Consistency is typically a good thing in a corrections setting. From the level of detail included in a log to how officers communicate with inmates and fellow staff, officers are trained to be consistent with all actions and responsibilities.
However, there is one task that should never be consistent: rounds.
Every correctional officer knows the drill when it comes time to conduct rounds. Most agencies have set policies for how often checks should be completed, whether it’s every 15, 30, or 60 minutes. It’s easy to remember to conduct checks at the quarter or half of every hour, which is why these specific time increments were designed.
However, there are inherent problems that come with the ease of these timeframes. If it’s simple for the officers to remember, it’s also simple for the inmates to remember (and take note of). This blog explains how inmates can silently study officer routines to determine when to make their next move without an officer noticing.
Inmates have a lot of time on their hands, making it easy for them to catch on to patterns and consistencies, especially when it involves the presence of officers. For example, if an officer consistently conducts their rounds every 30 minutes, inmates will know when to expect the officer to pass by their cell. This means that they will also know how much time they have remaining before the officer returns for their next check, leaving open a window of opportunity to engage in certain activities that they shouldn’t be.
The solution to this problem seems simple: officers should change the frequency of performing their rounds. While this is the solution, staying consistent with being inconsistent can be more challenging than it sounds. This is why GUARDIAN RFID built Staggering Score.
Staggering Score is a tool designed to quantify and measure the predictability of officer round behavior AND recommend when to perform the next round to improve their staggered, irregular round performance. In other words, Staggering Score programmatically randomizes officer rounds using statistical analysis.
Why is it important for rounds to stagger? It eliminates the possibility of inmates anticipating when officers will conduct their rounds, minimizing their opportunity to partake in illicit activity.
At its core, Staggering Score is designed to quantify how predictably staff perform their rounds, as well as to provide real-time, prescriptive guidance to break up and avoid patterns of behavior.
The behavior analysis that Staggering Score provides is as close to accurate as possible by exclusively considering essential key factors:
Automatic round assignment: This determines the appropriate round interval (15, 30, or 60 minutes) based on activity volume.
Interval tracking: This records the number of cell checks performed during each one-minute interval of a round, providing a detailed picture of officer movements.
Frequency analytics: This identifies the most and least frequented time intervals for officers, both overall and by specific location.
Recommendation engine: This generates optimal round times, offering strategic suggestions to enhance unpredictability.
Outside of these key factors, it’s important to note that Staggering Score only observes rounds completed on time when studying behaviors. Any rounds logged within five minutes to or greater than sixty minutes (or whatever the specified time interval is set to) of each other are not taken into account.
Another exclusive factor taken into consideration is the location in which a log was completed. Only locations with at least two activities completed are examined as this provides more sufficient data over locations with only one activity completed. By disregarding the irrelevant outliers, Staggering narrows its focus on delivering the most accurate analysis.
Staggering Score is significant because, for nearly every correctional officer, it’s the first time a quantifiable measure of their performance is predictive. It holds officers accountable from a different perspective. Staggering Score doesn’t just focus on whether a round was done or not, but whether it was done at an unpredictable, irregular interval.
Staggering Score is based on a 100-point scale, with 100% being the most perfect, unpredictable score imaginable, and 0% being perfectly predictable. In other words, the more predictable an officer is, the lower their score will be.
Low staggering score = High officer predictability
High staggering score = Low officer predictability
For most correctional officers, performing staggered, irregular rounds is a challenging responsibility. This is because most of their training, discussions, and measures are focused on: Did you perform the check on time? By utilizing Staggering Score, facilities can stay one step ahead ensuring that officer rounds remain unpredictable and inmates can’t exploit an officer’s absence.