ATLANTA, GA – Governor Nathan Deal has recognized the State Board of Pardons and Paroles for winning the the Technology Association of Georgia’s prestigious Excalibur Award. The agency received a commendation from the Governor at the State Capitol.

The annual Excalibur Award celebrates Georgia companies and organizations that demonstrate the best use of technology, typically provided by a third-party, to solve complex issues and processes in business and education.

The Georgia Parole Board was selected for its use of advanced voice recognition technology, provided by Georgia based AnyTrax, to reduce the workload of the parole officer, redirect resources to focus on higher risk/higher needs offenders, and to improve communication between parolees and their officers. The Parole Board was selected over two other finalists; the American Cancer Society and Emory University. The winners were announced in October.

Parole Board Chairman Terry Barnard says the right technology and effective implementation can improve public safety.

"We are pleased to be recognized by Governor Deal. The recognition is well deserved for the parole officers who have embraced this technology and their implementation of it has made our communities safer," Barnard said.

By utilizing the voice recognition system on offenders who have a track record of success on parole, parole officers are able to improve public safety by increasing supervision of higher risk/higher need offenders.

The Parole Board entered into the public/private partnership with AnyTrax in 2012 and since that time more than 10,000 offenders have reported through the system. The voice recognition system is more than 99% accurate and the parole successful completion percentage for offenders reporting through the system is over 97%.

For more information about the State Board of Pardons and Paroles please visit: www.pap.georgia.gov.