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Risk Management: Top Tools & Assessments
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REDEFINING REHAB AN INNOVATIVE JAIL REENTRY PROGRAM An enterprising group of criminal justice undergraduates at the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) is helping to set jail inmates back on their feet—and setting a national precedent in the process, according to a press release from the university. In the first jail program of its kind in the nation, senior criminal justice majors are working closely with licensed social work professionals and counselors in the Harris County Jail to enact a rehabilitation
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Senior criminal justice students from the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) gather at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office with their professor Judith Harris, Ph.D. (fourth from left), and HCSO social worker Jennifer Herring (fifth from right).
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program for inmates as soon as they enter the criminal justice system. Unlike other national jails that provide rehabilitative services only upon reentry to the community,
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this program—offered as part of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) Reentry Services—extends training throughout inmates’ incarceration.
HCSO social worker Jennifer Herring serves as program manager and is involved in the day-to-day coordination of non-profit support and student supervision. She says the program’s objective is to use evidence-based practical approaches to meet inmates—who she and students refer to as “clients”—exactly where they are and determine their needs based on what they identify as barriers in their lives. She insists that a one-size-fits-all method is inadequate to provide her clients with the specialized rehabilitation they need. “At its core, this program is about helping inmates become empowered, and therefore, make better choices,” said Herring. “In accomplishing this main goal, we help make our streets safer, reduce the rates of recidivism and help people find their purpose.” Herring’s clients approach her on a regular basis to say, “Thank you for my life. I owe everything to you.” She is quick, however, to share credit with the entire HCSO Reentry Services team—including UHD students for its contributions. She notes that many of the inmates are depressed and feel unable to rise above their current situations. Herring disagrees with this notion and embodies the opinion of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who said, “Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.” That is exactly where Judith Harris, Ph.D., UHD assistant professor of criminal justice, and her senior seminar students fit into the program. The students undertake rigorous training prior to working with inmates. Once trained, Harris’ upperclassmen jump directly into the program, working alongside social workers and clergy in the day-to-day rehabilitation of their clients. Rather than sitting in court and observing
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LATE BREAKING NEWS These important news items came in as we were preparing to print Corrections Forum. To see this late breaking news in its entierty go to correctionsforum.net Wave of Civil Asset Forfeiture Reforms Introduced on the Federal and Local Level On January 16, Attorney General Holder announced a new policy prohibiting federal agency forfeiture, or “adoptions,” of assets seized by state and local law enforcement agencies, with a few public safety exceptions... White House Grounds Penetrated by Potentially Dangerous Drones In the latest string of White House security breaches, on Monday of this week, a “quadcopter” or 4-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle flew over and then crash-landed on the south grounds of the White House without triggering any security alarms. In fact, the UAV managed to stealthily fly unnoticed by any system in place and wasn’t detected until a Secret Service agent spotted it before hurtling to the ground, prompting a lockdown before the area could be deemed safe... National Institute of Justice adds Body-Worn Camera Page to Website The NIJ compares the current BWC equipment capabilities available... Justice Reinvestment in Nebraska Nebraska’s prisons are overcrowded—state corrections officials report that these facilities are at 159 percent of their capacity. Many people sentenced to prison are double-bunked or sleeping on cots in common areas, and others are being housed in county jails... National Sheriffs’ Association Awaits Google Response In light of the recent ambush attacks on law enforcement, the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) is concerned that those who have grievances with law enforcement could use the Waze App feature to plan or carry out an attack. Sheriffs are concerned with the ability of Google’s App, Waze, to locate law enforcement personnel by using the crowdsourcing feature to report an officer’s location. Texas Court Denies Death Penalty Appeal of Intellectually Disabled Man Texas Executes Intellectually Disabled Man 8 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
the criminal justice system from the sidelines, these students are assigned clients and regularly advocate to Harris County judges on their clients’ behalf, working in conjunction with court-appointed attorneys. “Students key mission in this program is to get their clients moving in a positive direction,” said Harris,
DEATH PENALTY 2014: FEWEST EXECUTIONS IN 20 YEARS
With 35 executions last year, 2014 marks the fewest people put to death since 1994, according to a report released in December by the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC). The 72 new death sentences in 2014 is the lowest number in the modern era of the death penalty, dating back to 1974. Executions and sentences have steadily decreased, as Americans have grown more skeptical of capital punishment. The states’ problems with lethal injections also contributed to the drop in executions this year. Executions decreased 10% compared to 2013—from 39 last year to 35 this year—continuing an overall decline since 1999, when there were 98 executions. The number of states carrying out executions—seven— was the lowest in 25 years. Just three states—Texas, Missouri, and Florida—accounted for 80% of the executions. For the first time in 17 years, Texas did not lead the country in executions, being tied with Missouri at 10. Death sentences—a more current barometer than executions—have declined by 77% since 1996, when there were 315. There were 79 death sentences last year. This is the fourth consecutive year that there
“but it is astounding to watch the students’ monumental movement as they generously give to and inspire their clients. It’s impossible to participate in this program and not change. This is what life is all about—connecting to your career and life-purpose and tapping into your innate skills and passions.” For further info see: www.uhd.edu have been fewer than 100 death sentences. “The relevancy of the death penalty in our criminal justice system is seriously in question when 43 out of our 50 states do not apply the ultimate sanction,” said Richard Dieter, DPIC’s executive director and the author of the report. “The U.S. will likely continue with some executions in the years ahead, but the rationale for such sporadic use is far from clear.” Seven people who had been on death row were exonerated in 2014, the most since 2009. Three men in Ohio were cleared of all charges 39 years after their convictions, the longest time of any death row exonerees. Two others in North Carolina were freed after 30 years in confinement. Since 1973, 150 people have been exonerated and freed from death row. Individual state developments illustrate the growing isolation of death penalty use: • The number of executions has declined in 11 of the past 15 years. In 1999, 20 states carried out executions; in 2014, only 7 states did so. • In California, a federal judge declared the state’s death penalty unconstitutional. Read DPIC’s full report at: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/YearE nd2014
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BY BILL SCHIFFNER, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
2015 ACA Winter Conference to Showcase More Sustainable Options ACA’s annual Winter Conference is one of the best attended events in the corrections industry. This year’s Winter Conference will take place in Long Beach, Calif., February 6-11. “The 2015 Winter Conference will feature a ‘green aisle’ in the exhibit hall. There will be 22 exhibitors in that section; more than double what we had at the Salt Lake City Conference last summer,” reports Tommy Norris, chair of ACA’s Clean and Green Committee and founder of GreenPrisons.org. “Sustainability will continue to be a growing management principle for the corrections industry. But it’s more than just the environment. It’s about
LED Lighting Upgrades Upgrading a facility’s lighting system to more energy efficient LED lights can offer a big savings. Lower energy usage lower equals lower maintenance costs. LEDs offer 50,000+ hour life span and a 5-year warranty. Higher lighting output means better visibility, longer life span, fewer lock downs and increased safety. Contact company for a free lighting evaluation. www.bobbarker.com, 1.800.334.9880
Solar Power Solar America Solutions, LLC, and its SunQuest product line, specialize in 10 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRURARY 2015
offender jobs and training and sound fiscal management by administrators,” he explains.
