This paper reports on a survey that was conducted by the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA) and European Organisation of Prison and Correctional Services (EuroPris) in 2016. These organizations strive to share, collaborate and learn from others and promote the interaction between prison and correctional services worldwide. This survey gives an unique insight in the status quo of prison and correctional services around the globe (36 prison services in 33 different countries) on the topic of technology in general and offender information management systems more specifically. In this contribution we describe the general characteristics of the prisoner information systems that were surveyed, the need that jurisdictions felt to change these systems, the ways in which services use prisoner information, and what they plan to do with technology in the near future. Furthermore, we report on the problems services face with their information management technology. As we received responses from every continent on the globe, we also look for differences between continents and different stages of development.
A paper by:
Toon Molleman, PhD., advisor for the Dutch Custodial Institutions Agency.
Rianne van Os, Msc., business controller for the Dutch Custodial Institutions Agency.