Your agency knows this well: every person interacts with your court differently. Their accused crimes, life experiences, mental health stability, and justice history can create a tangled web – a web that you’re expected to detangle and make life-altering decisions about in just a matter of days.
There are an increasing number of tools now available to agencies to help equitably assess a person’s risk of reoffending if they are released into the community while awaiting trial, but the assessment tool alone is often ineffective in creating meaningful connections between people released before their trial and the agencies responsible for keeping up with them.
Technology is an affordable, scalable option that many courts across the country are using to keep people out of jail and engaged with meaningful, rehabilitative programming.
Here are two reasons why.
Configurable technology allows agencies to create scalable programming based on risk assessments.
Dynamic risk assessment tools are an industry standard in helping agencies make decisions about pretrial incarceration, programming, or release. Without configurable tools, any risk elevation detected in the assessment process could lead to unnecessary incarceration.
However, with the implementation of technology, agencies can scale their programming to meet varying levels of risk among a participant population. As participants demonstrate personal accountability and build trust, their program parameters can be easily adjusted to allow for more freedom.
This helps maintain community safety while not infringing upon the rights of individuals who are awaiting their day in court.
Technology can integrate essential services into supervision programming.
A study of people in New York who enrolled in supervision programming while awaiting trial, conducted by the New York City Criminal Justice Agency, identified common needs, many of which can increase the likelihood a person will commit a crime before their trial begins. These needs include substance abuse treatment, mental health support, employment, and education.
Corrisoft’s AIR® technologies can create a configurable safety net for participants, integrating critical software into their devices. For example, Corrisoft’s MaxxLMS® framework can provide educational coursework to overcome education needs while also providing soft- and hard-skills workforce training that can improve employment opportunities. Agencies can also collaborate to provide addiction and mental health support, making a participant’s phone a one-stop-shop for monitoring, recovery, and rehabilitation.
These support opportunities are invaluable and can build trust between a participant and the court system. A person awaiting trial has not yet been convicted of a crime and could still be found innocent. Integrating meaningful support services into pretrial programming can provide supportive resources to people in the community – even those who could ultimately be found innocent. This promotes overall community well-being and demonstrates your agency’s commitment to the balance between punitive and rehabilitative justice.