As a 30-year veteran corrections officer who has always geeked out on computers in his spare time, Joe Robbins found his home at equivant. He has been working on Northpointe’s classification focus since 2018 and leans on his practitioner experience every single day.
“Everything at this company comes down to, How is this going to benefit our people?” Robbins said. “Because that’s how we think of our customers, they’re our people, our peers, and we’re here to serve their best interests and make their jobs easier.”
Robbins still lives in the community in Indiana where he worked in corrections for 30 years.
“People on the outside don’t always understand that the community is the most important part of this work,” Robbins said. “Most people who work at a correctional facility tend to live right there in the community, and when people who’ve been incarcerated walk out the door, they’re walking right back into the community you live in.”
That sense of service and personal responsibility fueled Robbins’ work in his community’s correctional facility just as it does today at equivant.
“We’re all working toward the same thing. If in the time we have this person, we can make their life even half a percent better than when they walked in the door, we’re making things better for the community,” Robbins said.
In his current work, Robbins works closely with clients to problem-solve, whether that means finding the right technology solution, or using their input to improve current technology.
“The greatest thing about the Northpointe product is that the company not only looks at it from the tech perspective, but they also truly seek out the perspectives of those of us who are former practitioners to help our clients accomplish their missions better through software,” Robbins said.
Robbins speaks from experience. When he was working in corrections, he was using Northpointe’s paper decision tree, and he eventually led his team through the transition to technology with the Northpointe Suite.
“Now, I get to talk to agencies going through this same transition and offer perspective and consultation,” Robbins said. “It’s all about making sense of how technology can help you manage your facility more effectively and make better decisions.”
For Robbins, making corrections better is his passion.
“Spending time on the ground with people doing this work, spending that amount of time in a career, it becomes part of you, and you leave a lot of yourself in the agency,” Robbins said. “I can’t think of a place in that jail where my fingerprints aren’t present.”
Whether he’s inside or outside a correctional facility, Robbins brings his passion to life every day, helping others help their communities.
“How can we make our customers’ demanding jobs a little easier? How can we leverage our significant experience in the field to make their lives better? That’s the honest truth. That’s what we’re asking every day,” Robbins said. “It’s at the heart of everything we do.”
To talk to more former practitioners like Joe and get to know the team and equivant Corrections, contact us today.
