Case Study: Inmate Phone Interface

Obstacle:    

Public safety professionals in Grafton County, NH, were preparing to move into a state-of-the-art jail facility in 2012 with a Jail Management System (JMS) that was not keeping up with their technology needs and was not suited for the demands of the new facility.

"The vendors we were dealing with didn’t want to change or try to interface with someone else,” said George Baldwin, administrative assistant with the Grafton County Department of Corrections. "So the decision was made to break away and get a new inmate phone system and jail management system.”

The Grafton facility, which currently houses 150 inmates and has room for expansion, is a microcosm that illustrates how correctional facilities can reap the benefits of a tightly integrated, high-quality and well-supported JMS software package and inmate calling platform.

Resolution

The unique partnership of Zuercher Technologies and ICSolutions generated the ideal matchup for Grafton County jail personnel. Zuercher Jail serves as the foundation and initial inmate data entry point, as well as the central repository for many of the jail’s routine tasks. And because of the relationship between the two companies, the interface with ICSolutions’ inmate phone system is seamless and far exceeds the industry standard.

When inmates are initially booked in the JMS system, they are  assigned a jail ID and PIN number. This information is immediately accessible to the ICSolutions phone system. As a result, "By the time the inmate gets to his unit, the phone has been activated so he can contact home,” Baldwin said.

The inmate’s name and demographic information is pushed out to the ICSolutions Enforcer® phone system, so there is no need to re-key any information. Once finished, the call information is pulled back into the inmate activity log in Zuercher Jail, resulting in a call snapshot that also can serve as an investigative tool. The Zuercher Jail solution then acts as a central location for all inmate activity, including inmate phone calls.

"There is extensive integration between ICSolutions and Zuercher Technologies, and this integration will continue to get richer and deeper as the program expands,” said Tom Hearn, regional account manager for ICSolutions, which is the leading provider of innovative telecommunications products and technologies for correctional facilities, and a subsidiary of Keefe Group.

Baldwin said another selling point for Grafton in its selection of Zuercher Technologies and ICSolutions was the intuitive nature of the software.

"Once the information is in the system, it’s at your fingertips,” he said. "The superintendent and his assistants, who deal directly with inmates, are very happy with the system.”

Zurcher Jail's  ease of use begins at booking. Jail personnel set up the workflow and the software guides staff from point A to B to C. "When an inmate comes in, it’s efficient, quick and conclusive. There is a ton of information available in a short span of time,” Baldwin said.

Reporting within the software is also streamlined, said Grafton Superintendent Glenn Libby. With its previous JMS system, the department used Crystal Reports, which can be difficult to set up and run.

"If you weren’t savvy at Crystal Reports, it was really difficult to use,” Libby said. Through Zuercher Jail, each user can create reports based on their individual responsibilities at the facility.

Other agency-configurable features include inmate classification forms, medical history questionnaires and inmate alerts to help agencies collect required information.

Shift logs and incident reports also make it easy to document everything from routine cell checks to major behavioral incidents. And Libby said he values the ability to add notes to a file when he is reviewing a case.

Baldwin and Libby agreed that such a high level of configuration extends to the user support arena as well.

"From my perspective as an administrator, when we call, we get service. I’ve been doing this for 30 years and it’s not always like that. Their attentiveness toward us is paramount,” Libby said.

Rationale:

For the Grafton County Department of Corrections the future is bright with Zuercher Technologies and ICSolutions.

"Our ultimate goal is to share information,” Baldwin said. "We’re located in the mountains of New Hampshire. Our vision is to share information at least within the state, so people are identifiable when they come to us because they are already in the system.”

Hearn agrees that the collaboration of Zuercher Technologies and ICSolutions is a key component for successful innovation in the future. "Our objective is to understand all the needs of the facility and a good jail management partner is a big piece of that.”

Baldwin puts the opportunities in terms of bullet points: "A single database. Capability for expansion. Ability to share information. Easy to use. Information at your fingertips. Seamless integration with phone system. Efficient, simple reporting.”