Page 26 - Security Today, January/February 2021

Digital Technologies
Create Savings
Other benefits and efficiencies aimed for criminal justice system BDy Enrique Pavlioglou
igital technologies are trans- forming all aspects of life today, yet sectors such as the criminal justice system continue to be slow to adapt
and are failing to take advantage of a wealth of innovations available at the moment.
With today’s criminal justice system confronted by a myriad of challenges though, including increasing budget and resource constraints as well as complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the “this is how we’ve always done things here” way of thinking will no longer cut it.
One area within the criminal justice system where digital technologies can be quickly and easily implemented to deliver immediate impact is community supervision programs. However, before we discuss how to do this, we must first get a sense of today’s landscape and the challenges being created by traditional supervision applications.
MARKET OUTLOOK
With traditional monitoring methods continuing to perform well for community supervision programs, local and state governments as well as other institutions have not seen a strong need to explore new innovative solutions previously.
The popular method for tracking defendants has been and remains electronic ankle monitoring, a solution thatwasintroducedtotheindustrynearly four decades ago. When introduced, ankle monitoring devices were an innovative solution to in-person supervisory check- ins. Today though, the challenges they create heavily outweigh their benefits.
Not only do ankle monitors carry a stigma for defendants, they also can create financial strain for individuals with fees averaging out to $300 per month. These costs, in addition to associated court fees and other expenses, can add up quickly and become detrimental to offenders that are barely getting by on minimum wage. Local community supervision programs also often struggle with technical difficulties related to ankle monitoring devices, such as signal loss,
chronically short battery life, and inaccurate alerts and notifications, all of which create further operational inefficiencies.
Additionally, many community supervi- sion programs still conduct scheduled and random in-person check-ins. While these meetings are an equally inefficient use of time for both supervisors and defendants in any circumstance, the pandemic has now made them potentially unsafe to do for both parties as well. Face-to-face meetings for ru- ral offenders are especially challenging too, as these individuals are expected to forfeit viable working hours to fulfill their legal and financialobligationstothecourtorrequire their supervisors to travel countless hours back and forth for a single check-in.
There are better monitoring tools out there. These tools are cheaper for offenders and streamline the process for supervisors. Unfortunately, lengthy procurement processes for new technologies and the overshadowing legacy processes and technologies in place are holding back this much-needed digital shift.
NEW INNOVATIONS
CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE
Today, there are digital innovations that are improving operational efficiencies and changing the community supervision
landscape for the better, such as cloud- based remote monitoring software. With a system like this in place, community supervision programs can be more efficient, cost-effective, and accommodating for both supervisors and defendants.
For instance, with cloud-based monitoring software much of the community supervision process can be done remotely through an easy-to-use online platform or mobile app. In the case of a remote monitoring app, the system, once installed on a mobile phone, allows civil servants to monitor and track individuals using GPS, photographic verification and electronic signatures. This process can allow low-risk adult offenders to easily let their bail bondsmen know they have not left town or inform their probation officer that they are complying with their curfew schedules or committed any other violations, without the costly and inefficient in-person check-in process.
Remote check-ins using mobile apps help civil servants that are already stretched thin. The technology removes the need for in-person meetings and can liberate approximately 70% of a supervisor’s time, thus allowing them to focus on higher risk individuals. In addition, remote tracking software reduces the amount of time
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 | SECURITY TODAY
REMOTE MONITORING