Conventions

Jan. 20-25, 2012. The show more commonly known as Corrections Marketplace is run by ACA, or the American Correctional Association, and  attracts corrections officials from the county, state and federal levels, as well as from probation and parole and community corrections agencies. The training offering, in partnership with Essential Learning, the American Jail Association, and the American Probation and Parole Association, includes courses for professionals who work in adult corrections, juvenile justice, and community corrections facilities and administrations. Courses are available for all levels of staff and within all disciplines including medical and mental health professionals.  Despite being held in Arizona, there was little evidence of Sherriff Joe Arpaio’s innovative ideas on parading internees in pink underwear…

Once you see all those black-and-yellow keyhole logos scattered around the convention center, you know you’re at a Security Industry event. ISC West is the International Security Conference and Exposition, and they’re there to remind you that you have plenty of stuff you want locked away and kept safe. There was much to learn about how to do that. There was a Security Cloud Computing panel, a discussion about how physical security applications can reduce cost and create value by leveraging the internet Cloud. Other panels explored novel techniques like video analytics, biometric technology and Personal Emergency Response Systems. Feeling secure now? You earned some out-of-town fun, like the scenic motorcycle and sports-car ride through the Valley of Fire and Hoover Dam area, raising funds for volunteer groups and publicly paid first-responders who take courses on safety-related issues. Stay safe, now, y’hear?

Show is about information and IT for legal practices, law firms, legal departments. Microsoft among others touting cloud-computing solutions. Cost-saving was a focus generally. More general sessions than previous years. Keynotes by Mohamed El Baradei, former UN Atomic Energy Agency director-general, also Malcolm Gladwell, author of “The Tipping Point”. Big themes: eDiscovery, compliance, search and retrieval, cost-efficiency. It’s legal tech..no pictures please.