Most veteran corrections officials might balk at the idea of sitting an inmate in front of an internet connection. Now, the Alaska Department of Corrections (DOC) is improving security, and reducing costs – while providing inmates with access to the legal records the law requires.

Before implementing a digital legal system, the Alaska DOC conducted numerous security searches, often turning up hollowed-out legal volumes that were used to hold contraband. Inmates would also write notes to each other on the pages of the volumes, passing information along that was also a potential breach of security.

“There are quite a few reasons we chose a digital law library,” says Daniel Roberts, Network Administrator for the Alaska DOC. “The biggest two were cost and security. The cost of managing legal volumes on paper was tremendous and we would constantly have to worry about searches and shakedowns, which took hours. Now, we can reallocate staff, and we save money since we don't have to manage those paper volumes”

The costs associated with a physical legal library were a problem in Alaska. Paper volumes were updated four times a year, at a cost of $100 per volume. The DOC was also responsible for transporting them to every facility in the state. Since the implementation of a digital law library, the DOC estimates that it will save $200,000 annually.

A New Twist on Online Access for Inmates

According to Sheela Zemlin of Lexis Nexis, the Alaska DOC is just one example of corrections making an about-face when it comes digital legal resources. Lexis Nexis is a provider of legal materials that was awarded Alaska DOC's contract to provide information to their digital terminals.

“Corrections agencies are starting to become more comfortable with the level of security and the protections we have online now versus three to five years ago,” says Sheela Zemlin of Lexis Nexis. “More recently, the corrections field is ready to embrace the concept of online access to legal materials for inmates.”

Corrections officials are warming up to the idea of a quicker, safer way of providing law libraries to offenders. In Alaska, inmates use the internet to access legal information, but the “supposed” web-surfing computer terminals only route to one location: Lexis Nexis.

“Most people in corrections do have a concern about online security,” says Roberts. “But our terminals only connect to one server, which has a particular function. We're controlling the flow of information that inmates have access to. The inmates are using the internet to connect to one server – and we have customized these terminals to do only what we tell them to do.”

The central server that each terminal connects to was developed using Citrix software, which allows the DOC to remotely connect online applications in a central environment. The Alaska DOC built their own terminals and set up much of the system in-house in order to offset costs and provide the safest terminals possible. With an internal network established, inmates cannot “hack” outside of that central server, and security is ensured.

“We have complete control over what's going across these lines,” says Roberts. “The system, from the inmate's perspective, is set up much like a web page.  But it's been customized for corrections. There are buttons to navigate forward and backward, but they cannot search outside of the server they are on.”

According to Roberts, Lexis Nexis was already a great place for corrections to get regularly updated legal information. However, the DOC needed a way to make the system work for them – at an affordable cost.

“We used some existing software and installed our terminals with that technology,” says Roberts. “Obviously the information comes from Lexis Nexis, but we did put a lot of this together in a unique way that kept costs down. Other state agencies might find better ways to do it – this is just our way of doing it, and we found the Citrix software really helpful.”

In providing legal information, Lexis Nexis constantly updates their digital law libraries online. Now, inmates have constant access to the most up-to-date legal information which reduces the chances of the DOC being sued for not providing legal resources as required by law.

Digital Law Providers Set Sights on Corrections

There are a number of providers that any DOC can choose from to provide their legal information. In Alaska, officials found Lexis Nexis the best bang for their budget.

Lexis Nexis has developed three different ways for corrections agencies to provide legal materials – all of which are customized to fit the needs of any given agency.

“We have three different channels for our legal products,” says Zemlin. “We offer print publications, CD products and an online system. But our online system is seeing the most growth right now.”

In terms of pricing, Lexis Nexis costs fluctuate depending on how much information a state is required to provide to inmates. Costs are also dependent on how many access points a state chooses to install.

“We work with DOCs to determine which price and package is best for them,” says Zemlin. “If the facility feels comfortable with online access, we help them understand our security protocols. But they might feel more comfortable using CDs or DVDs to update their legal information. We offer that, too.”

With an array of options on the market, just about any DOC has the ability to turn their legal libraries into digital terminals that fit their particular inmate population, budget and security precautions. For Roberts, it's the best way for the Alaska DOC to provide the information that the law requires – and address the security concerns that constantly plagued paper libraries.

“I think this is something other states should definitely look into,” says Roberts. “This system has worked flawlessly since we've installed it. It's saved us a lot of time and money, and it provides better service to the inmates at our facilities. Inmates have the right to sue us for out of date information – and that's no longer a concern with this system.”