GEARING UP “ACA conferences continue to be cornerstones of our annual tradeshow budget and we are very pleased to have the opportunity to demonstrate our state-of-the-art kiosks and other products to corrections leaders from across the country,” adds Ronny Park, vice president at TouchPay. “We have been exhibiting with ACA for ten years and value the contacts and relationships we build when we participate.”
highly efficient and renewable solar thermal energy solutions for government, industrial and com-
mercial applications that regularly save end users 40%-50% of their monthly heating costs. www.solaramericasolutions.com, 1.317.833.9961
Water Management System I-CON’s NEXUS Controller was designed to increase security and improve water conservation by up to 70% in a correctional facility setting. The NEXUS controller operates as a standalone or communicating eight input/eight output controller used to control up to eight lavatory, shower or flush buttons and valves.
Multiple controllers can be networked and linked into an I-CON ENVISAGE powered computer system for maximum control of a facilities’ plumbing system. www.i-con.com, 1.407.365.6241
Secure Antiperspirant Deodorant Oraline offers a totally clear, soft plastic roll on antiperspirant for high security environments.
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Interface (CUI) Solution. www.lexisnexis.com/corrections, 1.888.AT.LEXIS
Web-based Software The Northpointe Suite is an integrated web-based assessment, case planning and case management system for criminal justice practitioners. Modules include COMPAS Core Risk/Needs which
PAS Youth for delinquent youth ages 12 to 17, an ad hoc reporting system, in support of an evidence based practice approach. http://www.northpointeinc.com, 1.888.221.4615
Media Program and U-TAB7 Union Supply Group’s Union Supply Media is an affordable, cutting-edge technology package
Eliminate access to hard plastic and improve security with truly clear packaging with this high quality antiperspirant. www.oraline.net, 1.888.296.6730
Legal Research Solutions LexisNexis now offers a range of legal research solutions
specifically designed for prisons that can help provide secure access to current, compliant legal research within reach of a facilities’ budget. Choose from their External Hard Drive Solution, Touch Screen Kiosk Solution, and Customer User
takes a “retrospective” look at risk and needs factors for placing and supervising the offender in the community, COMPAS Reentry for the population who has been incarcerated for more than 18 months, COMPAS Women to refine and guide treatment planning for women offenders, COM-
Connecting Loved Ones Aramark’s iCare program connects families with their incarcerated loved one. They can order gift packages, including popular brands and unique products, snacks, health and hygiene items, stationary, and more. Facilities offering iCare have seen a direct impact on safety and security, creating a better environment for the offender and staff. www.aramarkcorrections.com, 1.800.777.7090
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that enables inmates to order, download, rent and play digital content. Choose from its custom CD program or U-TAB7 touch tablet to offer music, movies, eBooks, TV shows, games, and educational programs. The media program works without the need for network wiring, kiosks or Internet connections. www.unionsupplygroup.com, 1.310.603.8899
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Winter APPA Conference Heats Up with New Solutions for the Corrections, Parole Communities The American Probation and Parole Association’s (APPA) 2015 Winter Training Institute brought together over 1,000 specialists from all walks of community corrections, criminal justice and treatment professions to the Grand Ballroom of the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina.
The conference featured educational workshops, intensive training programs, and a resource expo designed specifically for community corrections. Here are some of the products that were creating a buzz:
Breathalyzer System
Payment Options
The Dräger Interlock 7000 is an in-car Breathalyzer system that reinvents the traditional ignition interlock device to incorporate enhanced user features and monitoring capabilities. The Dräger Interlock 7000 includes highly advanced bypass protection and is said to offer the fastest warm-up time in the industry. www.draeger.com, 1.866.385.5900
JPay offers a wide variety of payment channels for offenders needing to meet their parole and probation obligations. The company can also provide automated IVR (interactive voice response) p h o n e
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reminders with an immediate payment option, which helps agencies boost their collection rates. IVR reminders are also customizable for appointments and other pertinent dates. www.jpay.com, 1.800.574.5729
Wireless Tablet Telmate’s Tablet is a wireless device specifically designed for corrections facilities that transforms the way inmates spend
their time and helps improve public safety. It allows inmates to communicate with their friends and family using the modern methods they’re familiar with, including secured messaging, photo sharing and more. www.telmate.com, 1.855.516.0115
and interventions through the use of Noble’s case planning tools. Full reporting is available for detailed analysis of an agency’s EBP progress. http://www.noblesg.com, 1.979.248.6568
Case Management Software With over 10,000 users, Capita Case enables probation and parole professionals to thrive,
tion interlock devices, but in a portable and discrete home model. Home eLERT features photo imaging, GPS and real-time reporting that can help individuals test and verify their sobriety conveniently. www.intoxalock.com, 1.888.283.5899
Case Management System
despite ever increasing workload demands. Capita Case’s technology and intelligent domain knowledge helps facilities manage their workload more efficiently. Management gains improved supervision controls, and extensive graphical reporting and performance measurements. www.capitacase.com, 1.949.260.3000
CaseloadPRO is a full-featured Probation Case Management System. All of the data necessary to organize and run a Probation department is collected and arranged in a more user-friendly manner. CaseloadPRO is available for both Juvenile and Adult divisions. The system helps manage: reports, letters and forms, complete caseload assignment and history, case details, etc. www.caseloadpro.com, 1.800.686.1134
Home Alcohol Monitoring
Check-in Application
Intoxalock Home eLERT offers the reliability, accuracy and advanced features of their igni-
ASIware announces the general availability of their new mobile, supervised check-in application,
Monitoring Tool Adventfs.com’s Diversion Manager is a powerful solution for Probation Professionals to assist in managing, educating and monitoring offenders. It offers a series of online education programs to provide graduated sanctions or divert qualified offenders into a positive prevention experience. In addition, Diversion Manager gives the probation officer the ability to monitor the progress of the offenders and run activity reports. http://www.adventfs.com, 1.866.494.8556
Risk Assessment Software Noble Software group provides industry-leading risk assessments and offender compliance tools to corrections agencies nationwide. Driven by assessment results, your staff can easily create customized case plans—including Title-IVe compliant juvenile case plans—with actionable goals 16 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRURARY 2015
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structure to obtain more desirable program outcomes and create a product that is affordable and easy to use for both the supervisee and supervisor. www.asi-ware.com, 1.937.845.1076
Tracking Device
Software and Support Services CorrectTech showcased integrated software and support services for residential, treatment, reentry and probation programs. Their Program Foundation Platform and 12 modules were designed by community corrections professionals to guide organizations toward a pow-
PROOFF. This software will enable probation, parole and other supervisory organizations to provide better quality oversight, more efficiently. PROOFF was built with a focus on the following objectives: Provide organizations with a tool to manage caseloads more efficiently, enable organizations to create a more flexible program
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erful EBP implementation, relieve them of strenuous paperwork and manual processes. http://www.correcttech.com, 1.303.586.6551
SuperCom had on display PureTag, a highly secure compact RF bracelet that operates across the complete spectrum of the PureSecurity Corrections Tracking Suite. SuperCom engineers have incorporated the latest advancements in technology to develop a superior public safety solution that is easy to implement and understand. www.supercom.com, 1.212.675.4606
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BY G.F. GUERCIO, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Offender Risk Assessment: Tools & Methodologies
Highlights of some most-used assessment tools.
redicting offender recidivism with objective actuarial/cliniP cal measures has been gaining momentum in the past few years, as expansive, methodologicallysophisticated research increases, relates psychologist Wagdy Loza. Today it is rare for correctional professionals to rely solely on clinical judgment and predict recidivism without at least one assessment measure, this expert notes, who is chief psychologist with the Correctional Service of Canada, and professor, Psychiatry, Queen’s University, Can. That is in some measure because the ever20 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRURARY 2015
growing prison populations and the increased costs to house, educate, treat medical/mental health, proves the need for developing economical measures for prediction of offender recidivism. Loza explains that the SelfAppraisal Questionnaire (SAQ) is a self-report risk/need measure designed to be multifaceted and to cover the predominant predictive content areas that have been demonstrated to be reliable and valid for the assessment and prediction of post-release offending. The SAQ is based on the view that multi-method/multi-trait
assessment improves the prediction of criminal behavior. The SAQ has also been found to be reliable and valid for use with offenders from different countries/ethnic backgrounds. Individuals from various minority ethnic backgrounds often form a large percentage of the incarcerated offenders in their respective countries of the United States, Australia, and Canada, he says, and some research indicates that there are racial and ethnic differences in psychopathic personality, which is often used for predicting recidivism.
