By: Priscilla Torres, Project Manager, equivant Corrections
In a correctional environment, every housing decision matters — not just for operational efficiency, but for the safety, compliance, and overall stability of your facility. One misstep in classification can ripple through your entire operation, leading to safety incidents, strained resources, and compliance risks. If your team is constantly juggling inmate housing decisions, struggling to maintain consistency, or working under increasing pressure from audits and safety concerns, it might be time to consider a smarter, more structured approach. The Northpointe Decision Tree© is designed to help facilities make objective, data-driven classification decisions that improve safety, save time, and ensure compliance.
If your facility is experiencing any of the following challenges, it may be time to explore how the Northpointe Decision Tree© can transform your inmate classification process:
- Increasing Safety Concerns
• Rising incidents of inmate-on-inmate assaults, threats, or intimidation.
• Difficulty in keeping enemies, gang members, or PREA risk groups separated. - Overcrowding or Housing Pressures
• Need to maximize safe use of available beds.
• Struggling to decide who can be housed together without conflicts. - Inconsistent Classification Decisions
• Different staff are assigning different security levels for similar inmates.
• Overrides are common without clear justification. - Compliance or Audit Requirements
• State standards, accreditation bodies, or PREA auditors require an objective classification process.
• Audit findings point to lack of a structured risk assessment tool. - Intake Bottlenecks
• Decisions about housing and security levels are delaying inmate movement into housing units.
• Staff spend excessive time debating or reclassifying inmates. - Lack of Data-Driven Decisions
• Classification decisions rely heavily on “gut feeling” or experience of individual staff.
• No structured way to collect and analyze classification trends. - Facility Growth or Changes
• Adding new housing units or reconfiguring existing ones.
• Increasing inmate capacity or changing inmate mix.
Inmate classification isn’t just a routine step in intake — it’s the foundation of a safe, efficient, and compliant facility. By moving from subjective, inconsistent methods to a structured, data-driven system, you can reduce risk, streamline processes, and set your facility up for long-term success. If these indicators sound familiar, now might be the perfect time to see how the Northpointe Decision Tree© can work for you. To set up a demo, or if you have questions, please contact us by clicking here.
