ASSURE
The Alabama Secure Sharing Utility for Recidivism Elimination (ASSURE) system enables the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles (ABPP), the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) and the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) to share appropriate information rather than re-creating common data each time one of the agencies creates a new record.
When a person first comes into contact with any of these agencies, an intake process occurs that creates criminal history and demographic information (e.g., family, education and employment history) that remains relatively constant over time. It may need to be verified, updated or supplemented as a person’s circumstances change, but for the most part it is wasteful to recreate this information from scratch. Typically this is followed by a series of questions about a person’s substance abuse and mental health history that is administered in order to make sure the person is placed in appropriate programming. ASSURE provides the authentication process to verify that only authorized personnel have access to this information.
The ASSURE web portal allows authorized personnel from ADMH, ABPP and ADOC to retrieve risk and needs assessments and supervision information regarding clients/inmates that have been collected by their sister agencies. This system eliminates a host of problems such as redundant information collection among various intake staff, inaccurate or incomplete self-reported information that might be provided by clients, and inconsistent client information stored within the different agency systems. This information assists case managers, probation officers and ADOC intake/classification personnel to appropriately refer clients to suitable programs designed to meet the needs of the affected individual. Many individuals move back and forth between these systems. Successfully treating substance abuse and mental health disorders for appropriate individuals is a key component to improving mental health and crime recidivism rates.
CAPS developed the ASSURE web portal and we will continue to enhance it as needs arise.