Recent posts

Prozone IT Solutions
12 Aug, 2024

Celebrating Success: Our CTO, Đorđe Milić Honored at MaximoWorld 2024

Our CTO Đorđe Milić won the Best Maximo MRO Spare Part Management award at MaximoWorld 2024, showcasing our commitment to excellence and innovation in AI-driven asset management.

Prozone IT Solutions
08 Jul, 2024

The transformation of a candidate into a colleague—the magic of selection in Prozone

We interviewed Tamara Mihić, our Human Resources Manager, to get an insider’s view of our hiring process. Tamara shared her insights on the interview process, offered valuable tips for prospective employees, and discussed the challenges she encounters in her daily work.

Prozone IT Solutions
30 Mar, 2023

What are the roles of a Business Analyst and a Software Developer in Prozone?

We spoke with Nataša, a Business Analyst, and Branislav, a Software Developer who work together on the project across a number of departments of our long-time client, an oil company. We were eager to learn about the projects they are working on and the status of their collaboration.

SAPA – standardized application for prisons

Recently, software for logging prisoners was introduced to all prisons in Serbia. This software was developed by Prozone.

 

First Steps of the SAPA project

 

Everything started back in 2012 when the European Union donated the project “Improvement of Transparency and Efficiency of the Judiciary System (prosecution and penal system) of the Republic of Serbia” from the resources of the IPA 2009 fund. After the project was approved by the EU delegation in the Republic of Serbia in May 2012, the realization of two systems had commenced:

Prozone has developed the SAPA application for prison administration, which was implemented in 30 prison units in Serbia. The software was firstly installed at the Administration in January 2013, and it started being used at the correctional facility in Sremska Mitrovica, and from January 2014, it’s fully functional in other administrative institutions as well.

 

SAPA is an application based on and realized as a modular extension of the system for managing documents and business processes “eDocumentus”, which was developed by Prozone back in 2004, and for which Prozone has exclusive ownership and copyright.

 

Modules of SAPA Software

 

Through the SAPA software, you can keep logs and track the whole process – from entry to release of prisoners. It consists of the following modules:

 

  1. The basic module – the base log. Within this module, all data on prisoners is logged – date of birth, personal data, duration of arrest or sentence, as well as all data on the person, communication with the court, etc. All entities are photographed every five years and their photographs are kept in this module.
  2. Module – security service. This module is where all the information regarding the entry of entities, visits, packages, searches, the room where they are staying, confiscated goods, compulsory measures, isolation, etc. Also, the logs are kept for court sessions, funerals, doctor’s appointments, the person that accompanied the entity to court, etc.
  3. Module treatment. Within this module, the progress in re-disciplining the prisoners are tracked as well. After the entry, a questionnaire has to be filled in. Based on that questionnaire, an assessment is made. If the entity will stay up to two years, then they fill in the short questionnaire, while entities staying longer fill in a longer questionnaire. The questionnaire also includes information on family contacts, resocialization, treatment for minors and children, etc. When it comes to children, they are assigned a teacher. The teacher appoints themselves as a parent and has the goal to help the child adopt new values.
    When the entity leaves the correctional facility, they are being followed through the module. While they are in the facility, those who wish, can work. They are offered to work in agriculture, manufacturing, or other services where they can contribute.
  4. The module of alternative sanctions. Those entities who are set free have to go through a post-penal period. They are offered social aid and healthcare and are followed within the next year, and this program is called post-penal acceptance. This module keeps a record of serving alternative sanctions in home confinement, or prison, with or without an anklet. The software is integrated with the anklet system. Within the module, the number of the anklet is logged, as well as the data about the location of the sentence being served. Alternative sanctions can last up to two years. There are different manners in which sanctions can be imposed. For example, court-ordered community service has a predefined number of hours. This type of work shouldn’t affect the regular work of the entity.
  5. The financial module. Prisoners have the possibility to use their funds while they are in the facility. This module keeps a record of the money as a deposit that they have in their accounts. All payments and withdrawals are recorded. In case any measures are taken, finances can be blocked. The software is integrated with the canteen, so there is also a possibility of using the money there.
  6. The healthcare module. This module supports different types of treatment, such as hospitalization and outpatient type of treatment. Within this module, all types of intervention are recorded, except surgeries that are performed at state hospitals. The module follows the process up to the physician. If the facility has a lab, then the software records lab analyses. Also, within this module, there is also a pharmacy and all records regarding any drug prescriptions are kept.
  7. The employment module. This is a module that keeps a record of all activities of prisoners. For example, prisoners in the Correctional Facility in Sremska Mitrovica have the opportunity to work. The module logs the workplace, as well as time, spent working.

 

Prozone has developed and implemented this software in prisons in Montenegro, and the state prison of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The procedures are the same, so a similar software as this one can be implemented in Serbia. The differences are only in the requests which should be adapted according to legislation for enforcement of penal sanctions which are in effect in each of these states.

 

In June 2019, an agreement was signed between the EU delegation and Prozone, as the leading consortium, by which the improvement of the existing system and its expansion to the remaining 21 institutions was defined.

 

This software is currently used by 1650 users. The current platform “eDocumentus” was kept, with a complete functional revision of implemented business processes of the SAPA system. The system was developed and improved by segments, which were put into production immediately after the system was approved by the administration’s users in charge. In that way, new and improved functionalities were made available to both old and new users and system institutions.

 

Conclusion

 

The biggest challenge during the realization of this project was the training sessions that were conducted for over 500 software users, due to incredibly strict security systems which are in effect in all facilities. Nevertheless, Prozone is truly proud of this project, and we are glad that we have successfully completed such a substantial and demanding project.

 

Glossary of terms:

 

room = prison cell

facility = prison

entity = prisoner