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But the results of studies indicate that the SAQ has sound psychometric properties, with reliability and concurrent validity on samples of offenders from Canada, Britain, Australia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Singapore, he relates, which are a cross-validation of ethnicities for the tool. The ORAS (Ohio Risk Assessment System) is actually a series of tools, qualifies Edward Latessa, professor and director, School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati. “The ORAS-PAT (pretrial assessment), is designed to aid the court in determining if someone accused of a crime can safely be released prior to trial. It focuses on two outcomes; failure to appear and new arrests.” He furthers: “The ORAS-CST is designed to be used post-conviction and pre-sentence and covers all of the major risk domains. It focuses on risk of reoffending and also gives probation the areas to target should the offender be placed on community supervision. There is also a screener tool,” he continues,
“and we recently developed the ORAS-MAT which is designed for Misdemeanants. The ORAS-PIT tool is for assessing offenders entering prison and the ORAS-RT is to assess them prior to release. We have two RT tools, one for long-term inmates and one for short-term.” Originally designed for Ohio, a number of jurisdictions have adopted the tools. “Ohio wanted a system that was non-proprietary and that everyone could use,” he notes. “In Ohio we also developed a juvenile system: OYAS. It is used across the state and is one of the reasons cited for a significant reduction in the number of youth sent to DYS.” “NCCD has been developing actuarial risk assessments for use in juvenile and adult justice settings since the early 1980s,” says Erin Hanusa, senior communications manager, National Council on Crime and Delinquency. “These risk assessments are used by parole and probation departments to
Assessment Terms & Contact Information ORAS (Ohio Risk Assessment System): Edward Latessa, School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati, latessej@ucmail.uc.edu
guide decisions related to supervisory strategies.” Actuarial risk assessment is by no means a new practice, she states. “This type of risk assessment is based on statistical relationships between individual factors or characteristics and a set of outcomes” like subsequent offenses. To develop an actuarial assessment, large datasets are collected and analyzed. A combination of analyses reveals which factors have the strongest statistical relationships with the recurrence outcomes, she says, and from there, different combinations of these factors are identified and examined to create a risk assessment that most effectively separates a given population into risk groups. “NCCD’s Correctional Assessment and Intervention System (CAIS) is a multidimensional assessment and supervision system that includes an actuarial risk assessment and a
The Ohio Risk Assessment System is a series of tools designed for pre- and post-trial assessment.
STRONG-R (Static Risk Offender Needs Guide for Recidivism): Washington State Institute for Criminal Justice (WSICJ), Washington State University, 509.358.7961 COMPAS (Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions)--Northpointe Institute, www.northpointeinc.com, 888.221.4615
OST and CSS-M (Offender Screening Tool and Criminal Sentiments Scale-Modified): David J. Simourd, Ph.D., dave@acesink.com
PSA-Court (Public Safety Assessment-Court): The Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF) www.arnoldfoundation.org, 713.554.1349
SAQ (Self-Appraisal Questionnaire): Dr. Wagdy Loza, C. Psych., Wagdyloza@gmail.com
CAIS (Correctional Assessment and Intervention System): NCCD (National Council on Crime and Delinquency), www.nccdglobal.org, 800.306-.6223
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LS/CMI (Level of Service/Case Management Inventory): MultiHealth Systems, Inc., US: 1.800.456.3003 Ext. 264, Canada: 1.800.268.6011 Ext. 264, International: 416.492.2627 Ext. 264, www.mhs.com
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comprehensive assessment of needs,” states Hanusa. “These distinctly separate assessments are provided within the context of a clinical evaluation of what drives an offender’s criminal behaviors, along with recommended supervision strategies and programs that take into consideration the attitudes, capacities, and learning style of the individual offender.” For the tool the Static Risk O f f e n d e r Needs Guide for Recidivism: STRONG-R, there are about 25 static/auto populated items that accompany a 54-item needs assessment, explains Z a c h a r y Hamilton, assistant prof e s s o r , Zachary Hamilton Department of C r i m i n a l Justice & Criminology and director, Washington State Institute for Criminal Justice, Washington State University (WSU). “Specific items are taken from the DOC system: gang status, infractions, etc., to make the assessment more tailored to the jurisdiction.” In 2008 the WADOC implemented the SRA (static risk assessment) and also started collecting data using their inhouse offender needs assessment (ONA). This data was collected for five years until WSU was brought in to combine the SRA and the ONA to make a fourth generation tool, the STRONG-R. Hamilton roughly outlines the process: “We used a sample of nearly 50,000 offenders; we used a two-year fixed follow-up. Our population consisted of felons and gross misdemeanants, so our outcome is operationalized as felony reconvictions. We created eight models, independently selecting and weighting items for predictions of violent, property,
drug and general felonies, with each outcome model created separately for males and females.” The end result Hamilton concludes: “The tool is scheduled to be implemented in Washington in the fall of 2015.” Each year 12 million in the U.S. are jailed, mostly for nonviolent crimes, and over 60 percent of jailed inmates are awaiting trial, costing over $9 billion annually, relates Matt Alsdorf, director of Criminal Justice, Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF). While the criminal justice goal is to detain those who pose a risk prior to trial, and to release those who do not, data collected by LJAF shows it is not the reality. In response, the foundation b e g a n work on a way to provide objective, scientific, data-driven risk assessments to the more than 90 percent of U.S. jurisdictions that do not use pretrial assessment methods. The Tim Brennan result is the Public Safety AssessmentCourt (PSA-Court), a tool that reliably predicts the risk a given defendant will reoffend, commit violent acts, or fail to come back to court, based on nine data points, Alsdorf reports. There are no interviews and it can be applied to every defendant in every case. He informs since adopting in mid-2013, Kentucky has been able to reduce crime by close to 15 percent among defendants on pretrial release, while at the same time increasing the percentage of those released: a key goal. “Understanding the risk and
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need factors of offenders is a key step in the offender management process and the use of offender assessment tools greatly helps this function,” notes psychologist David Simourd. “The Offender Screening Tool (OST) is a broadbased assessment instrument designed to assess the risk or likelihood of future criminality and need (the factors that give rise to a person’s criminal risk potential) of offenders. In actual practice, it can be used at both intake for initial classification or at re-assessment to monitor progress. “The Criminal Sentiments Scale-Modified (CSS-M) is a selfreport instrument that measures antisocial attitudes, values, and beliefs directly related to criminal conduct. Correctional theory, research, and practice indicate that criminal attitude is one of the primary risk factor for criminality and as such gaining information about offender level of criminal attitudes can be very helpful in determining treatment need and focus.” Research on the statistical properties and reliability/validity of the instruments have been established says Simourd: The CSS-M among offenders of various characteristics, the OST among probationers in Arizona, Minnesota, and Virginia. The OST was designed based on an integration of correctional theory, research and practice, and CSS-M has been used worldwide. Training is required to administer and interpret the OST and CSS-M, according to Simourd. The Level of Service (LS) risk/needs assessment tools are the most widely used and widely researched in the world, according to Kevin M. Williams, Ph.D., manager, product development, CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 23
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The most consistent findings of research is the probability of recidivism increases as LS/CMI risk/needs leads increase.
