Livingston Parish Corrections Administrator Uses Innovation and Technology to Keep Detention Center Running Smoothly, Securely
JULY 2017 LIVINGSTON, LA – Today Telmate, a leader in inmate communications, recognizes Administrative Assistant, Kim Plauche of the Livingston Parish Detention Center, as the Telmate Heroes Award recipient for Summer 2017. The Telmate Heroes Award recognizes exemplary performance in the field of law enforcement and corrections, combined with the use of innovative technologies.
The dedicated 12-year-veteran, said she loves her profession because it’s always changing, and filled with new challenges to take on each day that she goes into the facility. As an Administrative Assistant, she oversees the office and is responsible for the detention center’s administrative tasks; supervising tasks such as time calculations, inmate requests, and over 90% of the paper flow that comes through the detention center.
A Telmate customer since April 2017, she frequently relies on Telmate technology as their inmate communications system, including wireless tablets, and the facility’s video visit and messaging system, to find new ways for inmates and facility staff to benefit, while providing security and control over the facility and protecting the local community.
“When Telmate Tablets arrived, it really changed how we do our jobs and how the facility operates,” said Plauche. “There are many requests generated daily that can be routed directly to the appropriate department. Those that come across my desk every day allow me to sit at my computer and respond to them without the need for making copies and return routing.” According to Plauche, not only have digital requests streamlined the workload, they also facilitate inmate safety because inmates can send requests privately on tablets if they’re having problems.
“We’ve also seen an immediate, positive shift in the facility with the addition of video visits on tablets,” she said. “There used to be long lines out the door, because friends and family could only visit in-house from 8:30-3:30, but with tablets they can visit from 8:00 to 10 at night. Inmates that have kids in school can’t come up here with the family to visit, so video visits give them the ability to visit with their kids.”Additionally, Administrator Plauche reports that having tablets has reduced the amount of physical mail intake by half, thereby reducing the potential of contraband coming into the jail because inmates visit and message on tablets instead.
In her spare time, Administrator Plauche enjoys being outdoors as much as possible, hunting and fishing with her husband and two sons.
The Telmate vision is to create secure technology that empowers inmates to break the cycle of recidivism, while protecting and serving facilities and their communities. For more information about the Telmate Heroes program or to nominate your own hero, please visit www.telmate.com/heroes.
About the Livingston Parish Detention Center:
The Livingston Parish Detention Center is in Livingston Parish, LA, and houses approximately 670 inmates, both male and female. The facility opened in 2009 and allows for short-term booking and release functions as well as longer-term housing for sentenced prisoners. The mission of both the Detention Center and the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office is to enhance the quality of life for its citizens by reducing crime, and making Livingston Parish a safe place to live, work and raise a family.
About Telmate:
Telmate is a leading provider of secure corrections and community corrections solutions including phone, tablet, visitation, messaging, education and entertainment content, corrections applications, investigator tools and GPS monitoring. Telmate’s cutting-edge platforms are deployed in over 300 correctional facilities in the U.S. and Canada. Telmate is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with an employee presence nationwide. To find out more about Telmate, visit www.telmate.com.
