NCJ Number
48300
Date Published
1972
Length
7 pages
Annotation
A MODULAR CONCEPTUAL DESIGN FOR A TOTAL CORRECTIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEM DEVELOPED BY THE AMERICAN JUSTICE INSTITUTE TO ASSIST CORRECTIONAL MANAGERS AND CASE DECISIONMAKERS IS DESCRIBED.
Abstract
THE TOTAL SYSTEM IS COMPRISED OF FOUR BASIC SUBSYSTEMS: OFFENDER CONTROL AND REINTEGRATION; MANAGEMENT SUPPORT; OFFENDER CARE; AND CORRECTIONAL INDUSTRIES. THE DESIGN PROVIDES INFORMATION FOR DECISIVE ACTIONS AND FEEDBACK ON THE CONSEQUENCES OF THOSE ACTIONS. THE FEEDBACK IS DEPENDENT ON OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS OF CORRECTIONAL GOALS AND OBJECTIVES AND ON THE PRECISE SPECIFICATION OF THE NATURE OF REQUIREMENTS IMPOSED ON CORRECTIONAL ENTITIES BY NEW OFFENDERS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS. FOUR MAJOR MANAGERIAL FUNCTIONS ARE INVOLVED. THEY ARE MANAGERIAL PLANNING TO MEET CHANGING REQUIREMENTS, QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENTS OF OPERATIONAL THRUSTS TOWARD CHANGE, ASSESSMENT OF INTERMEDIATE ACHIEVEMENTS, AND EVALUATION OF PROCESS EFFECTIVENESS IN GOAL ATTAINMENT. MODULAR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SUBSYSTEMS AND THE SUBSYSTEM MODELS IS FORESEEN. HIGHEST PRIORITY WAS ASSIGNED TO THE SIX MODELS OF THE OFFENDER CONTROL AND REINTEGRATION SUBSYSTEM. THE MODELS ARE ORDERED IN TERMS OF EXPECTED CHRONOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT, AND EACH MODEL INCREASES IN COMPLEXITY AND CAPABILITY BY THE ADDITION OF FURTHER DATA ELEMENTS AND EVENTS. CRUCIAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THE EVENTUAL TOTAL SYSTEM WILL BE THE LINKAGES ACROSS SUBSYSTEMS AND MODELS VIA ELEMENT CODING. THE MODELS OF THE OFFENDER CONTROL AND REINTEGRATION SUBSYSTEM INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: (1) POPULATION ACCOUNTING AND MOVEMENT; (2) STATIC POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS; (3) CONTROL AND PROCESS MONITORING; (4) REINTEGRATION PLANNING, ACCOUNTING, AND MONITORING; (5) CONTROL/REINTEGRATION EFFECTIVENESS EVALUATION; AND (6) CASE EVENT DECISIONS. CAPABILITIES OF THESE SIX MODELS AND THEIR INTERRELATIONSHIPS ARE BRIEFLY DISCUSSED. ALL OF THESE MODELS WILL PROVIDE AUTOMATIC INTERFACING AMONG RELEVANT CRIMINAL JUSTICE UNITS, EVENT SUMMARIES AND TIME INTERVAL COMPUTATIONS TO FACILITATE PLANNING AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION, OPERATIONS CONTROL THROUGH STANDARD SETTING AND MONITORING, EVENT SUMMARIES AND DATA FOR ACHIEVEMENT ASSESSMENT, AND DATA ON WHICH TO BASE DECISIONS. IN MORE ADVANCED ON-LINE CASE DECISIONMAKING MODELS, FEEDBACK ON ANY DECISION CONTRAINDICATIONS WILL ALSO BE PROVIDED. CHARTS PRESENTING A CORRECTIONAL OPERATIONS OVERVIEW, THE CORRECTIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEM OVERVIEW, AND THE SUBSYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION MODELS FOR THE FIRST THREE SUBSYSTEMS ARE ALSO PROVIDED. (JAP)