CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENTS MANAGE PANDEMIC IN PRISONS WITH FREE COVID TOOL FROM VANT4GE, A LEADER IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE TECHNOLOGY
The platform uses evidence-based, predictive risk assessments to reliably determine which inmates can be released early
The coronavirus pandemic continues to have a disproportionately adverse effect on the United States’ prison population. According to The Marshall Project, there have been nearly 187,000 cases among inmates and more than 1,400 deaths, resulting in corrections agencies being overwhelmed. A 20-year leader in criminal justice technology, Vant4ge is contributing to the mitigation effort by offering a free COVID-19 tool to help corrections departments manage the crisis and determine which inmates are the safest to release early. The comprehensive Vant4gePoint software platform that allows agencies to efficiently coordinate care and rehabilitation for inmates and parolees also consists of the most predictive assessments ever developed. In response to the pandemic, Vant4ge is making the risk assessment tool that features evidence-based, data-driven assessment instruments with automated scoring and reporting available to corrections administrators and case managers.
“As a tech company dedicated to criminal justice reform and improving outcomes for both offenders and communities, we wanted to help by providing the tools prison administrators can use to effectively navigate the pandemic,” says Sean Hosman, CEO and Founder of Vant4ge. “Our validated, predictive risk assessments can guide them in decision making for determining which offenders pose the lowest risk of harming their communities and are the least likely to reoffend. Early release for incarcerated individuals can minimize the strain on the prison healthcare system and increase the safety of staff and inmates in environments where social distancing is very difficult.”
Developed by prominent criminal justice experts, Vant4ge’s Static Risk Assessment (SRA) helps corrections administrators predict recidivism by type of crime, empowering them to make better decisions when it comes to early release. The SRA features 26-questions pertaining to “static” factors with resulting scores that determine future risks in three areas: felony, non-violent felony, and violent felony. These risk scores allow for the classification of an offender into one of five risk levels.
Vant4ge is further reforming case management by connecting offenders to resources such as drug rehabilitation, job training, and mental healthcare through the platform. The software also eliminates the need for regular in person meetings and check ins, allowing personnel to manage more offenders with greater efficiency and improved results with the goal of reducing recidivism rates.
About Vant4ge
Founded in 1998, Vant4ge is a human services and predictive analytics technology company that has revolutionized correctional care and case management. More than 100 criminal justice and corrections agencies across the U.S. have utilized Vant4ge’s easy-to-implement platforms that are rooted in evidence-based data that streamlines risk-needs assessment, case planning, and communications throughout the continuum of correctional care. Customizable technology has been designed to provide an efficient, collaborative care system that increases chances for offenders’ success with the objective of reducing recidivism rates. The most prominent criminal justice researchers have developed Vant4ge’s risk-needs assessments that are unparalleled in the industry. Committed to facilitating positive outcomes, Vant4ge is more than a tech company. A team of experts has consulted with state and local agencies to bring large-scale, systemic improvements to the corrections industry. These include efforts to increase public safety while reducing mass incarceration and disproportionate minority confinement, reinvesting in communities, and helping to build the most effective frameworks that combine the best research, practices, policies, technology, and programs. Since 2017, Vant4ge has doubled its workforce. For more info, visit Vant4ge.com.
