiosos and biker gang members—and the prison didn't find out about the delivery until a

A drone carrying an electronic device, one of the more popular items sent to a prison.

day later, said the webzine, Vice News, on December 14. The prison had to be searched by officers called in from nearby jails wearing bulletproof vests, while all prisoners were locked down in their cells. The prison houses some of the most violent in the province. In another account, contraband seized last August inside the medium-security unit at Collins Bay Institution, also in Canada, was dropped into the prison courtyard by a drone, according to the newspaper the Whig-Standard.

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A ‘Game Changer’ Joerg Lamprecht, founder and CEO of Dedrone, the maker of a product called DroneTracker, says: “Drones are a game changer. We must prepare our cities for

The DroneTracker device from Dedrone

Institutional value of the seizure was $13,500, according to a release sent out by Correctional Service Canada. A lockdown was ordered for an exceptional search of the institution, which lasted almost a week. In another breach last July, a drone dropped a package containing 144.5 grams of tobacco, 65.4 grams of marijuana and 6.6 grams of heroin into the prison yard while inmates were outside at the Mansfield Correctional Institution in Ohio. The drop sparked a fight among 75 inmates over the contraband. Guards had to use pepper spray to quell the skirmish. Authorities in Maryland managed to thwart a drone delivery last August when they stopped two men in a vehicle on a side road that runs alongside the Western Correctional Institution in Cumberland. CNN.com reported a tweet from the state agency that apparently showed the bounty: packets of K2 (or synthetic marijuana), tobacco, suboxone, pornographic DVDs and a handgun laid out next to the miniature aircraft. And in October a drone delivery was foiled by staff at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester after it crashed into razor wire surrounding the prison. It was carrying two 12-inch hacksaw blades, drugs, a cell phone, cellphone battery and two packs each of cigarettes and cigars. While these occurrences are actually rare thus far, the cases are growing and industry experts say that prisons should be concerned.

UAVs.” In addition to smuggling contraband into prisons, he points out they also smuggling drugs over borders and performing espionage on companies. And their looks belie their purpose. They look like birds, he says and some even behave like birds; thus, even if you look up into the sky to scan for one, you may not know it's a drone. In fact, hundreds of companies are building drones, Lamprecht says. The numbers of consumer

drones being built are “sky high—triple the number in 2014,” he estimates. The lowest hanging fruit they pose is observation, as most are pre-equipped with a camera, adds Zain Naboulsi, CEO of Drone Labs LLC, maker of a detection system called DroneDetector. “The other side is way more insidious and way more dangerous—in prisons or on the border—they are equipping them to carry payloads—weapons, drugs and, by far, the cell phone is the biggest contraband. New gas-powered drones will be able to carry more payload and go further.” Most think of drones that fly, Naboulsi furthers, but he urges us to think more three dimensionally. The terrorist group ISIS, for example, uses ground-based drones, and an underwater drone could be used to assassinate someone swimming in the ocean, he says. The overwhelming part of the problem is awareness, he continues. A prison According to this mock federal prison schematic by must be aware of a drone, Drone Labs detection technology coverage varies—as not as it is landing in the represented by these three circles. Standard audio yard, but at a distance, and can cover up to 40 meters (see circle with the X), should be on the alert for video can cover about 100 meters and radio frequen- it. Thus a security camera cy can detect drones up to 1,000 meters. can provide an alert once

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the UAV lands in the yard, but by then it may be too late. Last November, the Federal Bureau of Prisons acknowledged the seriousness of the problem when it issued a Request For Information seeking information about technology that could detect unmanned air vehicles, track them, and bring down or disable them, reported Nextgov.com. In its Request for Information, BOP's Office of Security and Technology noted that drones "have presented a new and evolving threat." For instance, small machines weighing less than a pound could take aerial photographs of prison facilities, and larger ones could carry at least 20 pounds of contraband, according to the notice.

audio vendors claim 300 meters—but this requires a directional microphone pointed directly at the target.) Video can detect up to about 100 meters. It uses a form of facial recognition to identify the drone and is indistinguishable beyond that distance. RF can detect further—up to 1,000 meters and it doesn’t require a line of sight. RF is the most logical starting point, in Naboulsi’s view. “If the drone is behind some trees we will still see it. That’s the beauty of RF—it provides the most distance and most benefit hands down.” In field tests he conducted he reports that “RF solution detected up to a kilometer, and got up to two kilometers in the ocean.”

Various detection methods Detectors work using different technologies—and all are not created equal, caution the makers. Detectors can operate by employing radio frequency, audio, video, thermal, radar and other technologies. Those that use more of the senses will provide better detection, the experts we spoke with concurred. Some of the most basic begin with audio alone. Naboulsi says that audio can scan up to about 40 meters and doesn’t require a line of sight. (He adds that some 18 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

The Drone Detector from Drone Labs LLC.