Clinical/Education/Public Safety Division, Multi-Health Systems, Inc. (MHS). The LS/CMI is relevant to all stages of the criminal justice process, but it is most often used in post-conviction situations, he relates. For instance, the LS/CMI is extremely informative in determining institutional security levels, type and intensity of treatment programs, conditions of community supervision, and parole decisions, according to research. Currently, the LSI-R and LS/CMI are world leaders in forensic risk/need assessment, and are used in at least 25 U.S. states, 10 Canadian provinces and territories, and in 16 countries internationally, Williams points out, and adds that there is no need to employ separate forms or versions of the LS/CMI for various settings (parole, probation, and prison/jail). The tool is validated on a racially diverse population and both genders. And, notes Williams, “Over 15 million LS assessments have been administered since the tool was developed, including over one million in 2014 alone.” He adds: “MHS hosts the Level of Service Community of Users, an email group and blog made up 24 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRURARY 2015
of the users/leaders/researchers in Public Safety organizations across the country and around the world and is a means by which organizations can share best practices, research, policies and procedures that are working for them.” In Broward County, Fla., 25 cents of every local tax dollar is dedicated to the operation and maintenance of jails, says Tim Brennan Ph.D, chief scientist, Northpointe Institute. “The Broward County Sheriff’s Office installed the COMPAS risk assessment model as a tool to improve population management, control crowding and reduce costs, while simultaneously showing no increase in crime. The final outcome—deferring the construction of a new jail and closing another—has saved taxpayers millions of dollars, he points out. When formal risk assessments first emerged in the U.S. in the 1920’s, they were largely focused on parole decisions, Brennan notes. “Since that time their uses have steadily proliferated so that they are now used at virtually every decision juncture in criminal justice, including pre-trial release risk, probation supervision intensity and content, early release decisions, designing target
populations for many policy interventions, electronic monitoring and more recently in sentencing design.” Historically, development has been a steady proliferation of different kinds of risk assessment systems for a large variety of offenses and diverse outcomes, notes Brennan. “However, the overall trend over the last few decades has been characterized by a slow but gradual improvement in predictive accuracies. Currently we are gaining knowledge on how best to use specific risk assessment tools as well as improving our approaches to the implementation, training, supervision and quality control of such systems.” As for the future, Brennan says the emergence of Machine Learning (ML) “includes a variety of predictive and classification methods from the field of artificial intelligence.” Examples include neural networks, support vector machines and various kinds of decision trees. The exploration of ML methods may lead to some important advances in criminal justice, he strategizes, “However, their evaluations are far from complete at this point and we await more comparative studies at this stage.”
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BY BILL SCHIFFNER, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
NEW TESTING KITS AND SERVICES AMMUNITION IN THE WAR AGAINST LATEST DESIGNER DRUGS
It seems almost every day we read in the headlines about numbers of violent assaults on police officers, in addition to drug-related suicides—many of these scenarios involve individuals under the influence of the latest crop of designer drugs such as synthetic cannabinoids and bath salts. These new synthetic compounds account for about a third of positive findings in the next generation of designer drugs according to the 2013 World Drug Report. The rapid turnover of the compounds found in these designer drugs is a major challenge to the analytical capabilities of most labs, frustrating attempts at deterrence 26 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRURARY 2015
and detection, while encouraging the growth of the market. More toxicological screenings are key to the effective enforcement of new laws passed by the government and individual states to protect the public from these untested and demonstrably dangerous drugs. There are a number of tools and tests to help agencies keep up trends, laws and scientific research in these drugs as well more common drugs and alcohol. Here’s a sampling of some of the most current drug testing kits, equipment and lab services on the market:
14 Common Drugs of Abuse When required to report the results of drug tests to the court, American Bio Medica Corporation
(ABMC) offers new RTC II, designed for the criminal justice market. This is an accurate, cost effective and easy to use all-inclusive cup test that will detect up to 14 of the most commonly abused drugs. www.abmc.com, 1.800.227.1243
DESIGNER DRUG TESTS Randox Toxicology is the exclusive supplier of ELISA test-
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ing. eLab Solutions erases the possibility of doubt in drug compliance with their cutting-edge onsite testing solution that helps ensure quick and accurate results. Their QuikLIMS software is said to ensure that those results are always at your fingertips. www.elabsolutions.com, 1.866.990.ELAB ing solutions for Bath Salts, NBOMe and Spice. With over 17 tests for designer drug detection we are at the forefront of product innovation, in this rapidly changing drugs market. www.randoxtoxicology.com, 1.304.728.2890
DRI Hydrocodone The new Thermo Scientific DRI Hydrocodone/Hydromorphone Assay demonstrated good correlation with LC-MS/MS and has excellent assay precision. It is a sensitive, specific and easy-to-use
Synthetic Cannabinoids Testing Immunalysis offers two distinct Synthetic Cannabinoid Homogeneous Enzyme Immunoassays (HEIATM) for the detection of synthetic cannabinoids in urine. Their original assay, geared towards the detection of JWH-018, JWH-073, AM-2201 and their metabolites, is now complemented by a new assay targeted at the next generation, UR-144 and XLR11 compounds found in the current Spice or K2 products. Together, these assays provide the most comprehensive screening tool for an examiner’s automated chemistry analyzer. www.immunalysis.com, 1.909.482.0840
Lab Testing NMS Labs continues to be a leader in designer drug toxicology and have documented cases with new compounds previously not seen on the street. NMS Labs is one of very few accredited labs to have committed the necessary resources, analytical and toxicological expertise to keep up with this divergent and rapidly growing list of drugs. They offer these tests to death investigation, law enforcement and healthcare providers. www.nmslabs.com, 1.866.522.2206
BIOCHIP ARRAY TECHNOLOGY Biochip Array Technology is a multiplex immunoassay drug screening methodology developed by Randox Toxicology, which advances on ELISA meth-
TESTING SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS Synthetic cannabinoids present an analytical issue for forensic laboratories. There are over 20 uncontrolled forms and complex
screening tool for hydrocodone and major metabolites in urine samples at a 300 ng/mL cut-off. The assay utilizes liquid ready-touse reagents, calibrators and controls, and can be run in qualitative and semi-quantitative modes. www.thermoscientific.com, 1.800.232.3342
HIGH COMPLEXITY TESTING For everything from ensuring the compliance of parolees to rehabilitation of those in recovery, success depends heavily upon speed and precision of test-
ods for rapid and accurate drug detection. Biochip Array Technology provides simultaneous detection of multiple drug classes and drug metabolites from a single, undivided specimen. www.randoxtoxicology.com, 1.304.728.2890
