Inputs Outputs Outcomes Impacts
Software: Program perimeter areas and exclusionary zones
Alerts issued when inmates are out of place
Greater inmate compliance with rules
Reduced escapes, enhanced safety
Hardware: Sensor installment and ankle bracelets
Ankle bracelets on inmates
Increased perception that infractions and
violations of facility policy will be detected
Reduced misconduct
Training: Staff responses to alerts
Swift response to alerts Increased identification
of misconduct Reduced misconduct
Training: Use of RFID data for investigations
New source of evidence to investigate infractions
and misconduct
Increased apprehension of inmates, faster case resolution
Reduced misconduct, reduced incidence of
false allegations
4 Harnessing the Power of Technology in Institutional Corrections
National Institute of Justice | www.NIJ.gov
When doing so, corrections administrators would benefit from securing an agreement that the researcher is willing to embrace an “action research” approach rather than the more traditional evaluation methodology. Traditionally, researchers erect a firm firewall and do not report back implementation or impact findings until they have concluded their evaluation. Action research, by contrast, involves ongoing analytic support and engagement.
Some purists frown upon action research, saying the approach creates a Hawthorne effect of sorts, whereby the researcher’s activities affect the nature of the intervention. However, researchers with a practical bent are increasingly embracing action research. Corrections leaders should demand this time-honored approach when deciding to team with evaluation partners.
Corrections officials would also benefit from including a cost-benefit component in their evaluation partnerships. This component can provide crucial data to help inform decisions about ongoing investment, expansion, and sustainability.