Thermal detectors are best for the new gas-powered drones, he adds. And radar provides much further distance—3 to 6 km—and it also provides GPS coordinates, but it requires line of sight, which is easily lost with a low flying drone. But Lamprecht makes a case for actually being able to see the intrusion. “Video is very critical,” he emphasizes. With video, prison officials can see what the dropped object is and they can search for it. With detectors that operate on sound alone or frequency pattern alone, it is impossible to see what contraband was actually dropped, he notes. Corrections officials can choose to be alerted in a number of ways, say the experts—via email, text message or a push message over the net as well as integration into their security system. They can receive live video from the tracker, says Lamprecht. “They can get an alert [regarding an incoming drone] in real time, and go out and watch for it.” Drones are only getting bigger and more sophisticated. A device released in January by a Chinese maker in fact can carry a payload of 100 kg (roughly 200 lbs.), Lamprecht says. With it, an escape could be planned in quite an efficient way, he notes. “There’s no need for the prisoner to tunnel out.” J

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BY BILL SCHIFFNER, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Contraband Detection, Security & Access Control

LATEST SOLUTIONS IN DETECTION AND SCANNING

CELL PHONES

and the electric chargers that power them are just the latest form of contraband that correctional institutions continue to wrestle with on a daily basis. Of course corrections officers also face all the conventional attempts to smuggle drugs and weapons into the facilities, as well as inmates who fashion weapons out of ordinary materials. The current crop of contraband and weapon detection solutions have become more advanced and utilize alternative technologies. They offer detection on a grander scale for fighting contraband with greater efficiency and feature technologies that include: backscatter X-ray contraband detection, electric field tomography, ion scan technology and millimeter wave detection. 20 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

Increased Contraband Threats “Correctional facilities are seeing increased threat of contraband, including flyover drones and other non-traditional points of entry,” says Jim Viscardi, vice president of Security for Metrasens. “We’re seeing an increased need to screen for contraband not just at checkpoints, but also within the facility such as in the yard, mailroom, housing units, and loading docks, etc. All too often, traditional screening technologies aren’t portable, aren’t fast enough, or aren’t sensitive enough to catch small contraband like razors or mini key fob phones. The balance between security and throughput is a tough one to maintain.” Viscardi explains, “For this reason, Cellsense Plus is an effective system for screening offenders, visitors and incoming goods such as

mail, the loading dock or commissary. Serving as a critical tool in any layered security approach, Cellsense Plus dramatically mitigates nuisance alarm rates, increases throughput and provides enhanced protection from cell phones, weapons and contraband.” Steve Moore, director, Marketing Communications at Garrett Metal Detectors reports the latest in walkthrough metal detector technology are being utilized in prisons to help keep both guards and inmates safe. “Multizone pinpointing technology and sophisticated programs can identify both ferrous and non-ferrous targets, including objects as thin as razor blades,” he adds.

Multi-layered Systems “Smiths Detection Inc. continually works to advance its tech-

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nology to meet customer needs, preparing them to intercept the widest range of drugs and other contraband,” reports Dana KnoxGower, director, Marketing Communications, Americas, at Smiths Detection. “To help keep staff, visitors and inmates safe, we advocate for a multi-layered approach to security, and see technology improving and enhancing safety throughout a correctional facility, from visitor checkpoints at the

front entrance to inmate transfers and cell searches, as well as screening items entering the mailroom. Solutions include transmission X-ray and metaldetection people screening systems for detecting concealed objects on or inside the body; dual-view X-ray inspection systems for screening baggage, personal belongings, and mail for contraband; and trace detection systems for non-invasive searches,” she concludes.

Petri Ikonen, managing director at Rapiscan Systems adds, “widely used throughout the corrections system, high-sensitivity metal detectors are capable of detecting even the smallest possible metal items—ensuring that contraband items or small metal items that could be used to create a weapon—are kept out of the hands of inmates. The reliable detection of small metallic threats and contraband guarantees a secure environment and safeguards the lives of guards and inmates alike.”

MAS Solutions There has been also a lot of attention being paid to Managed Access Systems (MAS), a technology that promises to neutralize contraband phones. MAS can prevent unauthorized cell phones from sending and receiving calls, text messages and data by taking advantage of the way they connect to the wireless network. Securus Technologies recently purchased additional technology and a United States Patent to capture illegal contraband wireless signals within secure corrections and law enforcement perimeter locations. “We are always seeking ways to make prison and jail environments more safe and secure and have invested over $40 million in MAS,” says Richard A. Smith, CEO of Securus Technologies, Inc. “MAS is a perfect complement to our high-tech software-based product set we want to help make the prisons and jails in the United States safe, secure, and productive environments for corrections and law enforcement as well as for inmates. We can assist in getting inmates educated and ready to get back into society better prepared to stay out of that environment for good. Getting contraband out of facilities is part of the solution so we like our investments in MAS and have the best product set that exists in our industry to accomplish that solution.” 24 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

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Mail Solutions SmartKiosk has been a pioneer in the corrections industry, implementing the first two-way email system ever used in a county jail. The latest addition to their multifunction SmartKiosk system, Mailguard, is aimed to help eliminate contraband, by allowing inmates postal mail to be delivered electronically as a copy through the SmartKiosk system. Jon Logan, founder of SmartKiosk, explains “We are very excited about this new patent-pending technology and the savings it will bring to every correctional agency at zero cost.” “Mailguard will eliminate tons of daily labor for agencies, document a searchable record of all postal mail, offering new monitoring tools as well as completely eliminate contraband from entering the facility by mail,” he adds. Here are some of the most current products that control contraband and add other security measures in correctional facilities.

