Data Matters in Community Corrections! 
The second decade of this young millennium is proving to be a major turning point for community corrections agencies and practitioners.
Software is changing the way we practice community corrections and we are making progress daily in our efforts to make our data systems more functional, practically and clinically. (See Is Software the Key to EBP –Part I to see how.)
Practically, it is now possible to have a fully paperless and EBP-influenced information system that has the ability to integrate facility security functions with overall case management, treatment, programming, accountability, supervision, and outcome measures.
Clinically, treatment providers and researchers are working together in unique ways to actually implement EBP rather than just talk about it.
Technologically, advances in software performance and flexibility have resulted in the ability to quickly integrate new practical and clinical innovations into community corrections information systems.
The EBP and “what works” movements were born out of data at a time when few community corrections programs had sophisticated information systems. The research data gathering was painstaking and resulted in limited visibility. For EBP to fulfill its promise to impact the lives of both the practitioner and the client, it is time for integrated and intelligent systems to provide the next generation of “EBP Data” that comes to us daily, weekly and monthly from our own IT systems.
For example, CorrectTech’s recent integration of the State of Colorado’s Progression Matrix case planning tool provides a unique structure for collaborative case planning but also captures vital data points that promise to help us advance correctional clinical practices.
“Evidence” Comes from Data
Without all of your information, including program data, case plans, interventions and outcomes, housed in a common database, there is no practical way to easily learn from successes and failures. Furthermore, the amount of time it takes to manually track simple data points absorbs the invaluable time needed for staff to perform the essential work of community corrections.
Continuous improvement from measurement and feedback are pillars of the EBP model and apply to how entire facilities operate, not just how single clients are supervised.
Back to the Future
Without an integrated EBP data system, the problems that community corrections facilities are facing today are reminiscent of the early days of enterprise automation:
Problem 1: Information silos prevent data sharing between departments.
CorrectTech fixed that. With our software and common database, case managers share any information he or she needs to with security, managers, treatment professionals, etc.
Problem 2: Management and analysts design and manage lots of fancy spreadsheets to create the reports needed for funding sources and referral agencies. What’s wrong with this? There are too many opportunities for mistakes and manipulation; the inability to keep up with changes fast enough; it is hard to ask a new “what if”; and it takes too much time.
Yeah, CorrectTech fixed that too. We’ve provided the tools to use agency information exactly as it is because our data viewing enables easy sharing, data sorting, customizing and viewing. No more formatting spreadsheets.
Problem 3: Without a database of information actively linked to day-to-day operations, there is a large risk for inaccurate, incomplete or erroneous data to be used in management decision-making.
Wouldn’t you rather make decisions based on your agency’s strengths and weaknesses? Wouldn’t you like to know what worked or didn’t work last time this situation came up? CorrectTech has made it easy for you to know all of this at the touch of a button. From case planning to facility security software, we’ve made sure you can make informed decisions for your individual clients and overall facility.
Problem 4: Managers’ concerns about case managers and staff consistently implementing standard practices and policies concerning client supervision.
CorrectTech reinforces your agency’s standard case and treatment planning guidelines, all of your required forms, and your accountability and positive reinforcement strategies. Our system supports EBP implementation at its roots and makes it easy for staff to get on board with measurement and feedback of their work.
Problem 5: All of the paper forms, file folders and file cabinets make it practically impossible to conduct any true measure of fidelity, process improvement or outcomes.
Yes, CorrectTech’s entire system is paperless. Once our system is implemented, there will be no more printing and scanning and printing again and signing then filing and searching for binders. Haul out those file cabinets because you won’t need them anymore. In addition to the massive productivity benefits, the CorrectTech Data Manager provides comprehensive information views into every nook and cranny of your program. That is how fidelity, process improvement and outcomes happen!
This Won’t Cost You Millions!
If you are like many community corrections practitioners using the same IT system for 10, 15 or 20 years, you probably presume they are all the same – or – they take too much time and money to implement and have too little payoff.
Let’s test this first assumption by asking how long have we had smartphones and tablets in everyone’s hands? Not long. Big global changes over five short years have transformed our access to information, entertainment and work. Isn’t it possible, if not highly likely, that IT systems designed with EBP as a foundation assist the very transformation that EBP calls for?
The good news is, the early days and the maturation of enterprise automation is thirty years in the making. And the community corrections industry is positioned to benefit greatly from all that has been learned at a fraction of the cost (you do know that first and second generation enterprise automation projects often cost tens of millions of dollars!).
The problems and opportunities facing the community corrections path to success are not new.
Consider these paper dependent and people intensive processes:
- Banking before the era of ATMs, online banking, and electronic check processing
- Airline reservations before real-time global ticketing systems, electronic boarding passes, and electronic payment processing
- More recently, hospital and medical information systems have replaced millions of paper files AND improved access of clinical medical data to physicians and specialists
So – the “money” question: Will a state of the art EBP-infused software system cost you millions, not even close (that is, unless you attempt to develop the software yourself from scratch). In fact for single facility agencies, the total project cost is often less than one half of a full time employee when spread over 5 years.
The REAL “money” question: what is the cost of staying with the old and throwing out the new? It very well might be calculable in millions of dollars when considering the lives and outcomes of your clients.
Embrace a Bright Future
I spent 20 years of my career in enterprise automation before spending the most recent 12 years in community corrections. I can honestly say I have come to know and love the field of community corrections and I am excited about the opportunities for positive long-lasting transformation that is possible when the following forces come together:
- Evidence-based research and practices
- Field level experiences in implementing EBP and seeing the benefits to clients’ lives
- Practitioners who are risk takers willing to remove obstacles and bring people, processes and practices forward together and sustain and share their passion for change
- Information systems that now exist to support, reinforce and enable this new era of community corrections
I am excited about the role information systems can play to provide meaningful support to achieving the vision and mandate for EBP.
To request more information or schedule an online demonstration of our community corrections software, click here. We offer integrated software and support services for probation/parole, residential and reentry programs. Our Program Foundation Platform and twelve robust modules were designed by community corrections professionals to guide organizations toward a powerful EBP implementation, relieve them of strenuous paperwork and manual processes, and enable them to focus on what matters - people!
