GIS in Pennsylvania State Corrections

Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, Bureau

of Planning, Research, and Statistics (PRS)

Michele Hiester (mhiester@pa.gov)

Joseph Hafer (jhafer@pa.gov)

Why use maps?

• Visualize a plan or see patterns

• Everything happens somewhere

2

How is PRS Using Maps?

• Map offender demographics and activities

• Offering parolees needed services

• Administrative uses for staff and human

resources

• Making site selection decisions

3

What Software is Utilized?

• Data extraction and manipulation

Microsoft Access and Excel

• Mapping

ESRI Products

ArcGIS Desktop Basic (v 10.4.1)

ArcGIS Online

What Data is Used?

• Inmate/Parolee Demographics

Gender, age, race, type of offense, level of

risk, etc.

• Address data:

Inmate “Legal Address”

Inmate “Notify Address”

What Data is Used?

• Address quality matters

Typos, spelling and spacing

Creative abbreviations (Str for street, Nth

for north)

“Girlfriend,” “Mother,” “US Marshal,” or

“Siena House” are not recognized as streets

• 80% match w/ intense scrubbing

6

What Data is Used?

• Geocoding

ESRI, US Census Online Geocoder

• Committing County

68 values: 67 counties and Out-of-state

Clean and easy to use

Proxy for county of residence, NOT the same

as county of residence

What are the Map Types?

• Facility Location

• Choropleth

• Spatial Analysis

• Online Interactive

FACILITY LOCATION MAPS

CHOROPLETH MAPS

Three-Year Overall Recidivism Rates by CountyFor Inmates Released in 2006 – 2008

SPATIAL ANALYSIS MAPS

Mapping Misconducts and Fights in SCIs

ONLINE INTERACTIVE MAPS – WWW.COR.PA.GOV

http://arcg.is/1OQngwP

http://arcg.is/2a4J8Sm

http://arcg.is/1YpMtk7

http://reentrymap.cor.pa.gov/

http://reentrymap.cor.pa.gov/

What is Next?

•Parole address data

•Improve Reentry services

•Parole violations and recidivism