Oral Test When you have an offender that just “can’t go,” are they trying to hide something? Find out botanical matrices with few enforceable guidelines. Extraction must account for several peaks and high potency material present at trace levels. Using the Agilent 7000 Series Triple Quadrupole GC/MS target analytes are selectively isolated. www.chem.agilent.com, 1.877.424.4536
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for sure, with ABMC’s Oral Stat drug test. This oral fluids test will detect up to 10 of the most commonly abused drugs. www.abmc.com, 1.800.227.1243
LATERAL FLOW TEST Premier Biotech’s new Rapid (Instant/Onsite/POCT) EtG Test is said to yield accurate, reliable results. This revolutionary rapid EtG test is a lateral flow, urine dip cassette that yields results in
as little as one minute. It also offers a shelf life of two years from date of manufacture and positive results are stable for two hours. www.premierbiotech.com, 1.888.686.9909
Continuous Alcohol Monitoring SCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring (CAM) is reported to be the most widely used CAM product in the world. Extensively
ORAL FLUID DRUG TESTING Redwood Toxicology Laboratory (RTL) expanded its Synthetic Cannabinoid Oral Fluid Drug Testing service to include four newer-generation, uncontrolled designer drugs. The additions of AM-2201, JWH210, JWH-081, and RCS-4 address changing drug abuse patterns that resulted from the DEA's ban of five synthetic cannabinoids. Analyzing thousands of specimens each day, RTL has the ability to monitor synthetic drug usage across a broad population and can verify the widespread emergence of many newer, unregulated designer-drug chemicals. www.redwoodtoxicology.com, 1.800.255.2159
Web-Based Call System call2test is a randomized, webbased, call-in system for drug and
alcohol testing and probation reporting. call2test can be con-
figured in less than 60 seconds, is fully automated, and can be used by courts of any size. By utilizing existing Interactive voice response technologies, call2test is able to provide service at a low cost per offender. call2test.com, 1.888.972.9166
DRI Oxycodone The Thermo Scientific DRI Oxycodone assay is a liquid, ready-to-use assay with specific antibodies that detect oxy-
codone and oxymorphone without significant cross reactivity to other opiate compounds. It has been optimized for 2 cutoff levels; 300 ng/mL and 100 ng/mL. The reagents are liquid ready-to use and conveniently packaged for a variety of clinical chemistry analyzers. www.thermoscientific.com, 1.800.232.3342
SCRAM REMOTE BREATH SCRAM Remote Breath offers a flexible option in breath testing. It is the first handheld, wireless, portable breath alcohol tester that includes government-grade facial recognition, high-resolution photos, BrAC results, and a GPS location with every test. Automated facial matching reduces manual photo review by 90-95%, while random, scheduled, and on-demanding testing provides more flexibility to monitor clients. www.alcoholmonitoring.com, 1.800.557.0861
peer-reviewed and court validated, SCRAM CAM provides a proven deterrent to drinking. On any given day, it generates an average 99.4% Sober Days rate, meaning that 99.4% of all clients being monitored by the product are sober and fully compliant with court orders. www.alcoholmonitoring.com, 1.800.557.0861 28 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRURARY 2015
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BY MICHAEL GROHS, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
TELEPSYCHOLOGY This not-so-new practice is saving some millions annually, and even inmates with serious mental illnesses are benefiting.
In one year, Corizon Health administered more than 5,000 telehealth encounters. Of those, 3,000 would have required transportation to an off-site location, which resulted in a savings of nearly $1 million. PHOTO COURTESY OF CORIZON HEALTH
T
he inmate population in the U.S. is aging and traditionally less healthy than those of us on the outside. There are also more mentally ill people in prison than there are in state hospitals—by a margin of 10 to 1. Pile onto that the anticipation of an upcoming wave of prisoners with dementia. Aside from the amount of conditions to be treated, there is the fact that correctional facilities are usually in remote areas. Some states, such as Wyoming, are almost entirely remote. Treating an 30 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRURARY 2015
inmate in these areas can be expensive. Simply walking an inmate out the door can cost hundreds of dollars. According to a Legislative Analyst’s Office 2012 report, medical guarding and transportation can exceed $2,000 per inmate per day. The solution in many cases might be telehealth. Telehealth is not new. It has been in use for over 50 years, but its appeal is growing rapidly and the services are increasing in both the number of conditions that can be treated as well as the quality of care. Users have found significant savings in cost as well. According
to a National Conference of State Legislatures’ 2014 report, the University of Texas Medical Branch, which is one of two providers of inmate healthcare in the state, saved correctional facilities $780 million over a period of 13 years through the use of telehealth. Telehealth saved Georgia $9 million in 2011 alone. In one year, Corizon Health, a healthcare provider to 531 facilities across the U.S., administered more than 5,000 telehealth encounters. Of those, 3,000 would have required transportation to an off-site location, which resulted in a savings
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COURTESY OF MHM SERVICES, INC.
of nearly $1 million. Telehealth can be used for many specialties, says Dr. Calvin B. Johnson, Chief Medical Officer at Corizon, including cardiology, endocrinology, ENT, general surgery, infectious diseases, nephrology, ob/gyn, orthopedics, and urology. The options are much more advanced than a simple Skype consultation. In Texas, prisoners experiencing chest pain are connected to monitors and evaluated by an off-site clinician to see if a hospital visit is warranted. There is also one particular area of focus that telehealth has seen continual growth, and it is among the most widespread afflictions seen in correctional settings: mental health. According to Sharen Barboza, PhD, CCHP-MH, director of Clinical Operations-Mental Health at MHM Services, Inc., nearly one in five inmates has some form of mental illness. Ellen Rappaport, Wexford health director of Telehealth & Re-Entry explains that, like conventional mental health care, mental telehealth can be divided into two categories:
According to MHM Services, the tele-psychiatry contact is essentially the same as the conventional proximal contact. The remote psychiatrist, the patient, and the patient’s proximal caregiver discuss any concerns the patient might have. 32 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRURARY 2015
telepsychiatry, in which doctors can perform psychotherapy and prescribe psychiatric medications via telemedicine, and telepsychology, in which PhD-level practitioners provide counseling and psychotherapy but not medications. Masters-level professionals can also perform psychiatric and substance abuse assessments and make referrals to psychiatrists, psychologists, and drug rehabilitation services. According to Sidney HunterMoore, RN, staff and program development coordinator, Georgia Programs of MHM, “The tele-psychiatry contact is essentially the same as the conventional proximal contact.”It uses high quality audio and video-conferencing technology to provide inmates with access to medical services. The remote psychiatrist, the patient, and the patient’s proximal caregiver discuss any concerns the patient might have. The offsite practitioner utilizes a previously prepared shadow document, and the proximal caregiver will provide any new pertinent information that might be needed for
the medical records. Once the conference is completed, the remote clinician faxes his or her documentation to the proximal clinician.
