Approach with caution: how to successfully implement new correctional technology.

The term "cultural lag" generally refers to the idea that culture takes

time to catch up with technological innovations, and that social problems and conflicts often result from this lag. The existence of such conflicts in society is evident in our daily lives, particularly the lives of older people who interact frequently with younger, technology-sawy individuals. The "tech obsessed" can behave in ways that run counter to the cultural expectations and values of the less connected, which often results in conflict.

How does cultural lag relate to the corrections field? Correctional staff have their own culture that includes a fairly consistent set of shared beliefs, customs, practices and, to some extent, shared social behaviors. A primary characteristic anchoring correctional culture is that of a staunch conservatism that attempts to eliminate risk. In a field where decisions are made on a daily basis that have life-and-death implications, risk-taking is unacceptable. Corrections professionals learn this lesson, either because they are insightful and cautious or because they have taken risks and suffered from the outcome. The resulting conditioned response to anything resembling risk can be difficult to override.

Air of Caution

Many listen with cautious skepticism, if not total disbelief, in management training programs where the willingness to take risks is described as a prized attribute to be encouraged and applied regularly by modern, progressive managers. This dominant cultural characteristic makes corrections professionals legitimately suspicious of just about anything, in this case new technology, that is untried and not reality tested. Beta testing new products/technologies involves careful consideration, if it is considered at all. Whenever possible, the decided preference is to let others test first. Caution and a hardy reliance on those things that have worked over the years become the watchword, and any willingness to risk the new and untried is dissuaded by the serious negative repercussions that such risk can bring.

There have been notable successes in many areas where technological improvements have been implemented with little if any resulting conflict. The value of these improvements has been accepted and appreciated by correctional staff and managers at all levels. At the same time, there have been numerous ventures that were much less successful, if not failed, where technology was introduced without a carefully considered plan acknowledging the reality of potential cultural conflict and taking steps to proactively manage its impact. Consider the following examples of observations/discoveries that have occurred in various correctional jurisdictions across the country:

* Expensive and potentially beneficial pieces of technologically sophisticated equipment pushed off to the side unused. Examples of such state-of-the-art equipment include heartbeat detectors and ion detection portals. Explanations for nonuse ranged from generally vague references and the equipment not working well to the staff not trusting it.

* Biometric identification readers reportedly sabotaged by staff before they could be put in service, not because of the enhanced identity confirmation capability but because of staff concern that the information stored in the equipment would be used to check clock-in and attendance reporting.

* Executive-level rejection of fingerprint readers as a biometric identification tool for inmate visitors entering and exiting secure facilities because the visitors might believe that the readers were tied to law enforcement criminal record and warrants identification systems.

* State-of-the-art metal detectors featuring sensitivity capability sufficient to discover the vast majority of metallic items that pose a threat in correctional institutions, up to and including most cell phones, arranged side-by-side at entry points to institutions. One, for visitors and other nonstaff, set to a high sensitivity level to maximize the effectiveness of this superior detection; while the other, for staff, with sensitivity set so low that even small weapons are easily passed. The response when questioned about this was that the badge and other various uniform accoutrements worn by many staff would result in nuisance alarms or that the boots or shoes would have to be removed because of the metal shanks in some of them.

* Printers attached to secure facility perimeter detection systems either inoperable and/or allowed to run out of paper for days or weeks at a time. The information reported in this printed record includes the frequency of alerts, whether the response by control room staff to these alerts is appropriate/timely and if required testing of the perimeter zones is occurring as required and, if so, what deficiencies are revealed.

* The continued use of staffed perimeter gun towers despite the availability of perimeter detection systems with proven track records for reliability and effectiveness that pay for themselves, many times in the first year or two of operation.

Strategic Implementation

To address and mitigate the impact of cultural lag, new technology must be introduced deliberately as part of a carefully planned series of strategies that recognize the issues, concerns and interests of those who will be expected to use it as well as, in some cases, the interest and sensitivities of those upon whom the technology will be applied. This overall plan should include impact strategy, sales strategy and educational strategy.

