How Do I Create and Manage Special Statuses in Command Cloud?

On average, about a third of your total inmate population has one or more Special Status designation. Whether it’s for medical, mental health, security, or protective custody reasons, managing and communicating Special Status designations can help correctional staff provide appropriate management, supervision, and programming tailored to their unique situation. 

Knowing how to correctly utilize Special Statuses for an inmate population not only ensures inmate safety and security, but also addresses potential risks to other inmates or staff within the facility. In this blog, we’re going to talk about the basics of Special Statuses:

• What is a Special Status?
• How does Command Cloud support Special Status?
• How do you create a Special Status in Command Cloud?
• How can you manage Special Statuses?

What is a Special Status?

A Special Status refers to a designation given to an inmate within a jail or prison that requires additional security measures or management. This can be due to specific circumstances such as being a high-profile individual, having a history of violence, being at risk from other inmates, or having significant mental health needs. Having a Special Status typically results in having restrictions on privileges and often separate housing accomodations compared to the general population, depending on what the Special Status is. 

There are four common Special Status categories:

• Medical needs: Inmates with chronic illnesses, disabilities, or requiring specific medications or special dietary needs
• Mental health needs: Inmates diagnosed with severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder 
• Security concerns: Inmates with a history of violence, gang affiliation, or escape attempts 
• Protective custody: Inmates who are at risk of being harmed by other inmates 

In short, having a Special Status tied to an inmate is a nicer way of saying, “Keep a closer eye on this one.”

How Does Command Cloud Support Special Status?

Command Cloud enables you to create and organize numerous Special Status designations, or “flags,” into three main categories, including:

• Special Compliance: Special Compliance status includes designations such as “suicidal,” “administrative segregation,” or “protective custody.” Special Compliance status is any Special Status that might change the frequency at which an individual needs to be observed to remain in compliance.
• Special Info: Special Info is a category that supports unlimited statuses to be created that can designate different groups inmates may be assigned to, using whatever nomenclature your facility may use (e.g. “Red” group, “Aqua” group, “Blue” group, etc.) You can also create designations, such as “Potential Victim.” Special Info should be used to inform staff of any piece of information related to an inmate that they need, but otherwise might not know (e.g. approved walker, wheelchair, extra mattress, special eyeglasses, CPAP machine, gang affiliation, special medical hazard, etc.)
• Meal Restrictions: Meal Restrictions is a category of Special Status intended for designations such as “Vegetarian,” “Low Sodium Diet,” “Halal,” “Peanut/Tree Nut allergy,” etc.

How Do You Create Special Statuses in Command Cloud?

System administrators can create, manage, and deactivate Special Status designations in Mission Command.

In Mission Command, create a new Special Status by:

• Selecting a Special Status type
• Enter the name of the Special Status
• Enter information relevant to the Special Status type you select

For example, if you create a Special Compliance status such as “Suicidal,” you’ll be prompted to enter a priority check time. This field is required so that whenever the Special Status “Suicidal” is used, the priority check time automatically updates the Compliance Monitor and Mobile Compliance Monitor – automatically requiring an observation check not to exceed the priority check time.

This automated workflow helps to ensure that your observation checks on any inmate with the “Suicidal Watch” Special Status have your utmost attention and vigilance, versus general population inmates where the check frequency may be once every 30 or 60 minutes.

How Can You Apply a Special Status to an Inmate?

Authorized users can “apply” Special Status(es) to an inmate from their SPARTAN in Mobile Command XR or the web in Mission Command.

You can apply one or more Special Statuses to an inmate in Mobile Command XR by: 

• Selecting the “Special Statuses” module
• Scanning or manually selecting the inmate
• Selecting one or more appropriate Special Statuses

By following these steps, new statuses are updated immediately, including any Special Compliance status that will have changed compliance timers.

You can also apply one or more Special Statuses to an inmate in Mission Command in two different ways:

1. Use the “My Special Statuses” widget on the “Home” page to “Assign” new Special Statuses
2. Use the “Special Statuses” page and the “Assign a Status” workflow to apply new Special Statuses to an inmate

How Do You Clear a Special Status?

Authorized users can “clear” Special Status(es) from an inmate from their SPARTAN in Mobile Command XR or from the web in Mission Command.

In Mobile Command XR, you can clear one or more Special Statuses by selecting the “Special Statuses” icon at the bottom of the screen. The resulting screen will show all active Special Statuses based on current location filtering. Selecting one or more active Special Statuses and clicking the “Clear Status” button at the bottom of the screen will immediately remove the status from each selected inmate.

In Mission Command, there are two separate options to clear Special Statuses:

1. Use the “My Special Statuses” widget on the “Home” page to “Clear” active Special Statuses
2. Within the “Special Statuses” page, there are individual pages for the three status types (Compliance, Special Info, and Meal Restrictions) along with a Status History page. Currently active Special Statuses all appear on these individual pages and can be cleared from each of these pages

Effectively managing Special Statuses is essential for maintaining the care, custody, and control within correctional facilities. Command Cloud provides a structured and automated approach to handling these designations, reducing human error and ensuring that inmates receive appropriate supervision and accommodations. By leveraging this advanced method of tracking Special Statuses, staff are empowered to enhance their security protocols, improve inmate welfare, and consistently maintain operational efficiency.