DETECTION SOLUTIONS Managed Access Solutions Take on the contraband cellphone issue with Securus Technologies’ Managed Access Solutions (MAS). Prevent illegal and unmonitored communica-

tions behind facility walls, while allowing legitimate wireless communications. Reduce physical searches for and investigations into contraband cell phones, and crimes being conducted or coordinated by their use. www.SecurusTechnologies.com, 972.277.0665

Sensitivity Walk-through Metal Detector The Rapiscan Metor 6S is a high sensitivity walk-through metal detector designed to increase safety in prisons and jails by efficiently detecting small metal objects that can be used as weapons, even when they are hidden in body cavities. The unit complies with NIJ Standard 0601.02, fulfilling the requirements for corrections and law enforcement agencies. http://www.rapiscansystems.com, 1.888.258.6684 VISIT US AT WWW.CORRECTIONSFORUM.NET

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X-ray People Screener Smiths Detection Inc.’s B-SCAN, a transmission X-ray people screener is a major deterrent helping correctional facilities keep drugs and other contraband out. It can detect concealed contraband that has been ingested, hidden internally or beneath clothing, reducing the need for manual searches. This system is easy to implement into a variety of security processes and it is simple to use and maintain. It is also backed by access to Smiths Detection’s 24/7 Call Center. http://www.smithsdetection.com, 1.800.297.0955

Letter and Parcel Inspection The EMIS-MAIL is designed to detect a wide variety of metal threat items including detonators, batteries, trigger circuits and other metal components of parcel bombs without false alarms for non-threat items such as metal staples, paper clips

and metal binding spirals. The EMIS-MAIL is easy to use and provides a fast and automatic alarm/no alarm signal confirmation per each inspected package. Its compact, ergonomic design along with the electric and built-in NiMH rechargeable battery power supply allows for independent operation in a variety of locations. An optional embedded radioactive detector is also available for radioactive material threat detection. www.ceia-usa.com, 1.888.532.CEIA

Battery-powered Portable Metal Detector Fisher Research Labs’ M-Scope runs on battery power for 40 hours, is lightweight and easy to transport—it fits in a car, and can be set up by one person in five minutes with no tools. It includes many standard features of permanent walk-throughs including as AC power connection, 100 levels of sensitivity, and multizone detection. www.fisherlab.com, 1.800.685.5050

Cellphone Detection Cellsense Plus is said to offer unmatched detection and deployment options for cell phones, weapons and contraband. Its unsurpassed at detecting concealed contraband, including small blades and cell phones, the company reports. Cellsense is versatile, converting between portable or wall-mounted for screening objects, mail, or searching people in a fast walk-by. www.metrasens.com, 630.541.6509 26 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

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Detection System

Patent-pending Mail Scanner A new, corrections-only Postal Mail Elimination System scans inmate mail. The patent-pending system, offered exclusively by

The ProVision 2 with Automatic Target Detection quickly screens people using safe millimeter wave (MMW) technology to automatically detect concealed objects made of a broad variety of concealed materials â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both metallic and non-metallic. www.L-3com.com/sds, 1.781.939.3800

SmartKiosk, eliminates physical inmate mail, eliminates contraband and eliminates labor, all at no cost. MailGuard gives security controls to postal mail that can be filtered for key words, searchable and controlled specifically for each inmate. Mail never enters the facility and is processed at a MailGuard regional hub then posted to the inmates account on the SmartKiosk. Eliminate the last form of undocumented, uncon-

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trolled communication coming into your facility. www.smartkioskcompany.com, 1.888.253.5178

Cell Phone Detector PocketHound is sensitive enough to detect all nearby cell phone activity but covert enough to alert you while still inside your pocket. This tiny receiver vibrates to alert users of

any voice, text or data activity within 75 feet. It is an ideal tool

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to enforce a no cell phone policy in areas where cell phones are illegal or unauthorized. www.PocketHound.com, www.bvsystems.com, 732.548.3737

Portable Solution Garrett’s new Walkt h r o u g h Caster Set is said to be ideal for court and correctional facilities. The casters, which can be permanently attached, allow full mobility of a Garrett PD6500i walkthrough metal detector by one person. Detectors can be moved to a secure location when they are not in use and provide an unimpeded exit. www.garrett.com, 1.800.234.6151

Electronics Detector REI’s ORION 2.4 Non-Linear Junction Detector detects the

Drug Detection The handheld N2200 detects trace amounts of cocaine, opiates, cannabis, hashish, methamphetamine, and other amphetaminetype stimulants. With simple automatic sampling, the fast and accurate N2200 is easy to use. The lightweight, built-to-last N2200 easily processes dirty street drugs, and delivers consistent, dependable performance. www.autoclearus.com, 1.800.231.6414

Metal Detector R a n g e r ’ s Intelliscan II walkthrough metal detector provides 33 detection zones where users can pinpoint the area the suspected item is located. A traffic pacing stop and go lights, helps maximizes the traffic flow into the building. This networking-capable system is able to manage more than one scanner at the time. www.rangersecurity.com, 1.800.852.8266

many types of dangerous or illegal substances and weapons. http://virtualimaging-fl.com, 1.866.288.9729

Portable Mailroom Screening The IONSCAN 600 is Smiths Detection Inc.’s next-generation portable desktop trace detector for checkpoint and mailroom screening. Its small, portable design, combined with ease-ofuse, reduces the cost and time of screening for a range of highthreat items. It features a propri-

