On The Construction And Utilization Of Information Network In Prison Management

With the development of society and the advancement of technology, the latest findings of natural and social sciences, especially those in the field of information technology, have provided great opportunities for prison management. As the executive organ of national penalties, prisons bear the great responsibilities of maintaining social peace and stability, and preventing and reducing crimes. Therefore, it is of special significance to draw upon the achievements of sciences to ensure the successful exercising of the supervision and administrative function of prisons. It is the natural tendency of social and historical development to apply modern high science and technology to the complicated practice of prison management. Fully aware of the above situation, the author, a veteran in the application of information technology to prison administration, analyzes in this essay the status quo, tendency of development, and experiences of the application of information technology to prison management, and, by means of empirical research, generalizes the existing problems in the process of applying information technology to prison management, and puts forward his solutions to them.First, the author expounds the essence of information network construction application from a theoretical perspective. The process of applying information technology is the process of carrying the society from the current stage to the information stage, and it is the expansion of technology from the information field to the broader domain of all aspects of economic and social life. The in-depth analysis of the essence of information technology network construction and application naturally leads to the formulation of the five essential elements of it, namely, philosophy, society, technology, culture and management. Based on the above analysis, the author introduces the nature of applying information technology to prison management, that is, to achieve the digital, smart, standardized, and computerized management of prisons, and to improve prison security, staff efficiency, and the quality of prisoner reforming. After that, he explicates from a macro-perspective the significance of applying information technology to prison management: to boost the innovation of prison management modes so as to safeguard the great cause of building a harmonious society.Second, from such practices as"electronic surveillance'',"prisons without walls","long-distance visual trials"in Western countries, the author generalizes the status quo and tendency of development in applying information technology to prison management in developed countries, and points out the existing problems in the construction and application of information technology to prison management in China, namely, a low starting point, unbalanced development across the country, and lack of unity in the goals of electronic prison management.Third, by generalizing the five characteristics and four leading fields, the author displays the major achievements of Shanghai as the leading figure in electronic prison management in the country, and discloses the four valuable experiences of the city in attaining these achievements: strengthening leadership and implementing development strategies; building up a favorable environment for the application of information technology; implementing the principle of"five unities"; enhancing the exploitation and development of information technology.Fourth, based on a macro-analysis of the experiences of electronic prison management in China and other countries, the author makes an empirical study. Shanghai Women's Prison is taken as the base of research and experiment. By employing the 5 first-class scales and 16 second-class scales of the Information Technology Application Appraisal Mode, a comprehensive assessment is conducted on the construction and application of information technology in this prison. The data and conclusion obtained from the study have laid a solid foundation for the defining of further problems and suggestions of solutions.Last, five problems are defined based on the above analysis: the awareness of information technology application, management system, the application level of the system, technical level, safety awareness and measures. The solutions to these problems are: sharpening the awareness of constructing and utilizing information network in prison management, strengthening the organization and management system of information technology application, improving the application level of information management, speeding up the construction of human resources, and improving information safety ensurance system.