Impact strategy. The impact strategy includes addressing mitigation of the potentially detrimental ancillary and collateral effects associated with the introduction of a new technology, which many times affect not only the immediate operational area intended but also other associated and even peripheral functions. Ideally, there are no effects for which solutions to any resulting detrimental issue are not readily determinable; such issues should have already been identified and carefully considered during the "fitness" assessment part of the process by which the decision was made to use and consequently purchase the technology.

Nowhere is the importance of a well-conceived impact strategy better illustrated than in the implementation of new portal technologies for contraband introduction control at the entry/exit points of secure institutions. From a purely "best security" perspective, everyone entering a secure institution should do so naked and only then after an X-ray to ensure that there is nothing concealed in any body cavity. Obviously, this is not realistic, even though there are sophisticated portal technologies that may eventually approach this level of intrusiveness and other more conventional technologies that, to varying degrees, also intrude upon individual privacy sensitivities. Depending upon which technology is used, the impact of implementation will vary but, regardless, must be considered and addressed.

In the case of facility employees, morale and their relationship with management, including trust level, are key considerations in gauging employee reaction and, consequently, developing the mitigation strategy. Ideally, staff can be educated and sold on the technology and how the resulting reduction in contraband introduction can make the facility a safer place for them to work. The more stressed the management-employee relationship, the more difficult this is to achieve. The worst-case scenario is described in the observations listed earlier where staff mistrust reportedly led to the destruction of well-intended technology, even before it could be implemented. Timing is a significant component of the fitness assessment applied to the use of a new technology in a given environment. It must be given serious consideration and may lead to the conclusion that now is not the time for this particular product.

Sales strategy. As the next step in the development of an implementation plan, the sales strategy sets the stage for successful implementation. Generally, during a comprehensive assessment/evaluation process to determine if a technology is right for an agency's needs, the benefits of its purchase and use are primary and foremost considerations once it has been clearly established that the technology will reliably and accurately perform as its developer claims. Particularly in difficult budgetary times, a technology that can either save money directly or alternately provide for a cost-avoidance opportunity, usually in the area of staffing requirements, is an easy/quick sell to executive staff who are always being pressured to operate as efficiently as possible and reduce costs. To the same extent, but somewhat less so in budget-stressed times, technologies that enhance and improve upon existing operations and impact positively an agency's ability to meet primary mission requirements by reducing risk are an equally easy/quick sell.

The factor that is often overlooked in determining the benefits of a technology is if it will make the implementing user's job easier, reduce his or her personal job-related risk (and consequently stress) and provide a direct tangible benefit to the staff charged with the implementation of the technology. Most beneficial technologies offer some benefit in all three areas. Those that offer the most benefit in the more personal/individual area of consideration are almost always the most successful and least problematic to implement. The sales strategy emphasizes these benefits and ensures that the staff responsible for implementation are aware of these benefits prior to the introduction of the technology. This will take advantage of the motivation associated with positive anticipation to heighten interest levels and participation in the implementation process.

An example of a technology that was successfully "sold" in Florida was the adoption in the larger institutions of the automated key issue and control cabinet systems. This technology, as implemented in the department, involved coupling a biometric reader with the secure key cabinets to automate key issue, control and accountability. Staff retrieve only those key rings to which they are authorized access by first identifying themselves via the biometric reader and then entering a personal identification number into the system. At this point, they are granted access to the cabinet where they may retrieve only the authorized key ring. The system archives all of the key ring issue information automatically, which previously had been handwritten in logs maintained by security staff assigned to the facility control room. At the end of the shift, supervisors can easily obtain a printed report that includes the status of all key rings checked out and whether they have been returned.

These systems enabled the agency to achieve significant cost avoidance by not having to budget for additional control room staff, even as this staff's duties have grown significantly with the introduction of electronic perimeter monitoring systems, additional cameras to monitor and the operational responsibilities for many more remotely controlled locks located throughout newer facilities.

