The Jail as a Bank
A recently published paper on "The Jail As A Bank" Source: (Government Advantage) provoked several thoughts that deserve consideration. From casual research on "The Jail As A Bank", CCW has found that the average Sheriff Departments will, in the course of a year, manage more money than your average "hometown" bank.  If you combine: Inmate Trust Fund deposits and withdrawals; Jail Canteen sales; Work Release/Community Corrections Operations; fines; fees; court costs; Bails and Bonds; millions of dollars can pass through a Sheriff Department's Fiscal offices every year.  Add up all the money managed for Jail and Prison "Banks" across the USA and you find an "industry" that is responsible for the management and control of billions of dollars annually.

A review of the "Jail Banking" industry, discovers common practices:

1. Correctional officers are often used as "Bank Tellers" with little interest or training in that area.
2. Audits of "banking" activity are spordic with few state standards and fewer checks and balances.
3. "Jail Banks" give away services that "Street Banks" charge for.
4. A large number of "Jail Banks" operate using "on loan" or "borrowed" software and hardware.
5. "Jail Banks" frequently lack policy, procedure, and technology to track or recover Debt.
6. "Jail Banks" fail to utilize automated systems for bank activity and are exceedingly prone to extremely expensive "hand" work by staff.
7. When compared to "Street Banks", "Jail Banks" are extremely susceptible to fraud and loss by both inmates and employees.
8. "Jail Banks" fail to utilize general industry standards and practices established by the commercial banking industry.
9. A good number of Sheriffs have no idea about what's going on in their "Jail Bank".

When Technology Fails
The average jail often puts all their information management in one "electronic information" basket and when things go wrong, they go wrong in a big way.

• Seems a high tech detection system in a Canadian Jail went on the blink.  An 85 year old priest and a 2 year old girl were denied visitation because the technology said, "they were in possession of heroin".
• After spending 19 million dollars on the jail information system, Harrison County, MS had to crank up their 1980 DOS System.  A switch back to the "Green Screen" may only last a short time, but it did prove that specialized time tested technology still beats "over the edge" mega systems that try to do everthing.  Source:Sun Herald --Robin Fitzgerald
  

One Solution to Fraud in Colorado
The El Paso County Sheriff's Department has proven beyond a doubt that sharing information can save taxpayers's money.  By giving attention to developing communication lines with state and federal agencies that provide "benefits" to citizens, the Sheriff's Department has saved estimated millions in taxpayer's funds by agencies of the person's status as an "inmate".  Source:  www.elpasoco.com

Going Green

With wind power, high tech reflective materials, state of the art heating and lighting, and leading edge water management, Transylvania County, NC appears to be a clear leader using technology to reduce cost and improve environmental conditions.

New Conversations

Over the years, CCW Systems have focused on "talking to" a wide range of Civil and Govenments techologies ranging from Inmate Phones to Jail Management Systems.  Going even farther, connections have been made with Canteen Vendors like: Swanson, Keffe and Armark, phone systems like British Telecom and Australia, Arunta.  CCW is now proud to annouce new conversations with a branch of prison industries in Indiania "PEN", and JPay an outfit specializing in "remote" deposits for inmate trust funds and commercial banks having "Positive Pay" systems for check cashing operations.

Inmate e-mail

The Federal Bureau of Prisons is testing an inmate e-mail system in an effort to reduce paper mail and its associated security issues (think contraband).  It is also hoping that by allowing federal inmates the use of "secure" e-mail, will strenthen family ties.  Inmates pay $0.05 per minute for computer time.

Inmate in Germany Fed-Ex Escape

Hans Lang, 42, managed to use a large box and Fed Ex documents to post himself out of Willich prison.  He exited his box and the van on the first stop.  Souce: Business Pundit 1/21/09

Sheriff Department Hit by Fraud

An ever increasing number of County Sheriff Departments across the US are becoming "victims" or unwilling participantsin a new wave of fraud commited by their inmates or persons previously housed in their jails

Routing Numbers

Two men in Ohio were indicted on multiple felony charges.  The investigation started when it was discovered that $9,000.00 was missing from a Jails Inmate trust fund.  Seems that bad guys got hold of the jails Trust Fund checking account routing numberw, some off the shelf software and went into "business"

"Slip and Fall"

A new game, invented in California, allows inmates out on "work release" to collect disability benefits if they slip and fall.  Oversight by state agencies has been increased after a dramatic increase in "accidents" and check on Inmate Trust Fund deposits.

Adding Value

With new software technology it seems some tech savvy offenders have altered their release checks by adding value.  Word  has it that one ex-inmate released from large Metro Jail in the North went to Florida and used his release check to buy a new SUV.

Delaware County, PA

The District Attorney conducted a "show and tell" of supplies used by "12 individuals" to manufacture counterfeit checks worth "hundreds of thousands of dollars."  Six of the group specialize in phony checks from the Inmate Trust Fund of the GEO group that once operated in the county prisons.  Source:  Philly.com  Mari Schaefer.

Creative Tax Frauds

Hidden in a prisoner's greeting card, 6 fraudulent tax returns, along with false W2's.  All part of a growing trend, inmates defrauding the IRS,  Nancy Jardini, an IRS investigator told Congress.  She testified that the IRS claims to detect 78% of fraudulent returns but admits about 15 million slips through the cracks and into some inmate pockets.

Source:  CAmagazine.com  Peter Morton

Galveston, TX

The Bay City Tribune reports that fraudulent checks passed by a "crime ring" for "large sums of money" could pose a threat to Matagorda County businesses.  Included in the bogus checks were ones for The Galveston CountyInmate Trust Funds.

Source:  Bay City Tribune

"No More Checks"

The Milwaukee County Wisconsin work release "Huber" program elected to avoid printing hundreds of checks every week and now uses CCW's Debit Card System (DCS).

In the past, Community Corrections Inmates had to request withdrawals from their Trust Fund Account for everything from family support to transportation and a range of other legitimate needs with each request resulting in a computer generated check.  Over the course of a year, thousands of checks were being processed, which  involved lots of paper and considerable staff time.  No more.  With the click of a mouse, Fiscal staff can credit an inmate Debit Card.  The system appears to have several "by product" benefits.  Much less paper is used, the fraudulent use of checks is reduced to zero,and money gets to "beneficiaries" faster.  Inmates can look up their own account information and Sheiff's Department straff has access to valuable information on inmates "spending"

For more information, contact CCW.