Alva Review-Courier -

BETHLEHM, Pa. (AP) — In a typical week, the state Department of Corrections receives a list of 1,000 inmates who need to be assigned to one of its 25 correctional facilities.

The process isn't straightforward. There are nearly 100 factors that determine where an inmate ends up — from the medical care they require and their age to their family's proximity to the prison and which programs they need to become eligible for parole.

It used to take seven corrections employees a week to figure out where they would go.

Now, with the push of a button, an algorithm designed by a group of Lehigh Universi...