Full-Body rScanning Systems

presence of electronics, regardless of whether the electronic target is radiating, hard wired, or turned off. It can locate hidden electronics in walls, floors, ceilings, fixtures, furniture, or containers. An antenna-mounted line-of-sight display lets the operator focus on the target while sweeping. It transmits at 2.4GHz frequency for detecting small electronics such as SIM cards, cell phones and other forms of electronic contraband. www.reiusa.net, 1.931.537.6032 28 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

ADANI offers a unique model range of systems for body screening, baggage inspection, cargo and vehicles inspection. The CONPASS full-body personal Xray inspection system has proved its high efficiency against crime and terrorism in many countries and has become a standard security device for many agencies. www.adanisystems.com, 1.786.473.0038

Full Body Screening System The RadPRO SecurPASS System is able to detect contraband both inside and on the body in high security environments, including jails, prisons, border crossings and government facilities. This device uses a low-dose X-ray scanning system that can detect

etary non-radioactive Ion Mobility Spectrometry source, which eliminates the need for special licensing, handling or disposal requirements. It’s hot-swappable battery provides continued sampling and analysis capability, and low cost and single-use test swabs dramatically reduce operator costs. http://www.smithsdetection.com, 1.800.297.0955

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The Treatment of Persons with Mental Illness in Prisons and Jails:A State Survey

Research from the Treatment Advocacy Center Executive Summary The treatment of mentally ill individuals in prisons and jails is critical, especially since such individuals are vulnerable and often abused while incarcerated. Untreated, their psychiatric illness often gets worse, and they leave prison or jail sicker than when they entered. Individuals in prison and jails have a right to receive medical care, and this right pertains to serious mental illness just as it pertains to tuberculosis, diabetes, or hypertension. This right to treatment has been affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court. ”The Treatment of Persons with Mental Illness in Prisons 30 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

and Jails" is the first national survey of such treatment practices. It focuses on the problem of treating seriously mentally ill inmates who refuse treatment, usually because they lack awareness of their own illness and do not think they are sick. What are the treatment practices for these individuals in prisons and jails in each state? What are the consequences if such individuals are not treated? To address these questions, an extensive survey of professionals in state and county corrections systems was undertaken. Sheriffs, jail administrators, and others who were inter-

viewed for the survey expressed compassion for inmates with mental illness and frustration with the mental health system that is failing them. There were several other points of consensus among those interviewed: Not only are the numbers of mentally ill in prisons and jails continuing to climb, the severity of inmates’ illnesses is on the rise as well. Many inmates with mental illness need intensive treatment, and officials in the prisons and jails feel compelled to provide the hospital-level care these inmates need. The root cause of the problem is the continuing closure of

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hundreds of thousands of Inmates with serious mental illness often go without treatment, worsening their symptoms.

state psychiatric hospitals and the failure of mental health officials to provide appropriate aftercare for the released patients.

Summary of Findings Among the findings of the survey are the following: From 1770 to 1820 in the United States, mentally ill persons were routinely confined in prisons and jails. Because this practice was regarded as inhumane and problematic, such persons were routinely confined in hospitals from then until 1970. Since 1970, we have returned to the earlier practice of routinely confining such persons in prisons and jails. In 2012, there were estimated to be 356,268 inmates with severe mental illness in prisons and jails. There were also approximately 35,000 patients with severe mental illness in state psychiatric hospitals. Thus, the number of mentally ill persons in VISIT US AT WWW.CORRECTIONSFORUM.NET

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prisons and jails was 10 times the number remaining in state hospitals. In 44 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, a prison or jail in that state holds more individuals with serious mental illness

• Victimization of prisoners with mental illness in disproportionate numbers • Deterioration in the psychiatric condition of inmates with mental illness as they go without

“Not only are the numbers of mentally ill in prisons and jails continuing to climb, the severity of inmates’ illnesses is on the rise as well.” —Treatment Advocacy Center Study than the largest remaining state psychiatric hospital. For example, in Ohio, 10 state prisons and two county jails each hold more mentally ill inmates than does the largest remaining state hospital. Problems associated with incarcerating mentally ill persons include: • Jail/prison overcrowding, resulting from mentally ill prisoners remaining behind bars longer than other prisoners • Behavioral issues disturbing to other prisoners and correctional staff • Physical attacks on correctional staff and other prisoners

32 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

treatment • Relegation in grossly disproportionate numbers to solitary confinement, which worsens symptoms of mental illness • Jail/prison suicides in disproportionate numbers • Increased taxpayer costs • Disproportionate rates of recidivism

Treatment Over Objection In state prisons, treatment over objection can be accomplished administratively in 31 states through the use of a treatment review committee. Such committees were originally authorized in the case of Washington v. Harper and upheld in 1990 by the U.S. Supreme Court. Even though this treatment mechanism is authorized in those states, it is often grossly underutilized. In state prisons in the other 18 states and the District of Columbia, treatment over objection requires a judicial review or transfer to a state psychiatric hospital, making such treatment much more difficult to carry out. Arkansas was the only state that refused to provide information for the survey. In county and city jails, the procedures for treating seriously mentally ill inmates over objection are much more varied and less clear. All counties in South Dakota and occasional counties in other states use a treatment review committee similar to that used in state prisons, and more jails could use this procedure if they wished to do so. Many jails require the inmate to be transferred to a state psychiatric hospital for treatment; since such hospitals are almost always full, such treatment does not take place in most cases. Prison and jail officials thus have few options. Although they are neither equipped nor trained to do so, they are required to house hundreds of thousands of seriously mentally ill inmates. In many cases, they are unable to provide them with psychiatric medications. The use of other options, such as solitary confinement or restraining devices, is sometimes necessary and may produce a worsening of symptoms. Yet, when things go wrong, as they inevitably do, the prison and jail officials are blamed. VISIT US AT WWW.CORRECTIONSFORUM.NET

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The present situation is unfair to both the inmates and the officials and is untenable.

