Technology and the Criminal Justice System:



Technology and the Criminal Justice System:

Final Exam Review, Fall 2009

Exam Location and Date: Dec. 18, 8 am in Mahoney auditorium

Exam Format: Multiple Choice and true/false questions

Required Readings: Chapters in Text; all assigned links and materials identified in class and on my Technology Course webpage.

Topic Areas and Key terms to review: You are expected to recognize the full range of police, court, and corrections technology—both hard and soft technology innovations-- that we covered in class. A detailed listing of these technologies is included in our online schedule, which are included below:

The Police and Soft Technology: The recent emphasis on intelligence-based policing has resulted in a wide range of soft technology advancements that have transformed police problem-solving strategies at the federal, state, and local level.  Examples include:

1. Crime mapping technology (hot spots)

2. Crime analysis technology (COMPSTAT)

3. Improvements in criminal history data systems

4. Other “soft” technology applications in policing (e.g. information sharing within the CJS; public-private information sharing.  

 

The Courts and Hard Technology: Recent changes in court structure (e.g. the proliferation of specialized courts), operations, management, and administration have been facilitated by a number of specific technological advances, particularly related to computers, multimedia technology, and on-site drug testing. Examples include:

1. The “High Technology” courtroom (computers, video, cameras, design features of buildings)

2. Improvements in weapons detection devices used in courthouse settings

3. Focus: the courtroom 21 project at the college of William and Mary Law School

4. Other hard technology applications in court (e.g. drug testing for pretrial detaining)

 

The Courts and Soft Technology: Improvements in information technology have been applied to the unique problems of offenders in specialized courts (e.g. drug courts, reentry courts, domestic violence courts, family courts), as well as the general court administration problems of intersystem coordination (mental health, public health, welfare) case processing, backlog, and decision making.  Examples include:

1. Case flow management systems for prosecutors; the use of case management devices/instruments by court administrators, public defenders, and presiding judges (e.g. backlog reduction strategies, jury selection, case classification/ weighting systems, etc.)

2. Mental health screening for pretrial detainees, at arraignment, competency, drug dependency/multiple problem offender identification.

3. The use of objective risk screening devices by probation officers to aid in PSI completion, and to determine appropriate specialized court referrals

4. Other soft technology applications in the courts (by court type, e.g. reentry courts, drug courts, etc.)  

Institutional Corrections and Hard Technology: The prison industry has advocated the utilization of a wide range of control technologies to manage an increasingly large federal, state, and local inmate population with a minimum number of line corrections officers.  Examples include:

1. Contraband detection devices used in prison/jail

2. Duress alarm systems for corrections officers in indoor and outdoor settings

3. Language translation devices for use within prisons

4. Remote monitoring of inmate movements in cells and throughout prison

5. Perimeter security technology; new cell extraction technology

6. Less than lethal force in prison

7. Other hard technology applications in prisons and jails (e.g. the Supermax prison)

Institutional Corrections and Soft Technology: There are a variety of current and potential soft technology applications to problem solving in institutional settings, both in terms of inmate (classification, treatment and control) and staff (management and protection) issues.  Examples include:

1. Improved inmate classifications systems

2. Improved monitoring technology for inmate phone calls and financial transactions

3. Improved within-prison crime analysis and response capabilities (examination of incident/sanctioning patterns, including transfer, segregation, loss of privileges, etc. identification of high rate offenders and/or prison hot-spot locations)

4. Improved information sharing with community corrections, police, treatment providers (continuity/seamless system), and public health system

5. Improved monitoring of inmate health problems (e.g. mental and physical)

6. Other soft technology applications in prison and jails (e.g. testing new technologies in a simulated “mock” riot; using software to model death row outcomes

7. Web-links: Corrections Technology (all)

 Community Corrections and Hard Technology: A number of recent hard technology advances have been applied directly to the problems associated with the community control of various federal, state, and local probation and parole populations. Examples include:

1. Electronic supervision tools (e.g. GPS)

2. The use of breathalyzers and “instant” drug testing devices to monitor compliance with conditions of release/supervision

3. The use of polygraph tests for selected offender groups (e.g. con artists, sex offenders)

4. Language translators for improved communication between offenders and community corrections officers

5. Kiosks to monitor offender location, using biometric devices

6. Other hard technology applications (e.g. laptop computers for line staff, weapons in CBC, GPS monitoring of staff locations)

 

 Community Corrections and Soft Technology: One consequence of specialized caseloads in community corrections is the recognition that “one size fits all” classification and supervision schemes need to be replaced by state of the art offender/problem specific classification, and case management systems. In addition, the recent emphasis on seamless systems of care/control, as well as new partnership-driven reentry strategies have resulted in the development of a number of innovative data collection/information sharing systems.  Examples include:

1. Drug offender Classification, sex offender classification, mentally ill offender classification, and multiple-problem offender classification for (1) risk, (2) treatment, and (3) control.

