InstantCard offers a simple system to allow the tracking of the hours of community service that offenders are assigned to do by the court system. Corrections Departments have a responsibility to log hours worked for each case, and this often entails a lot of paperwork and forms to be filled out. That manual effort results in high costs and often numerous errors.
The InstantCard service is enabled by common QR code technology, using ubiquitous mobile phones and wireless networks. Each offender is given a card or a paper form, to be carried in their wallet until his/her assignments are completed. The card, which can be printed on paper or plastic, and which may or may not carry the offender’s photo, carries a unique QR code. That QR code is scanned by an authorized jobsite work manager at the start and at the end of each assigned shift, using any smartphone. Each scan is immediately logged by the InstantCard servers.
At any point in time, authorities can review the status of an individual’s work history, to check progress toward completion of the requisite hours. Reports can be downloaded in spreadsheet format, as an audit trail and record of the place and time of each shift worked.
The InstantCard service is easy to deploy, and can be quickly integrated with any existing case management system. Data can be transferred from/to other data base systems already in use via several different protocols. It requires no special hardware, allowing a broad range of departments and organizations (road maintenance, parks, elder care, charities, youth programs, etc) to instantly be included in community service programs.
