Corrections

Somewhat surprisingly given its relatively narrow mission and constituency, the New Jersey Department of Corrections has one of the best-designed New Jersey State department Web sites. The home page features headlines of recent news and tables of key links to internal pages. The Department's Web also has one of the best examples of the use of Frequently Asked Questions on the New Jersey Web, (e.g. "How much does it cost to incarcerate one inmate in New Jersey? The annual institutional cost per inmate is approximately $28,000.How many people are committed to the Department of Corrections in one year? Approximately 14,000 inmates were committed to NJDOC institutions during the 2001 calendar year. It is anticipated that roughly 1,200 inmates per month will be incarcerated in 2002.") Institutional profiles provide current inmate population data, with links to photos and directions to each of the correctional facilities. The Department also is one of the few agencies highlighting potential employment opportunities with its Careers in Corrections page, giving details on educational and other requirements, and specifics on compensation (e.g. current salary for a Correction Officer is $38,354.13). The Offender Characteristics Report, while publishing somewhat stale statistics (published January 2000 with information as of January 1999) and only in PDF files, nonetheless provides diverse data on imate populations, offenses, sentences and other topics for researchers and others interested in correctional programs. Perhaps due to understandable security concerns, the Department does not list names or provide e-mail addresses for its key officials, but does give phone numbers for its administrative units.

The Department appears to be lagging, however, in using online interactive services and in incorporating or linking to other online content or services to supplement its own publications. Perhaps the most frequent outside contacts to correctional programs are generated by inquiries from family members, attorneys or others seeking to determine the location of inmates, but New Jersey currently lacks an online searchable database providing either facility locations or the more extensive inmate profiles available on other Webs with photos, offenses and sentences (compare Michigan, Illinois, New York, Florida).

Tthe Department's Web also fails to link to related New Jersey agencies publishing obviously relevant information such as the New Jersey State Parole Board with inmate parole eligibility notices; the Victims of Crime Compensation Board, which gives helpful information on victims rights and links to New Jersey and national victims' assistance resources; or the New Jersey Sex Offenders Registry of those released inmates required to register their current addresses under 'Meagan's Law'. Beyond New Jersey government sources, there are also many federal government, nonprofit, commercial and other resources that could complement the Department's site with issue briefs, statistics and other material (e.g. US Bureau of Justice Statistics; National Institute of Justice; Corrections Connection; Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics). The Department might also consider expanding historical content or linking to relevant sites (see, e.g., the outstanding Lindbergh Trial site of the Hunterdon County Democrat giving the history of the arrest and eventual April 3, 1936 execution of Bruno Hauptmann for the kidnapping and murder of the infant son of Anne and Charles Lindbergh, including the account of his execution and a photo of 'Smokey', the electric chair previously in Trenton State Prison used to execute Hauptmann and 159 other New Jersey inmates).

Summary of recommendations:

1) publish online inmate lookup directory (e.g. Michigan, Illinois, New York);

2) provide links to outside resources such as the New Jersey State Parole Board; Victims of Crime Compensation Board; New Jersey Sex Offenders Registry;

3) publish expanded statistics and research reports in additional formats to PDF (Florida; US Bureau of Justice Statistics);

4) provide summaries of the intake process (Michigan);

5) publish summary or timeline of New Jersey correctional history, including recognition of department personnel killed in line of duty (Federal Bureau of Prisons; Florida; Tennessee; NJ State Police 'In Memoriam' );

6) promote potential employment resources for released inmates (Michigan)

7) provide its own issue briefings or link to other sites with background on current correctional issues (e.g. Death Penalty Information Center; Florida Death Row Fact Sheet; California Capital Punishment; Washington State recidivism briefing papers; US Bureau of Justice Statistics; National Institute of Justice; Corrections Connection; Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics).

Federal Bureau of Prisons publishes excellent content, but its Web could use a spruced-up graphic makeover. Key features, all available off its home page, include a public information page with e-mail link for public questions and an unusual but helpful commitment that all inquiries will receive a response within 20 days; a department directory with program summaries, names and biographies of key officials; an online inmate locator; employment openings; summaries of how to do business with the Bureau; a search engine; and a limited links connection to other federal and nonprofit resources. The BOP documents and history collection is particularly interesting, including A Brief History of Alcatraz; Executions of Federal Prisoners Since 1927; and 'Fallen Heroes', the names of the 23 federal correctional employees killed in the line of duty since 1901.

Florida Department of Corrections is the best state corrections site, with excellent design and extensive content. Some of its features include an illustrated history; virtual video prison tours (named May 2002 as a 'hot site' by USA Today); a single search engine for lookups of all databases on inmate populations, escapes, releases and parolees; Facts, Fallacies and Frequently Asked Questions; Memorial for Fallen Officers; and Death Row Fact Sheet. Florida also provides an unusually wide range of research reports and other publications on correctional trends and operations.

The California Youth and Adult Correctional Agency (CYACA) is the parent agency coordinating California's various correctional programs, including the Department of Corrections; Board of Prison Terms; (parole); California Youth Authority; Board of Corrections (minimum standards and grants for local correctional facilities); and other units.

Although the correctional agencies maintain their own Web sites with somewhat varying formats, collectively they probably present more information about California's correctional programs than any other state, with some unusual online features. These include the Department of Corrections' 'California's 10 Most Wanted', photos and details of escapees and parole violators; an excellent 'Facts' page giving a brief summary of most commonly requested information on the department such as inmate population and characteristics, budget, facilities, etc.; a Capital Punishment page linking to background information on statistics, history and photos, including death row and the execution chamber; and a helpful Links connection to California, other state and federal correctional and law enforcement agencies, and colleges with law enforcement programs. Jail Profile reports from the Board of Corrections may be the most detailed statistical surveys of trends in local jail inmate populations available from any state.

Michigan Offender Tracking Information System of the Michigan Department of Corrections is one of the most advanced online inmate and parolee database and search engines, providing quick lookups not only of facility locations of inmates, but details on offenses, sentences, and release dates, usually accompanied by their photos and, for those on parole or probation, the names and offices of their assigned parole or probation officers. Other interesting features, particularly in light of recent trends in most states giving lower priority to inmate rehabilitation, is the Hire A Skilled Worker page where Michigan encourages employers to consider hiring 'graduates' of its vocational programs, and its Community Service and Public Works profile of how inmates work to clean up state parks, wash police cars, build homes in Habitat for Humanity programs and contribute in other ways to public needs. Michigan also posts an interesting summary of the intake process, tracing each step in inmate reception, booking, medical testing, classification and facility assignment. Like the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Michigan also recognizes 'Fallen Employees', with photos and descriptions of the circumstances leading to the deaths of the 12 Michigan correctional employees killed in the line of duty over the past 75 years since records have been kept. Michigan's Victim Resources is also a useful model for consideration by other state correctional sites.

Another excellent site, Washington State Department of Corrections highlights include a special death penalty resource page; links to all other state government correctional Webs and other resources; forecasts of inmate populations; recidivism briefing papers; and Guide for Inmate Friends and Family. Washington also has an interesting policy of charging $10 per online search of criminal records through its Washington Access to Criminal History (WATCH).