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 Community Corrections Technology Newsletter
February, 2009
A program of the Office of Justice Programs' National Institute of Justice
In This Issue
Drug and Alcohol Testing
Electronic Monitoring
Training
Information Technology
Quick Links & Contact Info
 
 
Phone: 1-800-416-8086
EMRC
The EMRC is dedicated to providing law enforcement and correctional agencies with assistance in the development and maintenance of electronic monitoring programs.
Field Search Logo
 Field Search can be used by agencies as part of an overall strategy to gather computer use information to diagnose, treat, monitor, and manage the sex offender in the community. Field Search is designed specifically to help nontechnical probation and parole officers quickly and efficiently search an offenders' computer and create a detailed report of their findings.
Dear , 

The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) was created in 1994 as a component of the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ's) Office of Science and Technology.  NLECTC serves as an "honest broker" offering support, research findings, and technological expertise to help State and local law enforcement and corrections personnel perform their duties more safely and efficiently. 

NLECTC has created this electronic newsletter to keep community corrections practitioners informed about technology developments and how technology is being used by the field to enhance mission performance.  We hope that you find this information useful, and we welcome your feedback.
Drug and Alcohol Testing
DUI
 
This article appearing in the Daily Herald discusses the new law in Illinois that mandates the installation of an Ignition Interlock on the vehicles of first time DUI offenders as well as the current debates swirling regarding the technology and its' effectiveness to reduce drunk driving. Click here.

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According to this article appearing online at E!ScienceNews.com, technology can be an effective tool in drug addiction research and treatment.  Click here.
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DuPage County, Illinois is getting tough on drug offenders who try to cover up continued drug use by cheating on court-ordered screenings.  Last year, 10 people were indicted on felony charges of defrauding a drug screening.  Click here for the article that appeared in the Chicago Tribune.
Electronic Monitoring
   

Satellite According to this article appearing in the Seattle Times, a homeless sex offender on GPS monitoring in the Seattle area has confessed to killing a 13 year old girl.  The passive monitoring system corroborated his confession by placing him in the field where the girl was found.  Click here.

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According to this article appearing in the Palatka Daily News, a sex offender in Florida has been ruled out as a suspect in the case of a missing child.  The offender's GPS tracking unit places him at home on the night the child disappeared.  Click here.

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An Ohio man has been indicted on burglary related charges based in part on information from his GPS tracking device which placed him within a few feet of residences on the dates and around the times the burglaries were believed to have taken place.  Click here for the article that appeared in the Dayton Daily News.

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A juvenile offender could be required to wear a device to monitor his movements while on probation, the California Court of Appeal has ruled in affirming judgment.   As a condition of probation, the defendant was required to wear a GPS device to track his movements.  The defendant argued that the condition violated his constitutional right to privacy.  Click here for the decision.

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Maryland is one of the latest states to propose legislation that would allow judges to order GPS tracking of domestic abusers.  Click here for the article that appeared in the Herald-Mail.

Indiana also has similar legislation pending.  Click here for the article that appeared in the Pilot-News.

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According to this article appearing in the Waco Tribune-Herald, sheriffs' departments in Texas are trying to change a state law that only authorizes Community Supervision and Corrections Departments to administer electronic monitoring programs.  McClellan County, in particular, wants the flexibility to use electronic monitoring to help manage jail space more effectively.  Click here.
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This editorial written by the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy, makes a number of cost saving recommendations for the correctional system in Texas.  One of the recommendations argued for is the expanded use of electronic monitoring as an alternative to returning offenders to prison on technical revocations.  Click here for the editorial that appeared in the Houston Chronicle.
Training
 
Conference Logo NLECTC's 10th annual Innovative Technologies for Community Corrections Conference will be held on June 1-3, 2009 in San Diego, CA. 

The conference focuses on the implementation of technology as well as new technologies on the horizon.   An exhibit hall will also be set up for attendees to interact with technology vendors. 

Visit our website at: http://www.justnet.org/Pages/commcorr.aspx for more information or to register. 
Information Technology
 
MonitoringClick here for an article that appeared in TechBeat on the Field Search forensic software, and the new FS-Mac - Field Search for Macintosh computers.

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The Maryland Division of Probation and Parole will begin using technology to access juvenile records in order to determine those offenders best suited for supervision in its Violence-Prevention Unit.  Click here for the article that appeared in the Washington Times.

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Many probation agencies are monitoring their sex offender's computer and internet use.  Click here for an article and video link that appeared on NEWSWEST9.COM which describes how one Texas County is tackling this issue.
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The N-Dex program (Law Enforcement National Data Exchange) is an important development dedicated to data sharing among criminal justice agencies.  Community corrections will be an integral component of this system.  Click here for the N-DEx Newsletter to learn more about the system.
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A proposed bill in Texas would make it a felony for sex offenders not to register e-mail addresses, cell phone numbers and other online identifiers, such as screen names and social networking monikers, with the state.  Click here for the article that appeared in the Dallas News.

Thank you for reading and sharing the latest technology news with your colleagues.  Please contact us if we can ever be of assistance.

Joe Russo
Assistant Director, NLECTC- Rocky Mountain

This project was supported by Cooperative Agreement No. 2005-IJ-CX-K001; awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice.