NCJ Number
196384
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 64 Issue: 4 Dated: July 2002 Pages: 52-54
Date Published
July 2002
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article discusses Internet access to policies and procedures of correctional agencies.
Abstract
Correctional agencies have a large amount of regulations, such as offender conditions of confinement, personnel management, use of force, budget and finance, training, medical care, and food service. All but a handful of restricted policies can conceivably be accessed via the Internet. Advantages to this are that there are benefits to department staff and the general public, and that litigation in all forms has been greatly reduced. Correctional staff are given the opportunity to print and review changes, which reduces staff time in maintaining large volumes of paper. Administrative regulations available over the Internet provide the best study and preparation resources for gaining knowledge of the agency. In responding to inquiries from the public, correctional agencies can refer those interested to the Internet site. This openness allows the public to read the agency’s policies at their leisure. The ability to meet the challenges of litigation is made easier when agencies can demonstrate openly how the department does business. The Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) administrative regulation Web page contains a large index that lists and describes available administrative regulations (ARs). A word search on titles is available to assist in topic selection. A search engine is being tested that will allow for full document scans of multiple word occurrences and ranks the document accordingly. Each search result has the AR, chapter, subject, and relevant information listed. In addition to word searches, the indexing structure is conducive to phrase searches, which will be added at a later date. Making ARs public is an extension of CDOC’s mission statement and philosophical belief in the safety of offenders, staff, and the public. 3 figures