Jails are evolving into hubs for behavioral health and transition planning. With tools like Atlas, jail administrators can implement evidence-based programming at scale. Even short-term incarceration offers a valuable window to engage people who have unmet needs related to mental health, substance use or life skills. This shift requires tools that are flexible and aligned with the operational constraints of correctional settings.
When thoughtfully implemented, digital tools do more than extend services — they improve equity, quality and safety across the system. Digital tools like Atlas provide targeted, evidence-based interventions that meet individuals where they are and help facilities offer care that’s responsive and person-centered.
Digital tools enable jails to:
- Maximize engagement, even in brief periods of incarceration.
- Provide continuity of care from custody to community.
- Improve institutional safety and reduce infractions through structured programming.
- Support reentry and reduce recidivism by addressing underlying behavior patterns.
- Generate real-time data to inform case planning and demonstrate impact.
Implementation considerations for digital adoption in jails
Implementing digital tools in a jail environment requires thoughtful planning to ensure usability, staff engagement and sustained impact. Here are a few strategies tailored to the operational realities of jails:
1. Assess first
Start by administering a validated risk-need tool such as the LSI-R or ORAS during intake. These assessments provide a roadmap of each individual’s criminogenic needs (e.g., substance use, criminal thinking, peer influences). With a platform like Atlas, staff can enter this data and automatically receive recommended modules aligned with those needs. This streamlines case planning and ensures that each participant receives targeted content from day one.
Explore curricula on Atlas that meet key criminogenic needs →
2. Deploy with flexibility
Unlike traditional programs requiring a classroom and facilitator, digital tools can be deployed flexibly across the facility. Tablets or secure kiosks in housing units allow individuals to engage in programming during free time, lockdowns or even late at night. Content is self-paced and accessible on demand, making it ideal for short-stay or high-turnover populations.
In San Mateo County jails using tablet-based programs, a majority of participants accessed digital content at least twice weekly without needing extra staff.
3. Use data to guide
Atlas includes a dashboard that provides real-time analytics — showing who is engaged, who has stalled and what areas (e.g., anger, peer pressure, trauma) are being addressed most frequently. Administrators can use this data to:
- Identify trends by housing unit or risk level.
- Adjust program offerings based on completion rates.
- Provide outcome data for audits, grant reports or performance metrics.
In short, digital dashboards bring a level of data-informed decision-making that has traditionally been unavailable in many jail settings. By harnessing this information, administrators and facilitators can continuously improve programming, boost engagement and better allocate limited resources.
Real-time analytics support performance monitoring. Digital dashboards track individual and facility-level progress, allowing administrators to demonstrate impact for grant funding, audits and CQI efforts.
Source: Moore et al., 2018; NIJ, 2021; Davis et al., 2016.
The benefits of digital tools like Atlas extend beyond those in custody. Staff experience fewer behavior-related disruptions. Administrators have tools to support quality assurance and reporting. Communities welcome individuals who are better prepared for success after release.
As jails seek to do more with less, digital innovation offers a meaningful path forward. Platforms like Atlas can transform how services are delivered, improve outcomes for the individuals in their care and advance the mission of public safety through rehabilitation — not just confinement.
Atlas represents a cost-effective, flexible and evidence-based solution that brings the best of behavioral science into the jail environment — without overburdening staff or requiring physical classroom space. It is designed to meet the real-world needs of modern jail systems.
Evidence-based, behavioral health Interactive Journaling® curricula are available digitally on Atlas. Atlas can save staff time while supporting fidelity to evidence-based practices.
Ready to see what Atlas can do for your program? Visit our website to schedule a personalized demo today. Learn more about Atlas →
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