Institutional Corrections Technologies

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) identifies needs, develops technology solutions, and tests the effectiveness of those solutions with the goal of making technology affordable, reliable, and easy to install, use, and maintain. NIJ's equipment and technology program for corrections aims to balance the needs of prisons and jails and use, whenever possible, available technology that can be quickly transferred for use in corrections.

Ongoing Projects

• Cell phone detection. NIJ is developing technology that will detect, locate, and neutralize the illicit use of cell phones in correctional facilities.
• Tracking and monitoring systems. NIJ is developing advanced technology for monitoring the status and location of staff and inmates, evaluating the effectiveness of electronic monitoring and radio frequency identification technology in reducing inmate-on-inmate and inmate-on-staff violence, and developing technology to remotely monitor vital signs.
• Institution security. Correctional facilities assess their vulnerability in many ways. NIJ is developing an electronic form for assessing vulnerability. The goal is to develop a correctional security auditing process that would address both basic correctional security issues and technology issues.
• Cross-functional systematic trend mapping in corrections. NIJ, in conjunction with the Florida Department of Corrections, is developing software that will enhance existing "crime mapping tools" to ensure long-term public, staff, and offender safety and security within the correctional environment. The Corrections Operational Trend Analysis System merges information and technology into a web-based system using geographical user interface, crime mapping and geographic information system (GIS) technology, and statistical trend analysis. The Florida Department of Corrections will analyze data to determine which variables are indicators of institutional health, including the degree of violent misconduct and disorder. Using hierarchical linear modeling and split-half cross-validation sampling, the research team will analyze 5 years of data to find significant and substantive indicators of prison violence and disruption.