Planning & Research
The Planning and Research Bureau provides guidance and expertise to department management related to trends, patterns, and projections. The Bureau provides information that allows the department to move forward with a better understanding of the population it serves.
Data Analysis
Requests for information related to corrections come from both within and outside the department. The Planning and Research Bureau has the necessary expertise to pull data from the department’s operational database to help answer these questions. The bureau provides population projections annually that are used for facility planning which ensures the department has the necessary housing for inmates to meet future needs. Assistance is also provided to the legislative branch as new policy proposals come forward. In these cases, the bureau provides estimated financial costs of these policy proposals.
Evidence Based Practices
The department provides many programming services to its population both within the prison system, as well as offenders in the community on probation and parole. The department is committed to provide programming services that have demonstrated effectiveness. As new programming proposals come forward, the bureau reviews academic sources related to the program and develops evaluation protocol, both to help ensure program effectiveness in understood or discovered. The bureau also strives to identify those programs operating within the department that have not been reviewed, and prioritizes those programs for evaluation.
The bureau is also working with staff from the Department of Technology Services to develop a cutting-edge business intelligence system. Business Intelligence is frequently used in the private sector to assist businesses in effectively managing its resources. The technology is slowly making its way into the public sector, and the department is engaged. The new system will allow managers throughout the department to see and access current data that will assist them in their day-to-day management responsibilities. Business Intelligence will help the department more effectively and efficiently serve the public and the offender population. Click here for statistics.