Picture it: It is nearly the year 2200. New arrivals from a prison bus are led into a semi-private cubical where they are greeted by S.A.M (Synthetic Adaptive Machine), the correctional artificial intelligence designed to perform the intake screening and other tasks.  S.A.M can evaluate each person through speech recognition, facial expressions, and their responses to questions, flagging those who appear to be at an increased risk of self-harm, have an urgent medical requirement, or present a security issue. S.A.M provides each person with a personalized interaction based on health data, criminal files, intake information, phone calls, emails, and postal mail and builds rapport with each interaction.

Scenarios like this no longer seem far from reality. We already see the use of smart programs to screen emails and perform other tasks.  AI is being used to digitally monitor millions of phone calls inside the nation’s sprawling prison and jail systems. Novel technologies are helping prison wardens and sheriffs around the country crack unsolved crimes and thwart everything from violence and drug smuggling to attempted suicides.

As a futurist working within the prison sector, Captain Chad Garrett, Health Program Manager with the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), believes the field is on the cusp of significant changes that could revolutionize rehabilitation and incarceration. In the coming months, he will lead a working group dedicated to exploring these issues and innovations. NIC is seeking a diverse array of professionals to become part of this group.

If you are interested and are able to dedicate time and effort to being part of the working group, please visit the Novel Technologies Network webpage for more information.

With rising health care costs, correctional facilities might look to improving nutrition to address the health concerns of their incarcerated population. In collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and related agencies, the National Institute of Corrections is now developing food safety resources specifically for correctional facilities. The resources are aimed at reducing the spread of foodborne illnesses by increasing education about food safety policies.

Food safety is but one of many critical components of ensuring that incarcerated people maintain good health while incarcerated. Poor diets can contribute to the development and worsening of chronic health issues and to poor mental health. Management of these health conditions costs thousands of dollars each year. With preventative measures like improved food safety and making better dietary offerings available, correctional facilities can not only manage health care costs, but also promote the successful reentry of healthy individuals back to their communities.

Special thanks to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office of Colorado for this photo of a facility kitchen.