Maintaining security is critical to the effective delivery of correctional services. During the last twenty years, technology as become a key element of a complete and effective security program, complementing trained and competent personnel, professional procedures, appropriate equipment, and a safe and secure environment. As information and computer technologies relating to security rapidly evolve, security professionals in corrections need information resources to keep informed. The purpose of this column is to review where current information about security can be found on the internet.

American Society for Industrial Security is the leading professional organization for the entire security field. They maintain a web site at American Society for Industrial Security, with links relating to professional development and news. Many of their services require a password for ASIS members, but others that I will highlight below, do not. A more comprehensive list of professsional security organizations is maintained by Yahoo (the internet search engine site) at Yahoo Security Organizations.

Internet versions of publications about security

While there is no substitute for the printed versions of publications when you need complete information, internet sites of journals and magazines can provide current and accessible information. Security Management Onlineis a web site associated with Security Management, which is the primary publication of ASIS. This site provides summaries of articles from the magazine. A list of justice-related online publications is maintained by the Office of Justice Programs of the U.S. Department of Justice, at Justice-related Online Publications. This list includes links to specific publications, as well as links to comprehensive lists of online journals.

Security vendors online

When a product or services is needed, the internet can provide lists of potential vendors, and detailed product descriptions and specifications. At ASIS Virtual Exhibit Hall, you can visit vendor exhibits from the ASIS conference exhibit hall, and when a vendor maintains a web site, the link is provided so that you can seek additional information. The Corrections Buyers Guide is an index to correctional products and services including many associated with security. Correctional Marketplace provides a similar service. Yahoo also provides a directory of companies and services in the security field at Yahoo Directory of Security Companies.

News and Information Updates

The internet can provide up-to-date information about news and information related to security. ASIS routinely updates a security news web page which has a link on their main page. Another interesting resource, concerning developments related to international security and terrorism, is maintained by the Overseas Security Advisory Council. This site provides daily updates about developments in international security. A similar resource including monthly reports from the National Counterintelligence Center, titled Counterintelligence News and Developments. While international developments in security may seem distant from a correctional facility, many security risks have international dimensions because the techniques evolve first in other countries, because of links related to international drug traffic, or because prisoners may identify with foreign groups. The Security Information Management Online Network (SIMON) also maintains the SIMON Security Newsfeed.

A virtual resource library for security professionals

Another way that a security professional can use the internet is as a desktop library. Important standards and technical guides are now available on the internet that, in the past, would have required the purchase of expensive subscription services.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration, known to most people as OSHA, maintains a collection of OSHA Standards and Regulations.

The Federal Emergancy management agency maintains the FEMA Electronic Library. This library contains many useful resources such as the Guide for All-hazard Emergency Operations Planning. This is a comprehensive handbook for emergency operations planning.

The US Fire Administration maintains USFA Online Publications related to fire protection. For example, the collection includes Emergency Procedures for Employees with Disabilities in Office Occupancies.

A more specialized resource, Police Officers and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, provides a comprehensive and well-explained list of links related to work-place stress for personnel in the uniformed services.

The Political Terrorism Database provides profiles of terrorist groups as well as links to academic and applied sources of information on international terrorism.

For very specialized searches, the National Criminal Justice References Service provides online searches of abstracted documents. For example, a search on the term "security" found more than 13,000 documents. The search engine permits refined searches based on combinations of terms. For example, entering "security and contraband" yielded 98 documents.

Links to technical tools

In the October/November 1998 Issue of Corrections Managers' Report, I reviewed web sites related to Year 2000 compliance. For security professionals, a very important listing of suspect equipment is Categories of Suspect Equipment, which identifies by vendor and model number, and includes systems for access control, fire alarms, locks, security cameras, and radios.

Another page to watch is FEMA's Natural Hazard Loss Estimation Methodology. This link concerns a project that provides software packages and technical manuals, at no cost to federal, state, and local agencies to assess risk of natural disaster in specific locations. A correctional agency, using this resource, can periodically obtain updated information on natural disaster risks at each correctional facility site. The HAZUS project seeks to integrate routinely update all available natural disaster risk information on geographical basis.