Why Jails Should Switch to Mobile Inmate Tracking
Nearly 60% of managers report missing critical information daily due to difficulties in locating it when it's stored on paper. Senior leaders, on average, spend about six weeks each year searching for misplaced documents. And over 70% of jails STILL depend on paper-based systems for records management. That’s a lot of facilities wasting time on inefficient and ineffective logging systems.
In the ever-evolving landscape of corrections, the shift from traditional paper-based systems to mobile inmate tracking is more than just a technological upgrade - it's a fundamental change that can revolutionize how jails operate. Despite being a field often seen as resistant to change, the increasing adoption of mobile solutions in corrections reflects a broader trend toward efficiency and enhanced safety.
This blog explores the positive impacts of mobile inmate tracking, highlighting how it addresses the shortcomings of outdated paper systems and offers a more secure, accurate, and efficient method of managing inmate information. We will dive into specific benefits of mobile tracking, from improved accuracy and speed to enhanced operational performance and data security.
Getting Started
Corrections isn’t exactly at the forefront of innovation, but over the last several years, we’ve begun seeing a shift. Jails are weaning out paper and pens and adopting more technology at a faster pace to save money, time, and increase productivity. The primary concerns surrounding paper logs are safety and reliability. Which raises the question: should jails eliminate paper all together?
It’s important to safeguard your information and that’s why every jail has a records keeper tasked with archiving and protecting the facility’s information. Whether it is incident reports, booking information, or daily inmate well-being logs, everything needs to be stored and protected, but paper logs aren’t the answer. Mobile logging is the most effective way to safeguard your jail’s information for several reasons:
Mobile logging promotes an increased level of detailed data collection, at the point of responsibility.
Mobile logging centralizes storage and record keeping, especially with the Cloud, helping to improve communication, staff accountability, and measure operational performance.
Mobile logging decentralizes workflows with indirect data collection and immediate syncing to better safeguard information.
Mobile Logging Improves Speed and Performance
Administrators want to see electronic logs, with some states even passing laws to require them, such as Texas’s recently signed Sandra Bland Act. However, there is a common misconception that the only way to create these electronic logs is by having officers manually type in their observations on a computer. In reality, electronic logs don’t automatically equate to computers.
Officers assigned the daily tasks of a direct supervision pod are walking by cells, looking in windows, and then returning to their workstations to document what they saw based on strictly their memory. Given the complexity and volume of information, this method is prone to inaccuracies. Yes, your line staff are outstanding individuals, but it’s naïve to think anyone can retain highly detailed memories of up to 50 cells combined with the numerous tasks and distractions they’re swarmed with. Officers can’t accurately remember and document everything they saw by memory, especially when bombarded with questions and requests by inmates.
Mobile solutions effectively address this challenge by enabling officers to record their observations in real-time, directly at each cell. This approach ensures that information is recorded accurately and in detail, significantly reducing the chances of forgetting important details compared to documenting everything later at a workstation. If you’re documenting while standing in front of the cell, the chances of forgetting a detail are significantly smaller than when you’re back at your workstation 20 individual cell checks later.
Manual computer entry not only requires staff to document based on memory but other factors contribute to their downfall:
Distraction-prone: Computer entry also shifts their focus from the inmates to the screen. While jail administration wants computer-generated logs, they also value officers' engagement and face-to-face contact with inmates. Less officer/inmate interaction means fewer observations, ultimately decreasing the number of detailed notes within the logs.
Inaccurate data: Facilities relying on only hand-written logs often face issues like spelling errors, incorrect grammar, and illegible handwriting. If the notes are unclear or incorrect, they can be difficult to defend in court or to use in disputes. Some jails attempt to solve these problems by having line staff type notes into their jail management system (JMS). Those are only going to be accurate if every officer gets enough face-to-face interaction with inmates, remembers absolutely everything they observed, and wants to take the time to manually type every notation into the JMS. That’s a tall order to ensure accuracy.
Mobile inmate tracking is just that: mobile. It allows staff to monitor and log inmate well-being while still observing the inmates during cell checks, rather than doing so afterward in front of a computer. It’s much easier and more accurate to simply talk into your mobile device or tap pre-defined behavioral descriptions to take notes while looking at the inmates while completing the cell checks.
Mobile Logging Measures Operational Performance
Some facilities believe that paper logs are more reliable than electronic ones, and a few have even adopted paperless systems but continue to keep paper copies as a backup. This approach is a bit silly. Mobile inmate tracking technology provides redundancy, expertise, and access you wouldn’t have access to with other methods.