Recommendations All recommendations for improving the situation begin with the general premise that individuals with severe mental disorders who are in need of treatment belong in hospitals, not in prisons and jails. The present situation suggests that the public mental illness treatment system is broken. Thus, the ultimate solutions to the problems presented in this report include having an adequate number of public psychiatric beds for the stabilization of mentally ill individuals and involve a fundamental realignment of the public mental illness treatment system in which public mental health officials at the state and county level are held responsible for any failure of the treatment system. Until that is done, the following are some interim recommendations. 1) Provide appropriate treatment for prison and jail inmates with serious mental illness 2) Implement and promote jail diversion programs 3) Promote the use of assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) 4) Encourage cost studies 5) Establish careful intake screening 6) Mandate release planning Provide appropriate treatment for prison and jail inmates with serious mental illness: Decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court have affirmed that prisons and jails have a duty to provide medical care to individuals in their custody. Just as inmates should be treated for tuberculosis, diabetes, and hypertension, so also should they be treated for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. The capacity to provide appropriate treatment will vary widely. Treatment issues for a state prison with several hundred longterm prisoners with schizophrenia are obviously very different from those for a small, rural county jail that is asked to hold an individual 34 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

In New York, the percentage of those incarcerated decreased from 23 percent to 3 percent while participating in Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT).

who is acutely psychotic while awaiting transportation to a state hospital. To lay the foundation for appropriate treatment existing state laws need to be amended, as necessary, to require provide for such treatment. Providing a centralized, comprehensive source of information about the state of existing laws for each state is a major goal of this report and its publication on the TACReports.org website. Another aspect of providing appropriate treatment is the administration of psychiatric medication. This can be done by a nurse or other healthcare professional, and the issues are thus similar as for the administration of medication for other diseases. A major issue is the availability of specific psychiatric medications, many of which are expensive. In many cases for individuals who have just been incarcerated, the family of the mentally ill inmate will bring the medication he/she is on to the jail. Some jails refuse to accept such medication because of fears of legal liability. Laws should be written in such a way that corrections officials are legally protected under a “good

faith” provision. The officials may reject the medications, however, if they are stimulants, benzodiazepines, or the antipsychotic quetiapine (Seroquel), all of which can be used as drugs of abuse, or if the officials suspect that the drugs being offered may be street drugs. Implement and promote jail diversion programs: The use of mental health courts and crisis intervention team (CIT) policing has proven to be effective in diverting mentally ill persons from incarceration, but their use by the states varies widely. In states such as Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Connecticut, these programs are comparatively widespread, whereas in states such as Iowa, Mississippi, West Virginia, and Arkansas, they are virtually nonexistent. If we want to reduce the criminalization of mental illness, utilizing these proven diversion techniques is an obvious place to start. For an assessment of program availability in all the states, see “Prevalence of Mental Health Diversion Practices: A Survey of the States” published by the Treatment Advocacy Center in 2013.

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Promote the use of assisted outpatient treatment (AOT): Assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) to ensure treatment delivery to at-risk individuals with mental illness while they continue living in the community is available in 45 states and the District of Columbia but is markedly underutilized. Where it has been actively implemented, AOT has proven to be very effective in reducing the time mentally ill individuals spend in jail. In North Carolina, a randomized study reported that patients “with a prior history of multiple hospitalizations combined with prior arrests and/or violent behavior” had a reduction in arrests from 45 percent to 12 percent in one year while participating in AOT. In New York, the percentage of mentally ill individuals arrested decreased from 30 percent prior to receiving AOT to 5 percent while in the state’s “Kendra’s Law” program, and the percentage of those incarcerated decreased from 23 percent to 3 percent while on AOT. And in a small pilot study in Nevada County, California, the use of AOT reduced jail time for the seriously mentally ill persons in the program from 521 days to 17 days, a 97 percent reduction. In these contexts, AOT can be regarded as another type of jail diversion. Encourage cost studies: One of the driving forces behind the closure of state mental hospitals and subsequent transinstitutionalization of mentally ill individuals from hospitals to prisons and jails has been a belief that it saves money. The daily cost of care for jail and prison inmates can appear to be significantly less expensive than the daily cost of care in a state mental hospital. However, such comparisons omit many costs, including the higher costs of mentally ill inmates; the longer incarcerations of inmates with mental illness because of the time often required to restore their sanity sufficiently to try them in a court of law; the higher rate of recidivism among mentally ill inmates; and the high cost of set36 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

