A new electronic visiting-application system for visitors to all state adult correctional facilities will kick off Monday, replacing a system that required visitors to submit through the U.S. mail.

I served as a U.S. Marine before spending my career running some of America’s most complex prisons. Those years taught me about leadership, structure and the human cost when systems bend and break.

The recent wildcat strike by New York state corrections officers, which resulted in the firing of more than 2,000 prison guards, highlights deep-seated challenges within the system. This problem is ...