A three-phase initiative will not only establish the council but will serve to develop a comprehensive needs assessment for technology in corrections. The first phase of the initiative is a preliminary technology survey distributed to approximately 200 correctional agencies, with the results serving as a beginning point for the comprehensive needs assessment. The second phase of the corrections technology initiative is selecting council members and conducting a first meeting to identify short- and long-term correctional technology needs, provide input for developing a national database on corrections technology, and plan an information center on technology to support corrections professionals. The final phase will focus on developing a comprehensive needs assessment in corrections technology and setting up working groups for specific technology projects.