The Role of IoT in Redefining Prison Security

This article highlights a few key factors to consider when digitizing correctional facilities, a subject that encompasses far more than simply eliminating paper-based processes.

Fremont, CA: Prisons are typically associated with outdated structures made of iron, steel, concrete, and minimal facilities. However, we often overlook the significant role that digital and transformative technology plays in how prisons operate and how inmates interact with their environment and the outside world. Digital transformation is affecting every industry, including the justice and prison sectors. This shift is reshaping the delivery of justice, the execution of sentences, and the management of prisons.

Digital transformation is impacting every industry, including the justice and prison sectors. This revolution is reshaping the delivery of justice, the execution of sentences, and the management of prisons.

IoT Technology is Making Prisons into Smart Buildings:

Intelligent building technology allows building owners to oversee various aspects, such as security and energy consumption. The Internet of Things (IoT) encompasses cloud-based software, hardware, and sensor networks that facilitate the connection, remote monitoring, and management of devices within correctional facilities. By leveraging IoT technology, prisons can streamline operations, enhance cost efficiency, and minimize potential errors throughout the process.

Prisons and Smart Tech:

IoT provides prisons with unprecedented insights and resources that were previously unavailable. This groundbreaking data's advantages in a correctional environment are primarily focused on enhancing safety and security for both prisoners and staff. However, IoT also offers significant benefits in various other crucial areas.

Similar to other industries, innovative technology is revolutionizing and replacing outdated practices within the prison system. It assists the staff and their organizations in carrying out operational tasks with greater efficiency, effectiveness, and speed. This reduces the time spent away from essential duties, maximizing staff productivity and job satisfaction.

Asset tracking:

Like any other institution with a wide range of equipment, correctional facilities must monitor assets to prevent misuse or loss. Implementing Internet of Things (IoT) technology, commonly through tags, sensors, and readers, enables precise inventory management and control within prison premises. This technology assists prison managers and staff in locating items and individuals whenever necessary.

Identifying Inmates:

RFID tags and sensors offer a rapid, economical, and ingenious method for monitoring the mobility and whereabouts of prisoners and personnel. For example, they can be programmed to notify prison staff in the event of a substantial gathering of inmates in a specific zone, thereby bolstering security measures and ensuring the overall safety of all individuals within the correctional facility.

Using RFID technology, tracking inmates suspected of smuggling contraband and identifying any unusual behavior that may denote a potential problem becomes possible. Moreover, it can also generate alerts if rival inmates come into proximity to each other and detect the presence of unauthorized individuals in restricted areas.

An RFID wristband can store the information of every inmate and officer, including their location, date, and time, providing staff with crucial data regarding the inmates' prison histories. By utilizing tracking systems, headcounts can be automated quickly and accurately in real time, eliminating the need for manual log entries.