The PA Department of Corrections (PA DOC) houses approximately 38,000 inmates, who complete nearly 2,000,000 phone calls each month. They also receive millions of dollars in transactions from external parties. Visitor data, parolees, gang affiliations, and more extend DOC data to have nationwide impact. Learn how the Analytics Division within the Bureau of Investigations and Intelligence exploits data and relationships to uncover criminal activity both inside the jails and in the community. Case examples will include how social network analysis, partnerships with outside law enforcement, and geospatial data have been used to harvest information from prison communications, leading to significant arrests and successful prosecution.

PA DOC's collaboration with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies over the past few years, have been successfully targeting criminally connected networks and often uncover a potential case lead for referral to an outside agency. These are cases where prison intelligence was able to work with law enforcement analysts to prevent/solve criminal behavior in the community.

Damien Mscisz is an Intelligence Analyst Supervisor for the Bureau of Investigations and Intelligence with the Pennsylvania Department of Correction (PA DOC).

He came to the PA DOC in May of 2021. He started his service to the Commonwealth in 2002 as a state parole agent and later a supervisor. He was deputized with the US Marshals Service Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force for six years and also led frequent field operations utilizing intelligence products to support investigations and apprehend parole violators and other criminal offenders.

After transferring to the Analytics Division, he developed methods to target suspicious calls and transactions. This strategy was referred to as “Targeted Communication Monitoring” and it continues to advance with new data elements on a regular basis. Damien now leads a growing unit specializing in targeting and geospatial analysis.