Guided by real-world feedback, JailCore blends clear logic with human understanding to create technology that truly serves those who serve.
When JailCore was founded, it wasn’t built on the old “if you build it, they will come” mindset. The goal wasn’t to create software and hope facilities would adapt to it—it was to listen first. By understanding the real challenges correctional staff face each day, JailCore was designed to make their environments safer, more transparent, and more efficient. From that foundation, it has grown into a trusted platform used by county jails and detention centers across the United States.
Founder and CEO D.J. Kreal began developing the concept after visiting facilities and observing firsthand how much time staff spent on paper documentation. “You’d see officers juggling clipboards and pens just to log meal passes, headcounts, cell checks, and suicide observations, ”Kreal recalls. “That system wasn’t just inefficient—it limited transparency and made it harder to support both staff and inmates. I knew there had to be a better way.”
That better way became JailCore—a mobile-first digital documentation platform that replaces paper logs with rugged, intuitive devices officers use to record each event on the spot. Each interaction is timestamped and stored electronically. Area checks and suicide observations are verified through NFC and RFID location tags, ensuring officers are physically present before completing their task. In essence, JailCore serves as a virtual, visual roadmap for operational success—guiding staff toward safer, more consistent practices. The result is a verifiable record that promotes accountability and builds trust within the facility. Transparency, once buried under stacks of paper, is now only a tap away.
According to Chief Technology Officer Robby Clements, that visibility is changing how administrators think about compliance and safety. “When everything is captured digitally, you can see trends you couldn’t before.”
Clements explains. “You can identify when a check is overdue or when an inmate hasn’t received out-of-cell time—and act before it becomes a risk. That kind of insight simply wasn’t possible with paper.”
What sets JailCore apart isn’t just its technology—it’s the company’s responsiveness. Unlike other software providers that take months or years to release new versions, JailCore prides itself on rapid innovation cycles. “We don’t pretend to have all the answers,” Kreal says. “Our clients guide us. They tell us what’s slowing them down or what could make their jobs safer, and we move fast to build it. That’s why new features can go from idea to implementation in weeks, not quarters.”
That agility stems from a distinctive internal culture. Kreal approaches product design through a multidimensional lens—considering the perspectives of leadership, staff, and inmates alike. “I’m always thinking about how each role experiences the system,” he explains. “Because I’m not focused solely on the technical side, I can concentrate on how it should actually work in practice. That perspective shapes everything we build.”
The result is a platform that evolves as the industry does—addressing new standards, compliance mandates, and operational realities with the speed and flexibility correctional leaders need. From automated dashboards that track out-of-cell compliance to reporting tools that simplify audits, JailCore continues to set new benchmarks for efficiency and accountability in corrections management.
Looking ahead, the company remains grounded in the same philosophy that spark edits creation: listen first, build second. “Innovation doesn’t come from ego,” Clements says. “It comes from empathy—understanding what users experience day in and day out and giving them technology that makes their world a little safer and a lot simpler.”
For JailCore, that’s not just a business model. It’s a mission.
