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.
