This report describes the direction the Corrections Technology Committee will take under its new Chair, Allan Turner.
It can be difficult and time consuming for corrections administrators to keep informed on new and emerging corrections technology. Recognizing a need in this area, the American Correctional Association (ACA) established the Corrections Technology Committee in 1996 to assist corrections practitioners with the rapidly changing landscape of corrections-applicable technologies. In this report the incoming Chair, Allan Turner, discusses the new initiatives of the Corrections Technology Committee as it moves to develop the Committee into a valuable resource for corrections practitioners. Initiatives include the exploration of technologies that can be adapted for corrections use, which will be accomplished by inviting producers and vendors to demonstrate their products at committee meetings and receive feedback from corrections practitioners. Other initiatives include the provision of practitioner workshops at ACA conferences, which will bring together technology vendors and corrections practitioners to assess adapted and new technologies for corrections environments. In closing, the author notes that membership to the Corrections Technology Committee is open to any ACA member and as of January 3, 2001, the Committee had 32 members from State, local, Federal, and private correctional organizations.