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Jail Support

A jail support group provides assistance to people who have been recently arrested. Typically it needs the ability to track people through the criminal legal system, from arrest to jail to court. Often jail support groups advocate for the needs of people who are incarcerated and help them get bailed out.

Functions

Hotline

Jail support teams need a way for people to urgently contact them in the event of arrests. Phone hotlines are offered to allow people who are currently incarcerated to reach the team.

Tools

  • [[Signal]] can receive text messages and voice calls, but requires a smartphone
  • [[JS PBX]] can run a phone bank which can be called from jail

Database

To keep track of the status of individuals who have been arrested, jail support teams keep records of each person which they are supporting. These records may have sensitive information, and need to be restricted on a need-to-know basis.

Tools

Support Forms

Jail support often involves receiving reports via a webform from members of the public who have experienced or witnessed abuse. These forms must be confidential and available only on a need-to-know basis.

Tools

Document Management / Collaboration

Like most organizations, jail support groups share and collaborate on documents internally.

Tools

Case Studies