Advancing Community Supervision Strategies – It’s About Technology and So Much More!

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11:15 AM - 12:15 PM

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The field of community supervision has altered dramatically over the past 10-15 years. With the advent of new technology, many departments are using more and different tools to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their practices. These tools may include Global Position Systems (GPS), electronic monitoring, mobile devices, mobile reporting (by offenders), body-worn cameras, reporting kiosks, and other technology. There are also remarkable changes to internal operations such as utilizing web-based electronic case management systems to track case-level and agency-level data and outcomes, developing data dashboards to help staff perform their job duties, conducting virtual-reality-based staff training, and automating assessment tools. While the underlying principles of supervision remain the same, it is a difficult and confusing process to sort out the pros and cons of all the available choices when adding or upgrading technology. The National Institute of Corrections has developed a microsite containing information and resources for advancing community supervision strategies—a site that is specifically designed to assist practitioners with making more informed decisions about what to use, how to use it, and how traditional supervision techniques can and should be combined with new strategies.