2. New improved workload distribution and assessment instruments

3. Improved analytic capabilities within probation and parole agencies, improvement in information sharing with other C.J. agencies, mental health, public health, and community groups

4. Other soft technology applications in community corrections settings (e.g. MIS systems linking measurement of staff activities to offender outcomes (e.g. technicals, rearrests, return to prison, length of time in treatment, etc.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Fall, 2009 Final Exam Study guide and Sample Listing of Key Terms: Below is a listing of key terms/facts that you need to study for the final exam:

1. Hard technology applications in policing—new innovations

2. Who is Phillip Garrido?

3. COMPSTAT: Does it work? What is it?

4. Operation Ceasefire: did it work in Boston? In L.A.? What is the “pulling levers” strategy?

5. CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) for police

6. Offender Reentry in Mass: where do released offenders live? Are they released conditionally or unconditionally?

7. New Technology of offender change : what is it?

8. Soft technology and community corrections-recent innovations

9. COP and POP

10. Back Scatter X-Ray Machine use in prison

11. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Technology)

12. HATS (Maryland)

13. JNET (Pennsylvania)

14. Prison gang Classification and Threat Assessment

15. Extent, Techniques, emerging controversies

16. Extent of Mental Illness in Prison

17. Extent of Disease in Prison

18. External Classification systems in prison(Percent in general and special population housing)

19. Internal Classification:What is it?

20. Supermax Prison: what is it? Percent of inmates currently held in supermax

21. Hot Spots Identification using GIS techniques

22. Smart Cards

23. Language Translation Devices:VRT, SYSTRAN

24. Duress Systems in prison

25. Less Than Lethal Force Devices Used in Prison:Types used most frequently

26. Clinical vs Actuarial Risk Assessment: Which method is more reliable? What is the difference?

27. Biometric Scanning :Types, Effectiveness

28. Coercive vs non-coercive community policing: examples of each strategy

29. Byrne’s Model of Concentrated Community Supervision ( offenders, times, places)

30. Offender Management Systems used in prison: CMC, QUAY

31. Homicides and sexual assault in Prison: Number per year;Rate in prison vs. rate in community ( are prisons safer?)

32. Number of Offenders Under Correctional Control in the U.S.

33. Percent in prison

34. Percent on probation/parole

35. Penile Plethysmograph: What is it?

36. Drug Courts: extent and types

37. Monitoring Sex Offenders- Computer Forensic

38. What is GPS?

39. Use/misuse with sex offenders

40. Supervised Mandatory Release vs. Discretionary Release from Prison: Trends

41. Ignition Interlock Systems for Drunk Drivers

42. California vs. Johnson (Race based classification ruling)

43. Cell phone detection in prison

44. 42 Reentry Courts

45. Courtroom 21 Project

46. Courtools

47. RMS (Record Management System) for Police

48. ARJIS

49. MDT (Mobile data terminals) for police

50. Early Warning/Early Intervention Systems to control Police Misconduct

51. Hard Technology and Specialized Courts ( e-court project)

52. Drug Testing Methods ( which method is most reliable?)

53. Data Warehousing

54. Remote Monitoring of Inmates—new innovations

55. Perimeter Security –new innovations

56. False Positive vs. False Negatives ( what is the difference?)

57. LSI-R (risk classification – Lead Service Inventory- Revised)

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

1. In Los Angeles, police are now using CompStat to track gang crime, but the head of the LA CompStat program argues that the critical ingredient needed is NOT new technology, but rather something very old school--community involvement.

A. True

B. False

2. _________________ systems now not only automate the recordkeeping of calls for service and their responses, but can also provide a means for classifying and prioritizing these calls

A. RMS

C. CAD

D. JNET

E. HATS

3. There are currently about ____________offenders supervised via electronic monitoring in the United States.

A. 5-10 thousand

B. 10,001-49,000

C. 50,000-100, 000

D. 100,001-500,000

4. There are 4.5 million inmates currently under institutional control in this country.

A. True

B. False

5. Approximately 15% of all inmates are classified (or reclassified) as special populations requiring separate housing away from the general population of prisoners.

A. True

B. False

6. Hand-held (HHMD) and Walk-through (WTMD) metal detectors are among the most frequently used ______________________________in prisons and jails.

A. Concealed Weapon and Contraband Imaging Detection Systems

B. Perimeter Security Systems

C. Biometric Scanning Systems

D. None of the above

7. ______________ systems are wireless and inmates wear small transmitters (typically bracelets) which communicate “real time” data regarding prisoner location to a central information center.

A. RMS

B. QUAY

C. HATS

D. RFID

8. Approximately ____ of the prison population (or 200,000 inmates nationally), has been removed from the general prison population and placed in ultra-secure housing units known as supermax prisons.

A. 1%

B. 5%

C. 10%

D. 20%

9. An example of a sophisticated integrated offender case management system is the University of Maryland High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Automated Tracking System (HATS).

A. True

B. False

10. If we passed legislation restricting the use of prison for offenders convicted of drug law violations, it is estimated that we could reduce our federal prison population by two-thirds and our state prison populations by at least one third.

A. True

B. False

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