How Correctional Institutions Can Increase Efficiency and Compliance

Correctional institutions have a tough job. They must ensure the safety and security of prisoners, staff, and visitors, while complying with various government regulations and maximizing the use of limited resources for activities that have the most impact.

To add to that heavy load, the Department of Justice recently added crumbling infrastructure to the list of major challenges facing the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and therefore state and local correctional facilities face as well.

Asset management can play an important role in combatting deteriorating infrastructure by helping create efficiencies in daily maintenance tasks and by targeting investments toward the right infrastructure at the right time.

Brightly Software’s Asset Management for Government (AMG) solution does all that and more.

More efficient daily maintenance operations

Maintenance activities are made up of corrective requests and proactive (PMs) maintenance. These are both important to ensure safe and secure buildings.

Brightly’s AMG solution allows all maintenance activities to be automatically scheduled. Work orders can contain notes on the inventory needed to complete the job. It also makes tracking the work easy with our “no-Wi-Fi-required" mobile app and barcodes on equipment where work can be tracked to any work order or individual asset.

An asset-centric analysis is important since it gives an additional view on maintenance history by asset. This different viewpoint can help with long-term capital replacement decisions.

Increased knowledge retention

Public sector agencies and organizations across the nation are also facing an outflow of long-time employees due to retirements which can drain the organization of institutional knowledge and stress the remaining employees with an increased workload.

An asset management system can help retain institutional knowledge by having a repository of assets with all pertinent information to automatically generate maintenance needs and keep the equipment operating.

Simplified compliance

A strong asset management system helps correction facilities maintain compliance with industry standards, such as those set by the American Correctional Association (ACA) which is a top priority for corrections facilities. These standards require facilities to meet strict safety, security, and operational benchmarks.

Brightly’s AMG solution assists facilities in adhering to these requirements by showing maintenance activities, including preventive care, and creating detailed audit trails.

Federal regulations, like 28 CFR § 35.152, emphasize the importance of maintaining accessible and well-functioning facilities, while many state regulations require comprehensive asset tracking and maintenance documentation. Brightly not only simplifies proof of compliance, but also supports risk mitigation by reducing costly emergency repairs and extending asset lifecycles.

Other benefits that correctional institutions can gain from a powerful asset management system include:

Access to a complete asset registry where all pertinent details are kept up-to-date and easily accessible
The ability to create an asset hierarchy so assets can be identified as part of a larger system
Automatic ordering to prevent inventory levels from becoming too low
Asset mapping inside facilities to easily track assets equipment
Detailed reports and analytics that can provide insights into asset trends, maintenance histories, proof of service levels being met, work order tracking, and much more.

All of these benefits can help maintenance groups operate more smoothly, achieve more with the same resources, and prove when additional resources are needed or service levels need to be adjusted.

Conclusion

Brightly AMG solution empowers maintenance professionals with robust asset management capabilities to centralize data, access real-time insights, proactively schedule preventive maintenance, optimize resource allocation, and enhance decision-making. These capabilities can ensure that critical systems continuously remain functional, minimizing unexpected downtime, reducing surprise costs, and improving overall safety.

Hutchinson Correctional Facility in Hutching, Kansas faced challenges managing their operations with budget constraints and a reduced maintenance staff of 35. By implementing Brightly's AMG solution, the facility centralized work order management, improved communication, and reduced inefficiencies. As one staff member shared:

It has really helped us organize and streamline our workload so we’re not duplicating efforts and can be more efficient with our time and resources.

By integrating Brightly Software's solutions, corrections facilities can enhance operational efficiency, stay compliant with industry regulations, and create safer, more effective environments for staff and inmates.

Learn more about Brightly AMG. Or discover how to create a strong foundation for your journey to better asset management.