GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA D.C. Department of Corrections Open Government Report 2014 To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this report describes how the D.C. Department of Corrections (DC DOC) has and will continue to develop and enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with Mayor’s Order 2014-170, this report addresses the following topics: 1) Transparency DC DOC shares information with the public through a variety of sources, including but not limited to the agency website (including the Open Government section), e-mail, press releases and media advisories (featured on our website and disseminated to the media), our Facebook and Tumblr accounts, and our newly activated Twitter account. These sources allow us to make the public aware of agency resources, inform them of ongoing and/or special agency activities, keep them updated on services and programs, and showcase many of the forums and ceremonial events held throughout the year. Our Facebook account, in particular, allows us to dialogue with the public in ways we were never able to do so in the past. We have also released important documents such as our 2014 Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) report and our comprehensive report on Suicide Prevention, both of which can be found on the DCDOC website. In keeping with the required protocols for responding to FOIA requests, DC DOC responds to all within the designated time frame. We have also begun use of FOIA Express which streamlines the request and response processes. DC DOC will continue to use our website along with social media to increase public access to agency information. We went “live” with our Twitter account this week and plan to use it as another way to share up-to-date information about the department. Also, as with our Facebook page, Twitter will allow us real time access to the public and any questions or concerns they have about our operations. DC DOC is working closely with the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to identify a significant number of datasets that OCA and OCTO expect to publish online later this year. If no dataset from the D.C. Department of Corrections is selected to be included in this 2014 release, we will continue to work with OCA and OCTO to identify datasets appropriate to publish in 2015. In the future, requirements for open data reporting will be provided by the Chief Data Officer. 1 2) Public Engagement and Participation 3) The D.C. Department of Corrections uses its social media accounts (Facebook, Tumblr, and recently Twitter) as a supplement to the agency website to keep the public informed. On the website, we also have the Ask the Director section available for feedback and questions from the public. DC DOC has quarterly meetings with stakeholder groups including our Citizens Advisory Committee (a volunteer committee of external partners who advise the agency on community feedback), the Transgender Advisory Committee (which includes representatives from the transgender and advocacy communities, medical and security staff, and executive leadership), Linking Institutions Neighborhoods and Communities - LINCS (our corps of volunteer organizations that collectively provide a wide range of pre and post release services and support to the offender population and correctional staff, as well as our Faith Based Advisory Council (a diverse group of clergy that provide pre- release and community support and advise the Agency Director on operational and programmatic matters). The Department also interfaces regularly with the Corrections Information Council – CIC, and is an active member of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and its subcommittees. DC DOC expects that the recently established Twitter account will be another major way for our agency to improve public engagement and participation. In addition to dialogue through the Twitter account, we will continue to receive feedback from the quarterly meetings with our stakeholders and community groups. Collaboration DC DOC currently collaborates with several community groups and advisory councils in an effort to receive feedback, but also to disseminate information about the department. The agency meets with these groups at least on a quarterly basis. These groups include: o The Citizens Advisory Committee: http://doc.dc.gov/node/563382 o The Transgender Advisory Committee: http://doc.dc.gov/page/transgender-advisory-committee o Criminal Justice Coordinating Council: http://cjcc.dc.gov/ o Corrections Information Council: http://cic.dc.gov/ o Faith-based community organizations o Linking Institutions Neighborhoods and Communities (LINCS) 2