Better Focus Hunter-Moore also notes that “telepsych” offers many benefits. It is efficient. Run correctly, he says, telepsych can increase the number of patients being seen by 10% to 30%. Cathleen Cleary, M.D., who works for MHM says, “I’m not as distracted…[with] people stopping to say hello…asking me questions because they happen to see me as they’re walking by my office. I can focus better on the patient.” Tele-psych is more organized in the sense that the assigned facilitator rather than the doctor is responsible for coordinating calling patients, getting records and forms, and maximizing the sharing of critical information. Telepsych clinics function much like clinics in other medical specialties. Productivity is maximized by the use of support staff wherever it can improve the outcome of care. Telepsych also allows for flexibility, which can be a factor when it comes to unanticipated events such as unexpected transfers or admissions and high priority issues that arise outside of regular clinic hours. More patients can be treated than can be handled during normal clinic hours. Telepsych has also been found to benefit the clinicians. Doctors have found increased work satisfaction using telepsych. They like the flexibility and off-site environment, the organization, and the on-demand care. There is also the matter of significant improved recruiting opportunities that allows for organizations to find the best clinician for any specific clinic without having to be concerned with finding those willing to relocate and work in such a non-traditional environment. Clinicians can also be moved to a different clinic, which allows matchmaking of a clinician with a treatment team.
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Hunter-Moore also notes that telepsych can help lower the frequency of transfers for urgent care. Doctors can meet patients who transfer in with medication issues, which in turn means getting medication started quickly and might mean avoiding after-hours transfer. Telepsych allows clinicians to view patients in situations in which urgent issues must be decided outside of business hours and allows for the option of borrowing or shifting clinic hours from other places according to priorities. Moving clinician hours, says Hunter-Moore, can be done much more easily and therefore more often. The end result, he says, is that remote sites have better access to high quality and qualified clinicians. The list of psychiatric conditions that can be treated through this method is vast and includes a plethora of conditions and options: adjustment and anxiety disorder, ADD, bipolar disorder, depression and major mood disorders, medication management, initial evaluations, second opinions, crisis care, individual and group therapy, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, paranoid disorder. Even conditions deemed “serious” and “medically necessary” such as paranoid schizophrenia, psychosis, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia, conditions from which 14% to 20% of inmates suffer, can be successfully treated through telepsych. Rappaport points out that currently substance abuse treatment is not widely provided through telehealth, but “experts predict that its use will increase rapidly during the next several years.”
On the Rise Telehealth use is growing rapidly. Hunter-Moore says, "In Georgia, we started providing telemental health services to the state prison system in 2006 and now provide over 1,700 contacts per month primarily for medication management but also for initial evaluations, consultations, second opinions, and even crisis care.” In fact, every prison and state detention center in Georgia that offers mental health treatment uses telehealth for some or all of their psychiatric care. One area, says Hunter-Moore, that offers “exceptional promise” is the potential of therapeutic family contacts and group therapies that can bring groups together from disparate locations. Rappaport points out that not only is the use of telehealth growing in scope, one current focus is implementing telehealth quickly in order to bring a wider range of specialty services to inmate patients in a more timely manner as well as save on transportation and overtime costs. The cost-benefit ratio is significant. Anytime an inmate is not taken out of the facility is a savings for the facility and the taxpayers. In Maryland, she points out, after two years of operation, their program is on track to enable the state to recoup the initial investment costs in the first or second quarter of 2015. Hunter-Moore furthers that MHM’s reviews VISIT US AT WWW.CORRECTIONSFORUM.NET
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have showed that by using telemedicine, their clinicians are 20% to 45% more productive, and aside from the savings found in transportation and time, they have found that the per contact cost to be as much as 50% less than proximal visits. Using Internet based technologies that are currently available, initial costs can amount to less than a thousand dollars a unit, an amount that is unlikely to be a barrier for most facilities. There are numerous ways to deliver telehealth services. Johnson points out that Corizon offers options including specific telemedicine equipment, rolling monitor carts, portable units in wheeled briefcases and in some cases even tablets and smart phones. “Varying the required equipment expands the reach of telehealth and limits the need for peripheral employees to assist in the process. These devices are made accessible based on connectivity and the technical capabilities of the facilities.” This gives the option of delivering “house calls” to segregation cells. Tablets, iPads, and smart phones all have telehealth capabilities, and Rappaport suggests that they will likely be the wave of the near future since the provider will have access to the patient no matter where the provider is located. While the challenge might be that such devices are not allowed in many facilities, the providers can use them regardless of where they are. Hunter-Moore explains that in some cases, clinicians need to make contact with inmates who cannot be brought out of their cell. This has required the organization to make telehealth units portable enough to address that challenge. In some cases, they have outfitted the units with headphones and microphones that allow the inmate and the provider to communicate with an extra sense of privacy despite the security limits on the inmate’s physical movements. 34 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRURARY 2015
HIPPA & Other Security Issues Naturally, there are some considerations to keep in mind when it comes to these services. One issue that might leap to mind is security. As Hunter-Moore notes, in accordance with HIPPA standards, “covered entities must protect individually identifiable health information against deliberate or inadvertent misuse or disclosure.” To comply, providers must provide safeguards to protect confidentiality and prevent unauthorized access. (MHM uses a telemedicine platform called Vsee in which the signal is transmitted using “strong encryption.”) Other issues that might arise are connectivity issues within the security requirements of a correctional facility. There is also the matter, says Rappaport, that scheduling follow-up encounters can be an issue as a result of the tremendous amount of inmate moving and transfers in the correctional environment. (They address this challenge by having a point person at the facility to follow up and track and monitor telehealth patients.) Johnson also points out that the required T1 lines are an expensive form of connectivity, but they provide “a more realistic tele-presence.” He furthers that some providers would prefer having those expensive telehealth units in their office, but that is not always a possibility. Corizon provides hubs in many specialty clinics for a variety of providers to use, so they may be required to walk to a nearby building or area to provide their consultation. A 2013 study titled Telepsychiatry in Correctional Facilities: Using Technology to Improve Access and Decrease Costs of Mental Health Care in Underserved Populations written by Stacie Anne Deslich, MA, MS, Timothy Thistlethwaite, MD, and Alberto Coustasse, DrPH, MD, MBA, MPH was conducted that set out to determine if telepsychi-
atry truly did increase inmate access to psychiatric care and lower costs for clinicians and facility administrators. The results found that “Telepsychiatry provided improved access to mental health services for inmates, and this increase in access is through the continuum of mental health care, which has been instrumental in increasing quality of care for inmates.” The study also determined that the use of telepsych saved facilities anywhere from $12,000 to over $1 million. They concluded that increasing access to inmates might result in improved living conditions and safety in correctional facilities, and that “Providers, facilities, and state and federal governments can expect increased savings with utilization of telepsychiatry.” Some may wonder about the efficacy of using telepsychiatry in treatment versus face-to-face contact. Another study conducted by Texas Tech University and the Federal Bureau of Prisons in 2008 and published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology set out to determine if the use of telemental health altered the treatment experience. The results indicated that “no significant differences in inmates’ perceptions of the work alliance with the mental health professional, post session mood, or overall satisfaction with services when telemental health and face-to-face modalities were compared within each type of mental health service.” The benefits seem clear. Telepsych offers more services at less cost. Budgets are strained, and correctional facilities have become the default mental health clinics, which they were not designed to do, but fiscal solvency is not the only focus when it comes to telehealth expansion from a clinician’s point of view. Says Dr. Johnson, “It is important to remember that while cost savings can be achieved, the primary goal of telehealth is to ensure patients receive consistent quality care.”
