Corrections_Today_March_April_2020_Volume 82, Number 2

n Overcrowding

databases, display the information of the inmates that need assignment, simultaneously assign them to SCIs, and obtain several reports to evaluate the assignments. Figure 2 shows the components of the IADSS. The IADSS demonstrated to OPM personnel that mathemati- cal optimization provides a powerful tool to optimally assign inmates to SCIs. OPM has used the IADSS to assign inmates to SCIs since September 2016. In what follows, the benefits and impact of the implementation of the IADSS at the PADOC is discussed: High-quality, consistent assignment –– The assignment of the inmates is done simul- taneously for all the inmates with a petition for assignment or transfer. Simultaneous assignment ensures systemwide optimum. All factors of the assignment are considered for each inmate, thus ensuring consistently high-quality assignments. The errors encountered have almost exclusively been due to data inconsistency; therefore, those inap- propriate assignments have helped the PADOC to identify data errors.

–– The inmate assignment process was previously fragmented in the sense that assignment was done by OPM, and the program waiting lists were monitored by the Bureau of Treatment Services and reported monthly to OPM. With the implementation of the IADSS the processes are integrated, and all neces- sary elements of the assignment are considered in one system. –– Program schedules and wait lists at each SCI are generated as an integral part of the inmate assign- ment. The integrated IADSS minimizes the wait time of the inmates for their required program(s), thus allowing timely release of inmates and reducing inmate population. –– In addition to simultaneous assignment, individual assignment can be made for each inmate. Facilities are sorted in the individual assignment for each in- mate, and the system considers all the factors of the assignment for that inmate only. If the simultaneous assignment recommendation is not appropriate for an individual, the individual assignment results can be used to evaluate possible assignments to other SCIs.

Figure 2: The Flow diagram of the IADSS

Figure courtesy Pennsylvania Department of Corrections

40 — March/April 2020 Corrections Today