By Luke Whyte
Alongside the workshops, the most exciting part of this year’s American Correctional Association Summer Conference was the array of new technologies displayed on the exhibit hall floor.
With issues like budget cuts, overcrowding and high recidivism rates infiltrating states across the country, certain wireless innovations and web-based technologies provide key steps towards affordable and effective solutions to a variety of problems.
With this in mind, Corrections1 has selected a few of the more intriguing high-tech products and companies from the conference and collected them here for our readers.
We hope this proves useful.
The Sentry
Sentry System was showcasing its flagship product at this year’s ACA summer conference, The Sentry, a “personal wireless pendant system designed to protect officers and employees from hazards such as violent attacks or environmental dangers by pinpointing who it is that needs help and where they are.”
The Sentry is an intriguing little device. It’s rectangular and no bigger than a cell phone holster, allowing an officer can fasten it to their duty belt. In the device’s center is a little button. Push it and a voice message is instantly broadcast over all existing facility hand-held radios, telling everyone not only that someone needs help, but exactly where that person is located in the facility.
Sentry Systems says the automated system provides a critical edge over the use of “live” dispatchers who, at any time, could be caught up finding a key, checking IDs at a sally port or using the bathroom when a call goes out.
One of the more interesting features of the wireless pendant is the pull-pin safety lanyard that can be attached to its belt loop. If an attacker tries to take the pendant away from the officer, the lanyard will pull out the activation pin and send an alarm.
The Sentry can also be outfitted with a “man down” tilt detector circuit that automatically recognizes in an officer is incapacitated on the floor and sends out an alarm, providing critical security if an attack comes before the officer is able to react.
The system is totally wireless and the repeaters and locators positioned throughout the facility that are necessary for it to function require only a 110 volt power plug. “This represents a tremendous reduction in labor and installation costs,” says Sentry Systems, “making The Sentry very affordable.”
The device can be also be synchronized with other in-house systems like general fire alarms, or event timers allowing the announcement of shift changes or inspections. For more information, visit www.sentry-systems.com.
einmate.com
Few Internet-based technologies have provided such potential to the correctional environment as einmate.com does. A secure e-mail, instant messaging, and video visitation system for inmates and their family and friends, einmate seeks to limit physical visitations and almost completely cut out the need for hand-written mail. This, in turn, increases security and cuts costs.
Installation, repair, and use is completely free for the institution.
“We don’t charge you any price for anything,” said Greg Newbill, vice president of einmate administration.
Basically, it works by allowing inmates’ family and friends to log on to einmate.com, sign up for the service, locate their inmate and then transfer money into an inmate account. After the prison approves the new account, inmates will be able to converse with an administrator-approved contact list via secure e-mail and video visitation.
“It’s secure,” Newbill said, “all the inmates see is a screen, they never have access to the Internet or a hard drive. The institution governs how long the inmate can stay on the computer. Once (the inmate) hits send, the letter stays in queue until it can be approved and we decide to open the flood gates”.
As you can imagine, einmate lowers risk by limiting the opportunities for contraband to enter the facility.
Further, administrators are given full control over what inmates can and can’t access, who they can and cannot talk to, and what they can and can’t say. A keyword/phrase database is developed by the facility, helping staff to recognize when inmates begin to discuss crime-related issues.
einmate provides free hardware repairs on any and all damaged parts. Learn more at www.einmate.com.
LearnKey, Inc
Just prior to the 2009 ACA summer conference, LearnKey, Inc announced the release of their new “21st Century Inmate Re-entry Program.” It’s a series of virtual classroom courses that can be provided to inmates either online, via CD-Rom or through an institution’s intranet. The program is designed to provide “on-demand access to award winning Post Secondary Occupational Certification Programs.”
The beauty of LearnKey’s program is that due to its digital format, it brings the classroom environment to the inmate without compromising facility security.
“Our mission is to provide inmates training for certifications, matching marketable job skills identified by the U.S. Bureau of Labor. This can play a big part in their re-entry to society,” said company founder and CEO, John Clemons. “LearnKey takes the classroom experience to the individual learner - wherever it is needed. Helping people gain knowledge and improve their personal situation through effective training. These courses use state-of-the-art technology, are extremely engaging and interactive, and pave the road to certifications,” said Clemons.
Most of the programs provided by the service are tailored to fit job skills that the U.S. Bureau of Labor has listed as “marketable.” However, there are others that provide more foundational training like their “Life Skills” track, which teaches inmates about setting goals and overcoming stress and negative influences or their “computer fundamentals” track that prepares inmates for entry into a computer-driven workplace.
With recidivism rates at as high as 70 percent and staff budgets being cut across the country, LearnKey’s entry into the realm of inmate re-entry programs comes at a critical time, providing innovative programs to under-staffed facilities.
Learn more at www.learnkey.com/reentry
Purchasing decisions
One of the topics on everyone’s lips at the ACA’s exhibit hall was the issue of budget reductions. Certainly, with the current recession times are tough at correctional facilities.
These products have been specifically chosen for this report because of their cost and time-saving attributes. Nonetheless, be sure to check out Robert Hood’s article on “Useful Techniques for Surviving Budget Cuts” for more information on the subject.