Corrections Telecommunication and Technology
F. Warren Benton, Ph.D.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY
Reprints from a series published in Corrections Managers' Report.

Access the entire collection at the CTT Web Site.

Intranets: A New Tool for Corrections Managers

by Ned Benton
Copyright Corrections Managers' Report, October/November 1996

Time to get used to a new technical buzzword -- the Intranet. While it sounds like it might refer to a type of fence designed for the inside of a prison, or an emerging type of organized crime, it actually refers to a new way to use Internet technology.

Internet Tools to Integrate Management and Operations Information

Intranets use applications developed for the Internet to integrate information systems within organizations -- a Department-Wide-Web rather than a World-Wide Web. Intranets can combine office systems, e-mail, record systems, and procedural systems in an integrated and seamless presentation to users.

Consider an example -- a correctional officer post at the front desk of a visiting area. With an Intranet, the computer monitor at the desk could simultaneously provide the following information:

  • The latest version of the approved post order for this post,
  • The latest version of procedures referenced by the post order, organized so that the officer "clicks" on the name of the procedure with a computer mouse, and it comes up on the screen,
  • The latest versions of all agency procedures, along with a search capability to find specific words or expressions in procedures,
  • The visiting component of the prisoner record system to identify approved visitors and to maintain related information about visits,
  • An e-mail system to communicate with other posts and with the supervising officer,
  • A departmental document archive including reports, old procedures, manuals, specifications, and other documents,
  • Access to the office systems network for applications such as word processing, and
  • Access to all other approved components of the agency's management information system.
  • Providing such a seamless and integrated level of information could be accomplished with traditional computing technology, but the challenges of integrating the range of types of information into a single network would be impractical. Visionary correctional managers could dream of such systems, but practical information system managers would focus planning on more feasible goals.
Intranet Technology Enables Incompatible Information Systems to Work Together

Intranets provide two new ways to bring information to users:

  • a better network to connect users to various computer systems: and
  • an improved way to search for and retrieve documents.
A New Type of Network: In traditional information systems, the connection between the information system and the user is dedicated -- the user connects to one system at a time, and each system may have specific ways to connect. Thus, if you are working with the personnel system, it is not easy to switch over to the word processing system unless your system was specifically designed to let you do both functions together.

Intranets use the building blocks of the Internet, such as HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol), FTP (file transfer protocol), and TCP/IP (a connectivity protocol), along with the basic systems of desktop computing, to create a new way for users to connect to information systems. Intranets are very flexible and adaptable, and integrate many old and new applications in ways that are customized for each user and desktop.

Improved Access to Documents: The Internet provides a way to search and retrieve text and graphics from a world-wide collection of documents. Intranets focus the powerful technologies of the Internet on the internal and private needs of organizations. The advantages for correctional organizations are considerable:

  • Intranets permit us to distribute the tons of procedures, manuals, reports, and printouts. Intranets permit us to distribute these electronically, on demand. Savings in printing, paper, mailing, and filing costs should be considerable.
  • The latest versions of procedures and post orders are automatically updated. Correctional officers will always have the most recent version of their post orders immediately available, along with instant access to the most up-to-date versions of associated policies and procedures.
  • Access to documents can be customized for each post or position, so that the documents most frequently needed are most directly accessible.
Widely Available Technology: In corrections, we are used to riding the back side of the technology wave. However, intranet technology is here today, and most of the components can be purchased from routine sources for computer equipment and supplies.

New Ways to Connect to Databases: Internet and intranet applications are available so that users can access computer databases from web pages. For example, a web page can be written that provides a read-only listing of a prisoner's approved visiting list. An authorized user could obtain this infor mation without direct use of the prisoner record system application.

Securing the Intranet from the Internet:

Even though they rely on many of the same software components, Intranets can be secured from access by unauthorized outsiders through the Internet. "Firewalls" are boundaries to limit access. A simple firewall concept is to not connect intranet computers to internet computers, but this is easier said than done, because as more users access the network, more opportunities for breakdowns develop. However, computer programs are available that constantly samples information, and sources and destinations of information, as it flows over the network, to detect unauthorized users.

Connecting the Intranet to the Internet:

In some instances, however, it may be desirable to permit access. For example, for some correctional facilities, an application might be useful that prompts for the name of a prisoner and the name of a visitor. If the visitor is on the authorized list of the prisoner, them the web page lists the prisoner's location and visiting times. Even when only read-only external access to a database is granted, security can be enhanced by using a routinely updated copy of the relevant parts of the database, rather than the entire real database.

The Management Opportunity: Integrating Information Access

A mature intranet can provide correctional workers with a customized, single point of access to information that is needed for effective job performance. The following is a list of kinds of information that can be integrated into an intranet:
  • Policy and procedure manuals
  • Policy and procedure drafts for comment
  • Human resource program information
  • Training and orientation tutorials, guides, and other materials
  • Hardware and software manuals
  • Equipment manuals and maintenance schedules
  • Indexed and searchable online help
  • Newsletters and press releases
  • Standards and court orders
  • Schedules, both generally and for specific workers
  • Maps and schematic drawings
  • Direct and indirect access to management information system applications
  • Management information system reports
  • Prisoner information
  • Correctional industry operations and sales information
  • Purchasing specifications and guides
  • Budget information
  • Spreadsheet templates
  • Software applications authorized for internal distribution
  • Internal surveys and data collection systems
  • Offender movement information
Probation and Parole Systems

For probation and parole agencies, intranets offer additional special advantages. Since probation and parole officers often work in the field, the capability to access an intranet over the Internet simplifies and enhances communication. Customizing intranet pages for probation and parole officers will provide better access to the full range of information that they really need, including access to other non-corrections information systems.

Prisoner Access to Intranets

I intend to dedicate a future article to issues involving prisoner access to intranets and internets. While the short-term response to this issue is "no", in the long term, prisoner access to intranets and eventually the Internet will be common. Access will be structured, limited, and controlled, but the benefits will greatly outweigh the risks.

Prediction: Two Early Areas of Innovation: As prisoner access to legal services increasingly involves cd-rom rather than paper systems, a logical and potentially cost-effective next step will be to place secure, read-only terminals in cell-blocks, so that fewer prisoners need to move to and congregate in law libraries to get legal information. Such a network can consist of a set of personal computers only connected on a read only basis to the law library.

We will also see more complete prisoner intranets, also secured from access to the Internet or from other correction system applications, which will eventually replace the "kite" system as the primary way for prisoners to communicate with administrators about visits, medical appointments, grievances, call-outs, schedule requests, commissary orders, etc. The primary advantages of intranet kite systems are their speed and efficiency (messages move instantly without staff), and their accountability (messages are saved and times are documented).