The future of corrections: A data-driven approach to enhance safety and reduce recidivism

The Iowa Department of Corrections uses SAS Viya dashboards to tailor interventions, improve rehabilitation outcomes and create safer communities

Managing a prison system is a balancing act fraught with challenges that can only be overcome with innovative solutions and a dedicated team.

Armed with data and advanced analytics, the Iowa Department of Corrections (DOC) faces these challenges head on, setting new standards for evidence-based correctional practices. The research team at the Iowa DOC plays a crucial role, analyzing data that guides decision making and shapes operations and policies throughout the state’s nine prisons.

Prisons and jails collect large amounts of daily data from their supervised populations. Sarah Fineran is the Research Director for the Iowa DOC, and her department is a one-stop shop for analytics covering approximately 8,500 inmates. Fineran’s team provides everything from standard data analysis and reporting to program evaluation, forecasting, predictive analytics, and data security and compliance.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, rising infections motivated the Iowa DOC to access and analyze even more data. But the research team was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of testing and manual data entry, plus the many other time-consuming data processes across the Iowa DOC. Other issues such as health care, violence, recidivism, staff safety and retention were exacerbated by the pandemic, leaving the Iowa DOC with tough decisions and less staff to make them.

At the time, Fineran’s team was providing data insights in spreadsheets via ad hoc requests. “With a spreadsheet, you get information, you take it in – but the moment you send it, you have an antiquated source of truth,” she explains. “We needed a supervised population solution to manage our prison populations to the best of our abilities and make smart release decisions,” Fineran says.

The Iowa DOC turned to SAS to improve efficiencies and support data-driven decisions to make employees, offenders and communities safer.

Fineran worked with SAS to create three modern, interactive dashboards powered by SAS Viya:

The medical outbreak management dashboard was originally designed to help control and monitor the spread of COVID-19 and properly administer vaccines. Today the dashboard helps manage, track and analyze communicable disease trends of inmates.

The release candidate dashboard was developed to help determine the best candidates for release. It uses multiple data points and filterable options – such as recent incidents, length of sentence and type of offense – for risk scores that help correctional staff better identify whom to place before the Board of Parole.

The early alert and intervention dashboard was designed for community-based correctional supervision and proactive public safety decisions. Data-driven algorithms help probation and parole officers monitor released individuals and intervene where appropriate to prevent recidivism and new victims.

“Incorporating analytics has changed everything,” Fineran says. “We now have a single source of truth that everyone can understand, whether it’s top-level leadership or folks in the field. It’s also incredible for transparency. We have nine prisons across the state, and I know exactly how each is performing. This makes it much easier to determine where issues or strengths exist in a certain jurisdiction.”

Analytics serves community, staff and inmates

In 2021, the Iowa DOC’s recidivism rate decreased for the first time in seven years. In 2023, it fell for the third straight year to 34.3%, well below the national average.

“Our state’s recidivism rate is a key indicator in determining if what we’re doing is having the intended impact,” says Dr. Beth Skinner, Director of the Iowa DOC. “Not only have we lowered our recidivism rate for three consecutive years, in 2023 we saw our biggest reduction yet. This is a department-wide effort, and these efforts are producing outcomes that positively impact public safety.”

Fineran attributes the reduction partly to the dashboard technology. “We’re more informed, more careful,” she says. “The dashboards help us identify the right people for release and better prepare them for reentry into the community.”

The Iowa DOC experienced time savings and productivity improvements too. “Staff can spend less time doing administrative work and more time doing their jobs and caring for the people we supervise,” Fineran says. “It’s exactly what we were looking to achieve.”

Tragedy spurs action to preemptively identify and mitigate risks

In March 2021, two inmates at the Anamosa State Penitentiary attacked and killed a correctional officer and a nurse – the first time in nearly 50 years a correctional officer had been killed in Iowa’s prison system.

“We knew we had an incredible responsibility to make sure this type of tragedy didn’t happen again,” Fineran says. “We have mounds of information and an incredible data system at our fingertips. Let’s use this technology to get ahead of violent incidents before they happen.”

Using SAS Viya, the Iowa DOC developed its fourth innovative dashboard, a prison alert dashboard, which can analyze vast amounts of data to pinpoint inmates who may be at higher risk of engaging in violent behavior. By integrating various factors such as housing arrangements, social interactions, treatment programs and addiction recovery status, the dashboard provides comprehensive insights so staff can take timely and targeted actions. This tool is a vital asset in preemptively identifying and mitigating risks.

“Now we’re in a better position to stop violent behavior before it occurs,” Fineran says.

Taking measures to attract and retain staff

Data and analytics also play an essential role in workforce strategies.

“Now more than ever, it’s important to focus on staff hiring and retention, and there’s an incredible opportunity to use data and analytics to do this,” Fineran says. “When you’re in a correctional or a criminal justice agency, it’s imperative that staff members feel safe. By investing in data and analytics, you’re sending a very clear message as an organization that you’re using technology to help promote staff safety. When staff feel safer in their environment, they are more likely to stay for longer periods of time. By retaining staff, you retain institutional knowledge long term.”

The Iowa DOC’s analytics journey serves as a compelling model for correctional facilities nationwide, illustrating how data-driven decision making can enhance security, improve rehabilitation outcomes and create safer environments. As agencies deal with workforce shortages, preventing repeat offenses or violent acts before they happen is pivotal.

“If a parole officer has a caseload of 60 to 100 – and they see red flags coming – they can triage who they need to visit first and better manage their caseload,” Skinner says. “Our goal is to create safer communities and reduce victimization, and data puts us on the right path. We have tools in place for case managers to take a proactive approach and intervene in a manner tailored to an individual’s needs. These interventions benefit public safety as well as help the individual stay stable and successful in the community.”

Increasing productivity, efficiency and information sharing

The Iowa DOC can also better answer questions from state legislators, government agencies, victims’ rights advocates, families of the incarcerated, and the public.

“We’re in a world now in which people are really starting to appreciate data,” Skinner says. “Legislators, for example, are asking us better, more thorough questions to help them make decisions about our budget. With SAS technology, we’re moving ahead of the curve.”

Fineran adds, “The dashboards have created so many efficiencies where we absolutely needed them. What would have taken us hours or days to pull can now be accomplished within a matter of minutes or seconds.”

The Iowa DOC runs SAS Viya in the cloud because it needs the solution deployed and providing value quickly. The Iowa DOC can rely on the skills and expertise of the SAS Managed Services team, allowing staff to focus on more critical tasks.

Sparking change at a higher level

At the federal level, initiatives such as Justice Counts help policymakers reach informed budgetary and policy decisions using criminal justice data. Skinner, who is on the Justice Counts steering committee, says there’s a push to compare specific public safety metrics among states.

“The SAS dashboards can be a game changer for commissioners, directors and administrators across the country,” Skinner says. “While getting there takes an investment in time and resources, it’s worth it.”

Fineran says, “Analytics has allowed us to transition culturally into a self-service data model, where folks can get the information they need in the format they want. If you are an agency or an organization that is wondering about bringing analytics on board, my advice would be don’t wait another minute, don’t get left behind. Analytics is going to give you an incredible advantage.”