tlements and awards resulting lawsuits following inmate suicides and self-mutilation. Cost assessments that identify the comprehensive expense of incarcerating mentally ill individuals would provide public officials with a more accurate basis for making mental illness treatment policy and unmask cost savings that are illusory. The least expensive option of all, of course, is to make sure seriously mentally ill individuals receive proper psychiatric care in the community so they do not end up in jails or prisons. For example, a study in Florida followed 4,056 individuals with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder for seven years following their discharge from psychiatric hospitalization. Those who remained on medication were significantly less likely to be arrested and cost the state 40 percent less in total care costs over the seven-year period. Establish careful intake screening: One of the most effective ways to minimize problems associated with mentally ill individuals in prisons and jails is to identify the potential problems at the time the individual enters prison or jail. A variety of screening techniques are available; all should include an assessment of suicide potential and the person’s medication history. The American Psychiatric Association has established guidelines for serving mentally ill individuals in prisons and jails that describe some alternatives. Mandate release planning: For all mentally ill inmates being released from prison or jail, a written plan for psychiatric follow-up should be developed. Studies have suggested this presently happens in only a small percentage of cases. One recent study reported that inmates with serious mental illness who were released from prison without follow-up treatment were almost four times more likely to commit another violent crime compared to mentally ill inmates who were given treatment after their release. Included in the plan

should be identification of the organization specifically responsible for the person’s psychiatric care. The important point is that some agency or organization must be specifically assigned responsibility for psychiatric follow-up and then held accountable.

Going Forward: The Broad View The ultimate solution to this problem is to maintain a functioning public mental health treatment system so mentally ill persons do not end up in prisons and jails. To this end, public officials need to: Reform mental illness treatment laws and practices in the community to eliminate barriers to treatment for individuals too ill to recognize they need care, so they receive help before they are so disordered they commit acts that result in their arrest. Reform jail and prison treatment laws so inmates with mental illness can receive appropriate and necessary treatment just as inmates with medical conditions receive appropriate and necessary medical treatment. Implement and promote jail diversion programs such as mental health courts. Use court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment to provide the support at-risk individuals need to live safely and successfully in the community. Encourage cost studies to compare the true cost of housing individuals with serious mental illness in prisons and jails to the cost of treating them in the community. Establish careful intake screening to identify medication needs, suicide danger, and other risks. Institute mandatory release planning to provide community support and foster recovery. Provide appropriate mental illness treatment for inmates with serious psychiatric illness. J To read the full report “The Treatment of Persons with Mental Illness in Prisons and Jails, A State Study,” visit: TACReports.org/treatment-behind-bars

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BY DONNA ROGERS, EDITOR-IN CHIEF

EASING COMMUNITY SUPERVISION TECHNOLOGY THAT SIMPLIFIES MONITORING CLIENTS AND HANDLING DRUG TESTING

ith the rising number of caseloads they carry, probation and parole officers need ways to regularly keep in touch with their clients and to quickly test for drugs of abuse. The estimated 4.7 million adults under correctional community supervision in the U.S. on December 31, 2014 represents a one-percent decline between yearend 2013 and 2014. It marked the seventh consecutive year of decline in the population, the Bureau of Justice Statistics announced last November. The challenges, however, never diminish. According to the same BJS report: The percentage of probationers supervised for a felony offense increased from 52 percent in 2000 to 56 percent in 2014. And in 2014, nearly a third (31 percent) of parolees were being supervised for violent offenses, about a third (31 percent) for drug crimes and nearly a quarter 38 CORRECTIONS FORUM â&#x20AC;˘ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

(22 percent) for property offenses. Because offenders are always on the move, and constantly finding ways to adulterate samples for drug detection, technology needs to lend a helping hand. Here are some of the innovative ways it can help supervisors work more efficiently in 2016.

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS With offenders relocating frequently, not registering, for example, as sex offenders in a new city or county, or even traveling for business, probation and parole supervisors are having trouble tracking their clients, notes June Fields, of Orasure, a drug collection system. There are also numerous non-compliance issues, due to clients not reporting as instructed, inadequate tracking systems, and clients that live in remote areas that may have transportation issues, she adds. The Orasure InterceptÂŽ Oral Fluid Drug Testing System can

With the Orasure Intercept system, supervisors swab clients, insert the pad into the open vial and snap the wand, recap the vial and apply the seal. They attach it to the chain of custody form and send the sample to lab.

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help in simplifying drug collection during supervision. Field says that it is “the first FDAcleared in-vitro diagnostic laboratory-based oral fluid drug testing system, and is the only one that is FDA cleared for detection of nine commonly abused drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, opiates, PCP, amphetamines, methamphetamine, barbiturates, methadone and benzodiazepines.” She furthers that it combines the ease, efficiency, and cost savings of oral fluid collection with increased sample integrity and the accuracy of laboratory-based drug tests. With an easy-to-administer collection process, within five minutes the collected specimen is placed into a preservative solution vial for transport to the laboratory for processing with the Intercept Drugs of Abuse assay. Lab-based oral fluid testing offers virtually all the advantages of urine testing without the disadvantages, she says. Since lab personnel are trained to perform the test and an instrument interprets the results, there is no “second guessing” like that which might be possible with point of care or instant tests. With lab based testing, the instrument takes the guesswork out, preserving the integrity of the result. Also, she furthers, “by not having probation and parole staff perform the testing, this frees them up to continue their everyday job responsibilities and duties.” In the end, it minimizes collection hassles. Staff productivity is increased, a test can be performed anytime, anywhere and issues like shy bladder problems are eliminated. Most of all, it virtually eliminates drug test cheating because every collection is easily and directly observed, making sample substitution nearly impossible. In addition, she says, “dilution tactics, waterloading, and adulteration products and methods are ineffective with oral fluid testing.”

