Speakers
Renee Van Aaken
Workshop Session
In this presentation, Renee Van Aaken from Correctional New South Wales and Christopher Ditto of ViaPath Technologies will delve into the complexities of designing and implementing digital services for incarcerated individuals. Leveraging their joint experiences in rolling out 10,000 tablets across New South Wales, along with other digital initiatives in North America, the presentation will highlight how digital tools significantly contribute to reducing recidivism by providing controlled access to external resources. The presentation tackles the vital issues of selecting appropriate content, establishing digital communication policies, and countering incarcerated individuals’ efforts to circumvent security protocols. Through practical examples, Van Aaken and Ditto will offer insights aimed at finding the ideal balance between security and rehabilitative potential, including, presenting a strategic approach to managing digital freedoms which aims to ensure that digital access is both secure and conducive to rehabilitation. This presentation offers a forward-thinking approach to digital integration in correctional settings and is designed for an audience that spans technical experts to laypersons involved in or contemplating the introduction of tablet programs in correctional environments.
Renee Van Aaken is the Director in Delivery Performance and Culture for Correctional Services New South Wales, Australia’s largest prison system, with 33 prisons and housing 12,500 incarcerated individuals. In this position, Ms. Van Aaken led the implementation of in-cell technology, introducing 10,000+ digital devices for the incarcerated and managing the selection of programs and digital services that run on them. She is published in the implementation of this reform in NSW. Based in Sydney, Australia, Ms. Van Aaken has both a social science degree (focused on Criminology) from University of Western Sydney and an MBA from University of Newcastle.
Christopher Ditto is the Vice President of Research & Development at ViaPath Technologies, a leading provider of corrections communication technology. Over the past 14 years, Mr. Ditto has worked on innovating and launching corrections technology and today the solutions he has developed help shape the daily experiences of over one million incarcerated individuals. Mr. Ditto operates out of Silicon Valley and has been involved with ICPA since 2018.