Corrections_Today_November_December_2020_Vol.82_No.6

nEWS&vIEWS

Data collection and analysis The participants noted that poor or inconsistent data quality can undermine a jail’s ability to operate in a data-informed manner. Guidance documents are needed that high - light effective strategies (e.g., better training and improved software structure, including predefined fields in drop-down menus) to improve data quality. Applying the data Participants identified two high-priority needs in this area. To maximize the value of data, a perfor - mance management system of some sort is typically required. Participants discussed CompStat 10 as an example of a data-driven model for problem identification, development of tar - geted interventions, and assessment of the impact of those interventions. Research is needed to identify jail systems that are successfully ap - plying this model and document promising practices and strategies that are producing desired outcomes. The lack of common terminol - ogy and definitions was identified as a major impediment to fully leveraging jail data on a macro level. Participants recommended the development of national standards that govern how jails collect key data and stipulate common definitions of terms (e.g., recidivism, use of force). Standardization would allow for improved comparisons between jails with similar characteristics (e.g., size of population, demographics), the tracking of performance metrics over time, and the identification of outliers (e.g., jails with extraordi - narily high or low violence rates) to be studied.

be difficult, therefore, for jail admin - istrators to successfully lobby their sheriffs for the resources required to achieve their data-management objectives. The participants argued that education is needed to help administrators understand the value of data support staff. Case studies and cost-benefit analyses can help dem - onstrate the benefits in qualitative and quantitative terms. Information sharing Participants agreed that timely information sharing — both within the jail and between the jail and other justice, social service, and public health agencies — can im - prove outcomes and save resources. However, information sharing efforts have historically been fraught with pitfalls, both real and perceived. For example, patient privacy regulations (e.g., under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) often are misinterpreted, according to the group. As jail administrators tend to take a conservative stance with respect to protected informa - tion, they can be resistant to sharing mental and behavioral health care records even with others who have a genuine need to know. To address this challenge, participants called for research to identify and dispel common misconceptions about patient privacy regulations that might unnecessarily deter jails from shar - ing information. Further, effective strategies are needed to help diverse stakeholders build trust by identify - ing and reinforcing shared values and by working through any misper - ceptions or perceived conflicts. Technical challenges (e.g., infor - mational silos and firewalls) can be

a major obstacle. The participants suggested that jurisdiction-based — rather than agency- or depart - ment-based — information systems that are built on a common platform would help resolve many of these challenges. Research is needed to explore the feasibility of building a jurisdiction-based information system and to identify effective plan - ning and implementation strategies. Participants agreed that timely information sharing ... can improve outcomes and save resources. Ultimately, for some jails, orga - nizational culture prevents effective information sharing, even when other hurdles have been cleared. The participants noted that, in many cases, information sharing is depen - dent upon the leadership qualities of jail administrators and their level of comfort with transparency. Admin - istrators tend to be risk-averse, and many have been trained in a culture that supports keeping things in- house. To overcome these obstacles, the participants recommended the development of guidance on risk- management strategies, including examples of effective memoran - dums of understanding between agencies and lessons learned from other jails.

18 — November/December 2020 Corrections Today