Crowd-sourcing is largely enabled through cloud-based computing, where information, documents, and other materials are not stored locally on an individual's own computer, but are instead stored on a remote server and made accessible from any internet device. Cloud computing has rapidly been transforming the private and public sectors alike, as it helps make the sharing of information and applications more efficient.

According to a 2009 report from the Pew Center on the States, a division of The Pew Charitable Trusts, more than 7 million people are in jail or prison, or on probation or parole. With one in every 31 adults under some form of correctional control, the economic costs and burdens associated with this statistic are no doubt overwhelming. Compounding this issue is the fact that too often successful prisoner reentry—the process of leaving prison and returning to society—isn’t solely correlated to a specific release date.