TECHBeat, April 2018

• NCJ Number: 251688
• Date Published: April 2018
• Length: 25 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2014-IJ-CX-K404
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Technical Assistance); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description
• Award: A proposal to operate the National Criminal Justice Technology Resource Center.

Annotation

Feature articles describe how inmates in a Maryland prison were selected to assist in conducting an environmentally friendly demolition of an outdated, unused prison; the benefits of focusing on environmental protection issues in the administration of correctional facilities; products for sexual assault investigations available from the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCoE); a Wisconsin program that facilitates interventions for elderly victims; and a report on a study of how posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects police officers.

Abstract

"Inmates Dismantle a Prison - With Administration Approval" describes how inmates and the administration of the Maryland House of Corrections cooperated to save the state millions of dollars in a prison demolition by recycling more materials, finding more uses for existing equipment, and selling materials for scrap instead of sending them to a landfill. "Greening Corrections Impacts More than the Environment" describes how most states have started recycling programs for corrections operations, as well as alternate or transitional energy programs. "There's an App for That, and a Glossary, and Several Other FTCoE Sexual Assault Investigation Products" features an FTCoE app entitled "Multidisciplinary Sexual Assault Kit Best Practices." The "Safe Seniors Camera Program Seeks to Protect the Elderly" describes a Wisconsin pilot program that provides covert cameras and memory cards to citizens for 30 days, so they can record and report to police incidents of elder abuse by caretakers in the home. "Study on How PTSD Affects Police Officers" reports on a study of a sample of police officers in the Buffalo Police Department who have been exposed to traumatic experiences and have a range of PTSD symptoms. The study plans to compare these officers with 55 non-trauma exposed civilian control participants. A recent publication on developing a fitness program for police officers is reviewed, and a section on "Technology in the News" is provided.