DRINKING DETERRENT “Alcohol is the Number One drug of abuse for criminal offenders and associated with a wide range of crimes like drunk driving, domestic violence, and assault,” says Alison Betts, manager of Marketing & Public Relations with SCRAM Systems. “But, because of the body’s rapid metabolism of alcohol, sporadic or random alcohol monitoring often fails to detect drinking and creates windows for clients to drink without getting caught. “Home curfew is a common requirement for clients with alcohol issues to keep them home during high-risk times like evenings and weekends. However, many programs use two separate technologies to monitor alcohol consumption and curfew, which is costly and requires more time and staff resources to manage,” she notes.

SCRAM CAM provides transdermalcontinuous alcohol monitoring and optional house arrest monitoring.

SCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring® (SCRAM CAM®) provides transdermal, continuous alcohol monitoring and optional house arrest monitoring in a single device. The SCRAM CAM anklet is worn 24/7 and samples the wearer’s insensible perspiration—the vapor that is constantly emitted through the skin—every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day, to test for alcohol consumption. This continuous testing is a

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SCRAM CAM monitors the skin every 30 minutes, 24/7.

proven method to ensure clients comply with court- or agencymandated sobriety. There are currently over 20,000 individuals being monitored with SCRAM CAM, and on any given day, 99.3% of these clients are fully compliant, meaning they are not drinking or tampering with their monitoring. SCRAM CAM’s optional house arrest feature streamlines the process of monitoring clients for both alcohol and curfew. Clients only need to be issued a single device and officers can access all of the client’s monitoring data in a single place, saving time and effort, Betts points out. The house arrest feature works with the SCRAM base station, which can connect over all home communication methods, like traditional or digital phone lines, cellular, or the Internet. Its advantages are plentiful, she says. “SCRAM CAM has been extensively peer-reviewed, is single-source admissible in court, and is a proven deterrent to drinking. It is the only alcohol monitoring tool on the market today that has been empirically proven to support long-term behavior change in alcohol clients—a key factor in reducing recidivism and alcoholinvolved crime. “In addition, testing is automated, requiring no participation from clients, and officers can easily access client data 24/7 through a secure, web-based portal,” Field concludes. CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 39

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RAPID, RELIABLE AND RUGGED When waiting for drug test results at the lab just won’t do, supervisors can use these noninvasive drug testers to detect trace amounts of illegal substances on various surfaces. Called DrugWipe®, the product comes in a range a testers for use in the field. Utilized by professionals worldwide, DrugWipe has become “the drug test of choice for police, customs & border control, rehabilitation clinics, prison system, workplace safety, and emergency medical personnel,” according to Zandra Lugo, National Customer Service & Compliance Manager, ALCOLOCK USA, the exclusive distributor of DrugWipe drug testers in the United States. One configuration, DrugWipe A drug testers are used to detect trace amounts of illegal substances on various surfaces including the skin. This multipurpose tool is used to effectively to screen up to five drug groups at one time. DrugWipe S drug testers are used to detect drug consumption specifically in saliva. “These

DrugWipe’s rugged test cassette is ideal for field use.

devices are quick and easy and require the lowest sampling volume in the industry, Lugo notes. Their rugged test cassette ideal for field use is designed for safe transport and hygienic handling. Both DrugWipe A and DrugWipe S versions utilize dis40 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

With DrugWipe drug testers, supervisors can use noninvasive devices to detect trace amounts of illegal substances on various surfaces.

tinctive color test lines to visually display positive results, she further points out. When printed results are required, the DrugRead® electronic test reader is available to document the DrugWipe S test results via a wireless printer. Overall, the line offers advantages to professionals in the field. Lugo says all DrugWipe products are: • Secure: they use highly specific technology to guarantee a reliable detection of all relevant drugs • Rapid: results are available after only a few minutes (no need to send the tests to a laboratory) • Simple: sweat and saliva tests are more hygienic and a lot simpler to handle than conventional urine tests, and • Efficient: multiple tests allow testing for various substances in one test run

KEEP IN TOUCH Clients have one excuse after another for not keeping in touch. “The bottom line,” explains Chas Jordan, marketing manager with Corrisoft, “clients are hard to get in touch with. [They] typically don't have e-mail accounts, and if

Supervising agents download the AIR mobile app to their own phone, giving them access to offender compliance history and real-time offender location (displayed on a map).

they do, they don't check them regularly. In addition, getting in touch with clients via phone can be challenging—the phone has been disconnected, they've run out of prepaid minutes, they didn't pay their cell phone bill so service has been cut off, etc.” Corrisoft’s solution is the Alternative to Incarceration via Rehabilitation, referred to as its AIR program. This home incarceration/GPS monitoring program uses the Air Mobile Connect System, which consists of a specifically-configured smartphone with a lightweight, tamper-reporting tether. It allows real-time, two-way communications. It focuses on three key areas: accountability, rehabilitation, and reintegration. By effectively integrating all three, the AIR program uses a holistic approach to improve efficiencies for supervising officers, increase offender accountability, and facilitate the