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BY BILL SCHIFFNER, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Advances Help Block
Smuggled Contraband
CONTRABAND
remains a huge issue for correctional facilities across the country. In addition to the usual tools of escape, weapons and narcotics, cell phones are now the most prevalent form of contraband currently plaguing this country’s prisons and jails. In an effort to control the trafficking and use of contraband items, numerous technologies are being deployed—these include whole body imaging technology, which is becoming increasingly popular for the detection of both internal and external contraband. These innovations in technology have reduced the risk for human error, time and manpower. Over the past few years many states have been beefing up their security systems to help combat the transport of contraband in prisons. For example, Texas’ criminal justice system, the nation’s largest, has invested heavily in efforts to keep cell phones out of prisons, where they have enabled inmates to coordinate escapes and maintain contact with gangs. Those enhancements and upgrades included a special K-9 unit responsible for sniffing out cell phones, increased video sur-
veillance of guards and the addition of “managed access systems” at two prisons that intercept all but a few specified outgoing cellular signals. According to a May 2014 article in The Texas Tribune, corrections officials and state legislators say that increased emphasis has had a major effect. They report cell phone confiscations by the Criminal Justice Department fell to 594 in 2013—a five-year low— from 738 the previous year. “Cell phones are definitely the biggest problem in correctional facilities today,” comments Craig Schober, media director, Berkeley Varitronics Systems. “They are small, cheap and are extremely easy to conceal.” The company markets a number of products that help in cell phone detection. Another company that is offering some interesting solutions in this area is GTL. “Recognizing there is more to effectively controlling the entrance of cell phones and other contraband into facilities than simply blocking signals or finding phones, GTL takes a strategic 3-pronged approach to combat this illicit activity: Detection, Extraction, and Analysis (DEA), says Mitch Volkart, product manager of Intelligence Tools at GTL. “GTL is
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able to combine our most effective intelligence products with other industry leading tools, providing the capability to effectively detect contraband mobile devices, forensically extract the raw data, and analyze the information to formulate actionable intelligence,” he adds. Here are a number of product solutions to control contraband in correctional facilities:
IED Detector CEIA’s 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 uniquely qualified to operate in a CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 35
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prison or correctional facility environment with specific settings available for prison parcel inspection. The EMIS-MAIL is also compliant with the NIJ0602.02 Department of Justice Detection requirement standard. www.ceia-usa.com, 1.888.532.CEIA
COVERT 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.
containers. MicroSearch uses patented ENSCO technology to quickly and non-invasively detect escapees by sensing their heartbeat, going from set-up to results in less than two minutes. It is ideal for monitoring prison services, prison industries, and staff vehicles. Portable and compact, it easily protects multiple sites and sallyports. www.ensco.com/microsearch, 1.800.367.2682, ext. 4420
Electronics Detector REI’s ORION 2.4 Non-Linear Junction Detector detects the presence of electronics, regardless of whether the electronic target is radiating, hard wired, or turned
PocketHound is the perfect tool to enforce a no cell phone policy in areas where cell phones are illegal or unauthorized. www.PocketHound.com or www.bvsystems.com, 1.732.548.3737
Detection System L-3 Security & Detection Systems ProVision advanced imaging systems utilize effective radio wave-based technology to provide an efficient screening capability. The millimeter wave technology in the ProVision system utilizes safe radio waves to detect threats that may be hidden under a person’s clothing. A broad variety of concealed materials, including both metallic and non-metallic threat items, can be found with the unit. www.sds.L-3com.com, 1.781.939.3800
DETECTION SYSTEM MicroSearch is a highly reliable human presence detection system that deters escapes by detecting prisoners hiding in vehicles or 36 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRURARY 2015
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. The NEW ORION 2.4 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
Infrared System Target-ID is the first FourierTransform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy system developed specifically for field-deployed narcotics. Combining the power, speed, and accuracy of FTIR with a library of up to 2,500 narcotics, precursors,
and common cutting compounds, Target-ID returns forensic laboratory quality results in a matter of seconds without damaging or degrading evidence. Target-ID also allows users to define their own library matches. Lightweight and easily transportable, Target-ID provides hours of operation on a single battery charge. www.smithsdetection.com, 1.800.297.0955
CELL PHONE DETECTION Cellsense has a high sensitivity for detection of cell phones, whether turned on or off, or located on or inside the body. It also offers detection capabilities for weapons such as small blades,
knives, shanks, lighters, etc. Fast full body scans in a single walkby, up to 40 inmates per minute. Convert between the free-standing and wall-mount mode by removing the base. Fully portable with versatile screening capability at any angle. www.cellsensegroup.com, 1.630.541.6509
Managed Wireless Access System Securus Technologies recently entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with Vanu, Inc. where Securus will provide managed wireless access systems that
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will limit the use of contraband wireless units in prisons and jails. Vanu’s Spectrum-Shield technology enables correctional facilities to address the critical need for preventing the illicit use of cellular technologies. The system distinguishes between legitimate and non-legitimate wireless cellular devices within a correctional facility using its specialized radio algorithms. Spectrum-Shield prevents contraband devices from making and receiving unauthorized phone calls, text messages and data. www.securustech.net, 1.972.277.0665
with large casters for ease of portability. Regardless of metal composition of the contraband, passing items through the CellScan Detector determines if the inmate, visitor, or worker is attempting to conceal any metals. www.cell-scan.com, 1.517.803.2652
SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS GTL Data IQ intelligence software utilizes advanced data mining technologies to draw connections between offenders’ phone
calls, visitations, deposits and more, giving investigators the power to detect, flag and act on suspicious behavior. Unlike other applications that can only analyze their own data sources, GTL Data IQ can also interface with any third-party data source. This software provides investigators a holistic view of investigative data and generates actionable intelligence, thereby combating fraud and other criminal activity. www.gtl.net, 1.800.489.4500
ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE Mistral has a line of electronic surveillance products that may be employed in situations that stationary camera systems may not
be effective: e.g., in hostage or riot situations. Mistral’s Eyeball technology is one that employs ‘softball’ shaped camera systems (with IR and mics) that can be thrown wherever needed (and land upright), with 360º viewing on remote PDUs. Eyeballs are said to be virtually indestructible. www.mistralsecurityinc.com, 1.301.913.9366
Metal Detector The Cell-Scan II (CS II) is a portable multifunctional metal detector. The new thinner, lighter CS II features a 90% larger opening than the original. It features a digital counter, ultra bright detection LED and mutable alarm. The CS II has an integrated PVC base VISIT US AT WWW.CORRECTIONSFORUM.NET
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BY DONNA ROGERS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Kiosk Trends From secure check-ins, self-serve commissary to mobile phone apps, these kiosks offer the best efficiency yet.
