Getting a Handle on New Technology

The Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, Michael Maloney, recognized a need for information sharing in the State, and indeed countrywide, regarding new and emerging technologies useful for corrections purposes. The Northeast Technology and Product Assessment Committee was thus born with 14 members from other State, municipalities, and Federal agencies; their main goal is to gain information about corrections-applicable technologies from one another as well as technology vendors and then disseminate that information among their agencies. The Committee holds quarterly meetings where vendors and technology developers are invited to speak and showcase their products. Following the vendor presentations, the Committee members discuss the technology presented and share any experience regarding the usefulness of the technology in corrections settings. The Committee has been successful in disseminating knowledge about technology and has plans to connect with similar corrections groups across the country to further share information about new and emerging technologies.