NCJ Number
202710
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 28 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2003 Pages: 6-8
Date Published
October 2003
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Based on a July 2002 survey of State and Federal corrections agency Web sites, this article presents and assesses the survey findings, offering recommendations for how these Web sites might be improved.
Abstract
All 50 States have corrections Web sites, as does the Federal Bureau of Prisons. All of the sites are in the process of evolving from being solely informational resources to being interactive. The primary purpose of each site is to convey information. Information presented on the sites consisted of three categories: crime victim, offender family, and employment information. Eighty percent of the Web sites posted press releases; 63 percent provided information on strategic planning or other planning documents; 41 percent provided organizational diagrams; and 33 percent provided information on general policies. The States were rated by the authors on the extent to which they provided information in 25 selected categories. Although no State provided information in all categories, Texas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Arizona provided information in 80 percent of the categories. Two areas that need improvement are translation capabilities and handicap access to the Web site. The sites should do better as mechanisms for recruiting and hiring, contracting, and procurement. Additional information about contracts would be helpful to the business community and facilitate competitive bidding. Also, the Internet has potential for advertising job positions and recruiting volunteers. 1 table and 11 references