A visitor enters your jail. They walk up to a kiosk to check in using their driver’s license. The kiosk does an instant identification check, cross referencing their name to a list of those not permitted in the building and to select criminal databases you choose, such as criminal warrant and sex offender data bases—all within seconds. In addition, security personnel have access to an advance list of those visitors expected for the day so they can be pre-screened, getting your visitors along on their way even quicker. And, if desired by your jail, a visitor’s badge can be printed and ready while they are still at the kiosk. Sound futuristic? It’s not of course. Kiosks are widely used in markets such as schools, healthcare, transit and in an extensive 38 CORRECTIONS FORUM • JANUARY/FEBRURARY 2015
and growing range of fields. Corrections is no exception. For the past few years, these electronic wunderkinds are used for inmates to order commissary items, to order healthcare services and to send “kites” for requests and complaints. Kiosks also accept and disburse money—allowing booking agents to automatically count inmates money, deposit it and place it on a debit card at release. Kiosks allow friends and family to deposit money—from a kiosk in any jail or prison in the network—at the present location or across the state. Kiosks are also permitting communications such as phone and video visits, email and photo sharing. They are going beyond those applications too. One new application undergoing testing will
allow visitors to the jail to check in on their smartphone on arrival in the parking lot, undergo a background check and have a badge printed by the time they arrive inside. Security, obviously, is a high priority at corrections facilities. However, it is a two-edged sword. “When you start to increase security, it starts to slow things down,” points out Kevin Allen, president of LobbyGuard, a kiosk maker servicing about 30 vertical markets. “We try to do two things with our kiosks: Enhance security and make [access] quicker.” The LobbyGuard kiosk is installed at the Detention Services Bureau at the Shelby County Juvenile Court in Southern Pennsylvania. Visitors can approach the self-service kiosk and do a license scan, take
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photo for positive ID and respond to questions tailored by the jail. Once we have the data I can run a background check on them—registered sex offender database, red flag list maintained by the jail, and also check Shelby County’s own warrants for their arrests, he says, adding that notification gets sent to sheriff. And it takes “less than two seconds check all those records.” In April a beta release of the
product will allow visitors to install an app on their Apple and Android phones. When a visitor arrives it links up to the system inside, they can sign in—either inside or outside building. It’s up to the customer but they need to be within a certain range, explains Allen. Using their own cell broadband or wifi it sends a link to the front desk, which is still subject to a background check; the visitor can bypass the
COMPANY NAME
Microtronic US
KIOSK NAME
Guest Station
APPLICATIONS
User can purchase a Vending Card, add funds to the Vending Card using cash and when finished shopping, get a cash refund of the balance on the card.
COMMENT
Our Guest Station is for customers using the Microtronic Cashless payment system for Visitor Vending in Prisons and Jails. This kiosk allows customers the availability to get a refund of cash loaded onto the Vending Card once they have finished their visit, says Terri Bryant, president.
CONTACT INFO
sales@microtronicus.com; www.microtronicus.com; 1.800.879-3586
kiosk and the badge can be waiting behind the desk. GPS signs you out automatically when you leave. Using the Go! App speeds up the time at the front desk, which is especially for frequent visitors like attorneys. Notes Allen: “It’s an extension of that efficiency equation—taking less of the front office’s time….and it’s far more accurate than depending on the honor system.”
COMPANY NAME
Slabb, Inc.
KIOSK NAME
Model X6
APPLICATIONS
Check-in for community corrections clients through their supervision period
COMMENT
The company won the bid in 2013 to manufacture, deliver and install over 60 customized self-service kiosks to the Arkansas Department of Community Correction for selected minimum-risk clients. Identification of the parolees is done via a fingerprint reader, webcam shots and signature pad. Partnering with Marquis Software for a specialized interface allows payments to the Information Network of Arkansas (INA). Users can also access housing and employment information.
CONTACT INFO
702.730.1110, www.slabb.com
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COMPANY NAME
Telmate
KIOSK NAME
Automated Lobby Kiosk
APPLICATIONS
Visitation scheduling, inmate trust deposits; restitution, bond, & bail payments; work release Telmate also has an Automated Booking Kiosk.
COMMENT
All of the lobby kiosks are all interconnected, so a family member near any Telmate kiosk nationwide is able to deposit cash for an inmate housed in any other facility with same solution.
CONTACT INFO
www.telmate.com or 1.866.516.0115
COMPANY NAME
Touch Legal, Inc. (TLI)
KIOSK NAME
TLI Correctional Grade Touchscreen Law Library Kiosk
APPLICATIONS
Delivery of secure access to off-line and Internet-based state and federal law library materials, as well as inmate email, messaging, request/grievance services.
COMMENT
“It is critical that correctional facilities proactively leverage secure technology to provide inmates with regular access to law library resources, email communications and to automate the processing of inmate grievances and requests,” says Brad Plaschle, COO.
CONTACT INFO
Brad Plaschle, esq., 707.526.6655, Ext 4; Cell: 415.377.2610; bp@touchsonic.com; or www.touchsonic.com
COMPANY NAME
TouchPay
KIOSK NAME
Lobby Kiosk
APPLICATIONS
Automated payment platform
COMMENT
For corrections, TouchPay’s funding solutions provide comprehensive services throughout the entire custody experience of offenders—from booking to deposit to release and post-release. At booking, TouchPay provides an Intake Kiosk for automated processing that counts both coins and cash notes in bulk.
CONTACT INFO
www.touchpayonline.com, 1.866.204.1603
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COMPANY NAME
LobbyGuard
KIOSK NAME
LobbyGuard Scout
APPLICATIONS
Automated check-in system
COMMENT
The Scout is the company’s smallest, lightest and most versatile of its products. Also available is LobbyGuard SL which is software that can be installed on any compatible Windows 7 or Windows 8 PC, laptop or tablet computer. It ships with all peripherals, including camera, driver license scanner, and printer. Multiple kiosks can be networked together at key locations via LobbyGuard Cloud Services to have one view of all your visitor data, reporting options, configuration settings and more from anywhere on the web. LobbyGuard Go! is an app that is compatible with Apple and Android operating systems. Says company president Kevin Allen: “It places the kiosk right in your hand.”
CONTACT INFO
http://lobbyguard.com; 919.785.3301
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N
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W
P
R
O
D
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Ferguson Safety's Dozer Mattresses
S
• Folds up for easy storage • Velcro® straps allow for secure closure and doubles as handle • Great option for temporary sleeping quarters or emergency management
For more information visit www.fergusonsafety.com
Page No. AUTOCLEAR/Control Screening...........37 Black Creek Integrated Systems Corp. .17 Bob Barker.............................................43 Corizon....................................................7 Endur ID Incorporated............................6 Ferguson Safety Products .....................14 Infax ........................................................9 Institutional Eye Care............................42 Keefe Group ..........................................44 Mars.......................................................13 Medi-Dose Company ............................29 MHM Correctional Services, Inc. ...........2 Microtronic US ......................................18 NaphCare ..............................................33 Point Blank Industries .............................5 Sentry Security Fasteners, Inc...............19 Slabb, Inc...............................................41 StunCuff Enterprises, Inc. .......................4 STV Architects, Inc ..................................4 Telmate .................................................25 Time Keeping Systems, Inc. ..................15 Trinity Services Group, Inc....................11 Western Union Commercial Services ...21 Wexford Health Sources .......................31
T
TRI-FOLD MATTRESS
Through review of lab testing and real world track record the Parkland Memorial Hospital staff inside of the Dallas County Jail specified to use Ferguson Safety’s Dozer mattresses. The Dozer’s fabric and seam strength exceeds all other institutional mattresses and the fire resistant core decreases the possibility of bonfires and the deadly smoke they create. To further increase the safety of the 6,500 inmates of the Dallas Jail, Parkland staff specified Ferguson Safety Products suicide prevention Safety Smocks and Safety Blankets for their special segregation cells.
AD INDEX
C
1-800-334-9880 www.bobbarker.com
Muvi-Pro HD Micro Camcorder Don't get caught off guard—count on MUVI PRO high definition body cameras to give an accurate behind-the-scene account of what really happens when you are making your rounds.
For more information visit www.officersonly.com
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 2015
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