You know by now that a new system will certainly be better than an old legacy system. But did you also know that the significant advances in Corrections technology will also allow you to make better decisions through your updated technology?

In fact, in many ways, the biggest setback you give your organization by waiting longer and longer to replace your legacy system is the sheer amount of information you are missing out on gathering on a daily basis. This is because the new OMS modules allow for the collection of more data and information, but also allow you to put that information to work  for evidence based decision making and ultimately--see it lead to better outcomes for your offenders and organization as a whole.

How is this the case?

Once you have a new, modern OMS in place, you will be able to more robustly and seamlessly collect and report information.  These are just a few of the MANY examples of the benefits for a modern offender management system:

• Modules for comprehensive offender management that were not available in your legacy applications that allows for the Corrections professional to collect information not previously captured;
• Mobility which allows officers in the field to collect real time information that have gone unreported with the old pen and paper model
• Data collection is secure and unlimited in the new OMS as it is powered by the cloud - if there is data or information needed, the new OMS can collect, store, and report the new data fields even in free text case notes; 
• One such example? Correctional photos and scars, marks, and tattoos which can be integrated directly into the OMS for up to date appearances of the offender;
• Inmate Accounting & Trust module with seamless cross facility-functionality that maintains an offender’s account across all institutions, all with real-time reporting
• Sentence Calculation / Time Computation that calculates and computes time perfectly based on fully documented business rules and reports that clearly and legally explain the calculations;
• All of Corrections offender management in one system!  No more looking through multiple systems to get critical information and splicing data together before making decisions.
• And many more. For examples, see additional Mi-Case features here.

In Corrections, we promote the concept of Evidence Based Practices and Decision Making. With a modern OMS,  as the data and information is gathered and collected, you can begin to put this information to work for your Corrections agency. That means within a short period of time you will be able to make better decisions at the push of the button, drastically reducing the amount of work that goes into some of the most arduous manually based, paper driven and often siloed tasks for your Corrections organization. 

Soon, not only will you have more data, but that data will be working for you in ways such as:

• Safety advances such as the ability to instantly alert officers on known gang members and security threat groups that should not be placed together in housing areas of the facility 
• Advantages for parole officers or law enforcement when tracking absconders or fugitives through instant access to former addresses, known contacts, alerts, employment information, and case information 
• Comprehensive and up to date case plans that are working to provide education, vocational skills, programming, treatment and rehabilitation; 
• Dashboards and analytics on incidents, visitation, gang management, grievances, disciplinary offenses, at the fingertips of the corrections professional.

With the better outcomes that result from all of these things continually working together, you are ensuring that your organization is taking proactive steps to not only run more efficiently day-to-day, but overall elevating your level of public safety. 

But there is even more than the information gathering that awaits. Next, in our final installment of this series, we will take a look at how technology available now as well as what is coming in the near future will make an even greater impact on these same areas, and the best ways to plan and budget for the continuing evolution of your technology in a way that gives you the best advantage.