Redundancy
With hand-written logs, there's only one copy, so if something happens to it, you’re in trouble. However, you have nothing to worry about if your electronic logs are stored on a secure and redundant server.
Information stored on a public cloud server is backed up, and those backups are also backed up. The risk of losing data is far lower than the likelihood of a pipe bursting or a fire breaking out in your records room. Unlike with cloud-based servers, facilities using local servers must ensure they have multiple backups, as backup reliability isn’t always guaranteed.
Agencies and judges don’t require documents to be written on paper; they just need them printed on paper. However, they only need specific pages, so why keep thousands of pieces of paper in file boxes when you only need a few to meet their requirements?
Expertise
Storing electronic logs securely and redundantly might seem straightforward, but it requires attention to detail. You need to:
Have multiple backups
Ensure proper climate control for your servers
Regularly update your machines
Check that wiring conduits to your servers are secure
Apply necessary firmware updates
Managing these tasks can be complex and time-consuming. Outsourcing to experts who specialize in server management saves you money, time, and hassle. While an in-house IT person may be talented, large-scale cloud providers like Google and Amazon have entire teams dedicated to server security and maintenance, offering superior protection.
Access
Data and logs, whether electronic or paper, exist to be accessible to the administration, agencies, and the court. The information collected should be immediately accessible, allowing the administration to obtain insights from any device, anywhere, and at any time. In contrast, retrieving information from paper logs requires relying on a records keeper and manually sifting through a stack of documents, which is inefficient and difficult to gain insights.
On the other hand, cloud or web-based systems allow for the rapid generation of reports from a computer. These platforms streamline the process compared to sorting through boxes of paper, offering the ability to compile and display insights such as a facility’s compliance percentage more efficiently. The level of detail and ease of generating reports will vary depending on the specific platform used.
Data Collection + the Cloud Increase Security
When it comes to data collection in correctional facilities, safety and security are top priorities. So, what would happen if your jail’s data is compromised?
In the case of an on-premises system used for security rounds, inmate tracking, or activity logging, all documentation is stored on a local network with minimal redundancy. If that stored data becomes compromised, there’s no way to collect data securely. This forces facilities to revert to manual logs, taking a step backward and collecting data in a time-consuming and inefficient process.
However, if your data becomes compromised, reverting to handwritten logs isn’t your only option. Implementing a mobile solution that supports indirect data collection can offer a secure alternative. In this setup, each mobile device functions as an independent workstation, not directly linked to the compromised network.
Ransomware Incident at Bingham County Sheriff’s Office
A year ago, the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office in Blackfoot, Idaho faced a ransomware attack. When these hackers gained access to their servers and demanded a ransom, the sheriff’s office responded by disconnecting all servers. While line staff advised that they begin documenting rounds on paper logs, the jail administrator instructed officers to continue logging inmate data on their mobile devices. Because mobile devices operate independently from the compromised servers, they ensure secure data entry.
Once the new server was operational, the mobile devices synchronized with Wi-Fi and uploaded all collected data to the uncompromised server, resulting in no data loss during the downtime. So, whether facing a server hack, power outage, or Wi-Fi disruption, staff can continue to log data securely on mobile devices with indirect collection capabilities.
Immediate Syncing
Data upload from mobile devices to your server can be managed in two ways: you can cradle it or use Wi-Fi. Manual uploads occur when officers have time or remember to connect the device or place it in a docking cradle. This may be done after each round, periodically, or just at the end of the day. Wi-Fi syncing, however, happens automatically as soon as a new entry is created while the device is connected to the internet. Minimizing the time between data collection and upload is crucial for safeguarding data. Immediate syncing via Wi-Fi reduces the risk of data compromise and ensures no information is lost.
“Efficiency is doing better what is already being done,” according to Peter Drucker, famed business management consultant. Consider this: 59% of 1,000 middle managers report missing important information daily because it’s on paper (Accenture). Reflect on how your staff uses technology in their personal lives and apply that efficiency to your operations. What technologies are they using to be more efficient and aware when running their households?
The transition to mobile inmate tracking represents a crucial step forward for correctional facilities grappling with the limitations of paper-based record-keeping. By embracing mobile solutions, jails can significantly reduce the time wasted on manual processes, improve the accuracy and reliability of their data, and enhance overall operational efficiency. Mobile tracking not only streamlines data collection and retrieval but also enhances data accuracy, security, and operational efficiency.
As the correctional industry evolves, adopting mobile tracking technology is not just a strategic move - it’s essential for a safer, more effective facility. Embrace the future of corrections and make the switch to mobile inmate tracking today. When you do, you’ll find running a safer, more connected, and more aware detention facility was faster, simpler, and more accessible than you imagined.