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resources necessary for successful reintegration, says the company. The smartphone comes loaded with Corrisoft’s proprietary mobile software application (an app just like one you would find at the app store), and the app’s home screen acts as the system’s main interface. The application includes e-mail, text, scheduling, camera and resource functions in addition to the real-time communication capabilities. The system keeps all of the tracking statistics, and supervising agents download the app to their own phone, and it gives them access to offender compliance history and real-time

For Further Information… ALCOLOCK USA DrugWipe email: sales@alcolockusa.com Phone: 1.888.937.9646 Web: www.drugwipeusa.com Corrisoft AIR — Alternative to Incarceration via Rehabilitation Jeff Milner, VP of Sales and Marketing Email: jmilner@corrisoft.com Phone: 859.309.5280 Web: www.corrisoft.com Orasure Intercept June Fields Email: jfields@orasure.com Phone: 484-788-5058 Web: www.chooseintercept.com SCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring (SCRAM CAM) Email: info@scramsystems.com Phone: 800.557.0861 Web: www.scramsystems.com Sonant’s ClientCall Notify Charlie Smith, President/CEO Email: csmith@sonant.com Phone: 1.800.929.2920, x218 Web: www.sonant.com

offender location (displayed on a map). Agencies manage the entire system though the AIR Dashboard, a web-based user interface that displays the offender’s profile, terms, and activity data alongside the real-time GPS tracking statistics from their phone. The system does much more than pinpoint offenders, as “dots on a map,” Jordan says. It “combines cutting-edge offender supervision capabilities with rehabilitative support services and enables the two activities to work together to keep offenders on track and moving forward toward successful re-entry into society.” It offers a full array of support services, he continues, such as trained support specialists who can assist your staff wherever they need it most—with counseling resources, employment efforts, housing/transportation assistance, etc. “It also provides a higher level of offender accountability to ensure offenders are where they need to be, when they need to be there: home, work, treatment, AA/NA meetings, and so on,” he says. Because it provides a direct line of communication at all times, Jordan points out, officers can call offenders before a problem escalates, and they have the ability to push notifications to every client. The system also ensures offenders can be contacted at any time and supervisors can stop worrying about clients with disconnected phones, he says. Finally, if a supervisor suspects there is an issue with an offender, he/she can remotely activate the camera to conduct real-time virtual searches or verify random checks and extenuating circumstances, he concludes.

GIVING NOTICE It comes as no shock: probation/parole officers face low client on-time attendance for hearings, meetings and appoint-

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ments. They face a heavy workload in that they need to remind clients of scheduled events. Last minute changes in times and locations for hearings, meetings and appointments unhinge the best-laid plans. On top of that, says Charlie Smith, president and CEO of Sonant Corporation, are client claims of not receiving notice of scheduled hearings, meetings and appointments. A new technology from Sonant called ClientCall Notify works to help probation/parole officers by

providing timely phone, text or email notifications to clients of hearings, meetings and appointments. It also easily provides message delivery of last minute changes at any time of day, which includes an electronic record of notification delivery status for each client. Messages can be delivered in a variety of languages and can be specified by client. Messages can be either recorded human voice or text-tospeech generated. According to Smith, it has the capability to detect whether a human or voicemail/answering machine has answered the phone call. If it is a machine, the system can be configured to either record the message or try again later. In addition, it can be configured with multiple phone or text numbers for a client and a priority order of attempted message delivery. The system makes notification to clients more efficient for supervisory officers, permitting them to quickly send information to their clients while also providing detailed reports for message delivery history and current status, says Smith. Minimizing startup and ongoing operating costs, Sonant offers Notify as a hosted service. J CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 41

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AD INDEX Page No.

Black Creek Integrated Systems Corp. ................15 Bob Barker .........................43 Centurian ........................2,22 Corizon ................................7 Correctional Counseling....32 Endur ID Incorporated ......24

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Garrett Metal Detectors ....25 Imperial Fastener.................6 Infax ...................................19 Jinny Corp. .........................12

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Keefe Group ......................44 Mars .....................................9 Medi-Dose Company.........33 Morse Watchman, Inc. ......17 NaphCare...........................31 Point Blank Industries .........5 Prime Coat Coating System..............................8 StunCuff Enterprises, Inc. .............26 STV Architects, Inc.............12 Thermo Fisher Scientific....35 Time Keeping Systems, Inc. ..................21 TriActive America...............27 TrinityServices Group, Inc. .....................29 Union Supply Group..........37 University of Phoenix .......11 Wexford Health Sources....13 This advertisers index is provided as a service to our readers only. The publisher does not assume liability for errors or omissions. 42 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

Black Creek’s Personal Detention Assistant©(PDA) Run your housing unit true to the direct supervision model with Black Creek’s Personal Detention Assistant©(PDA). Locking, Intercom, CCTV, Utilities – all of the same control functions normally found in a touchscreen control station – plus Watchtour, Inmate Data, and Shift Log, all contained in a rugged, easyto-use, mobile device. Black Creek’s PDA© will make the staff’s job easier, the jail safer and less expensive to maintain.

Acoustical Portable Dividers By Screenflex Need to create separate areas for training, counseling, meetings and more? Durable Screenflex Portable Dividers can easily be rolled into place and set up in seconds by anyone. Artwork can be displayed on the acoustical panels. Several models, heights, lengths and colors available. NEW CLEAR DIVIDERS available in one height and two lengths. For more information visit www.screenflex.com

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