The human aspect of technology at Clarence Correctional Centre
Serco’s restorative justice framework and responsible prisoner model promote respect, encourage positive behaviours, and allow prisoners to learn and take responsibility for managing their own circumstances.
Through the delivery of specialist intervention, education and vocational training, and employment, supported by post-release programs, we help improve each inmates’s chance of success when they are released from our care.
As part of Clarence Correctional Centre’s operator-led design, Serco introduced tablet technology when the centre commenced operations in 2020. Since then, almost 7,000 inmates have accessed this tablet technology to support their rehabilitation and reintegration journey.
Serco is proud to champion innovation such as this to help improve our service delivery, which ultimately creates a positive impact for those in our care and the broader community.
The importance of connection
More than 3.5 million calls have been made from Clarence Correctional Centre by inmates to their family and friends since the centre opened. This has been sighted by inmates as the single most important benefit of the in-cell tablet technology.
From 6.00am to 10.00pm every day, inmates can make calls in the privacy of their own cells. No longer are they required to line up in the yard on limited time frames to call home, therefore strengthening their connection to family and friends who play and integral role in the rehabilitation and reintegration process.
Responsible prison model
Clarence Correctional Centre operates on Serco's responsible prisoner model. This includes supporting self-agency for inmates when it comes to their education, employment, healthcare, finances and personal care, including buy-ups, catering, and assistance requests.
Inmates run their day-to-day schedule from their in-cell tablets, which also allows for after hours access to a wide range of features available in society such as, movies, music, games, programs, and wellbeing interventions.
Operational benefits of tablet technology
In other correctional centres and prisons, staff work with paper forms and manual requests to assist inmates. Instead, our team at Clarence Correctional Centre has electronic access to all requests, which they can respond to immediately. Since commencement of operations, our team has assisted with more than 510,000 requests via the tablets.
This technology also assists with the day-to-day operations, such as conducting digital musters, record keeping of inmate attendance, and scheduling and recording observations. Our team has also been able to digitalise all inmate mail, post inmate job vacancies across the site, and schedule referrals and rehabilitation programs directly with individual inmates.