The department was able to avoid additional recurring employee costs with a reasonable one-time expenditure. Security effectiveness/enhancement was improved by allowing control room staff to focus on other important areas, especially during shift changes when most key check-out/exchange occurs and when positive identification of all personnel entering and exiting the facility is a critical responsibility requiring their full attention. Also, staff in the control room experienced a decrease in their workload, making their job easier and allowing them the time to better perform other tasks, resulting in less personal risk of mistake and subsequently less stress. The implementation of these systems was accomplished quickly and with few if any problems. Once the benefit to the staff responsible for implementation was explained to them, their personal motivation and initiative took over and made this project a success.

Educational strategy. A carefully conceived educational strategy is required to sufficiently convince managers, supervisors and line staff that the technology will reliably and accurately accomplish the task for which it is designed. This should not necessarily include an overly technical explanation, but it should clearly describe how the technology works in terms that are understandable and geared toward individuals whose interests are primarily operational and functional. Ideally, this educational experience would include a hands-on opportunity to use the technology in a realistic application simulating as closely as possible how it will actually be used in practice. Questions reflecting anticipated problem areas should be actively encouraged and fully addressed and resolved once they surface.

This critical implementation phase should never be under scheduled--the time must be provided to ensure that staff are not only thoroughly familiar with the technology but are also comfortable and confident with its use. Once this training phase has been completed, structured time should be allocated for follow-up visits with implementing staff where problems that may have surfaced can be discussed. There should be no legitimate reason for assigned staff not knowing how to use the equipment and subsequently for any unintended misuse. Additionally, any doubt voiced by implementing staff about the accuracy and/or validity of the equipment's performance should be quickly addressed, preferably, by a physical test or demonstration reinforcing their confidence.

The Florida Department of Corrections has implemented numerous automated systems during the past several years. As an example of the education strategy discussed herein, the implementation and continuing support of the Automated Roster Management System is perhaps one of the better examples. This system's benefits include automated institutional shift roster creation, providing for realtime and archived oversight of security staff utilization at the shift/institutional level by regional and central office managers, as well as producing management reports identifying and providing justification for needed staffing.

Once the system requirements were specifically identified and the software application developed, the next step was the development of a step-by-step user manual for the system. Simplifying implementation was the fact that the system requirements were based on a detailed departmental procedure that had been in effect for several years and was well-internalized operationally. It is less difficult to implement automation when procedural, operational and/or requirement changes are not combined with implementing the automated process. This fact, in addition to special attention by the developers and operations advisers to ensuring that the application was easy to use and as uncomplicated as possible, set the stage for a less problematic education and implementation process.

As in most large correctional agencies, staff turnover in supervisory and administrative assignments, including those associated with managing shift rosters, occurs quite frequently. This is one of the primary reasons that the user manual was developed to be a stand-alone, how-to guide on the system's use. By following the directions in the guide, it is possible to effectively navigate the system and, with some practice, to become proficient in its use without additional assistance.

Prior to full implementation, staff were provided specific, hands-on training on the system in computer labs. The original operations staff consultant has been retained in central office to actively monitor the system's use, address any questions and problems that may arise from the turnover of institutional staff users and to conduct audits of institutional staff utilization practices on behalf of central office management. The comprehensive staff education strategy implemented from the onset with the system introduction and continuing today has been critical to its success.

Making Progress

Correctional managers must carefully assess new technology to determine how it will fit in any particular correctional environment and must avoid attempts to force-fit technology that cannot be incorporated in an overall positive and constructive manner. Corrections must guard against change for change's sake and recognize that change in organizations always comes with a cost. To the greatest extent possible, change should always be limited to only that which is easily recognized, readily defined and clearly distinguishable as progress.

James R. Upchurch is chief of the Florida Department of Corrections' Bureau of Security Operations.