News

Indiana county deploys probation check-in kiosks for low-risk offenders

November 19, 2019

Marion County, Indiana, has deployed four AB Kiosks to help monitor low-risk non-violent probation clients, according to a press release. The goal is to reduce and refocus probation officer workloads from 120 clients per officer to 80, enabling officers to concentrate their efforts on producing good outcomes among high-risk clients. Operating without any direct supervision, the kiosk can conduct 30 check-ins per hour.

The AB Kiosks, which are designed and produced by Minnesota-based Precision Kiosk Technologies, autonomously coordinate and conduct probation check-ins and report the results to county probation officers. To launch the program, the Marion Superior Court Probation Department installed AB Kiosks in government facilities in Lawrence, Wayne and Warren townships, and at the county courthouse in Indianapolis. The county plans to have up to 4,000 probation clients enrolled in the autonomous check-in program.

Courts and law enforcement use the AB Kiosk to conduct alcohol screening, pre-trial monitoring and probation check-ins for low-risk offenders. Often located outside the secure area of a jail or courthouse, the AB Kiosk system consists of two integrated and secure components: a stand-alone interactive kiosk, and a client-management software program. Together, they handle routine check-in tasks that typically consume a probation officer's time such as:

• Set client check-in schedules to meet probation requirements.
• Notify probation clients via texts and emails to check-in using a kiosk.
• Use biometric fingerprint authentication to confirm the client's identity.
• Capture photos and video of each check-in.
• Deliver questions to a probation client and upload his or her responses.
• Issue a time-stamped receipt to the client.
• Notify the probation officer of the completed check-in.
• Alert the probation officer when a check-in is missed.
• Update the client's records, including any changes in address and employment. 

Image courtesy of Precision Kiosk Technologies.