Dense Correctional Facility Populations and the
Key Role of RTLS in Safety
Across Asia Pacific, the corrections system spans federal and state prisons, local jails, juvenile detention centres and other related facilities. There’s no one type of correctional facility, just as there’s no one way to generalize a given facility’s population. But in densely packed facilities where tensions can run high and violent interactions are a risk for both inmates and staff, safety enhancements to reduce violence can be the difference between life and death.
That’s why an accurate and fast real-time locating system (RTLS) is so critical in the corrections environment. But the environment itself—the facility’s physical makeup—can pose problems that some traditional RTLS technology just can’t solve. That’s where we come in.
Corrections Facilities are Complex Physical Environments
At Actall, we often discuss facilities in terms of their complexity. In the case of corrections, that means acknowledging the impact that the facility design has on duress or alarm signal propagation. Factors include extremely dense building materials such as reinforced concrete floors and thick walls, as well as layouts that include winding corridors, tunnels, firewalls, stairwells, industrial kitchens and laundries. When seconds count, it’s of the utmost importance that signals are able to travel quickly to the designated head-end receiver with precise-as-possible location data.
We solve for these issues with dual-band technology, precise RSSI tuning and granularity down to an individual cell—using pings and signals that are strong enough to travel long distances and nuanced enough to be easily distinguished from any competing signals or interference in a facility.
Tracking Is About More Than Staff and Inmate Safety
Highly accurate tracking to promote safety and enhance intervention techniques is of primary importance among our corrections clients. But at Actall, we see a future in which RTLS isn’t used merely to track or count individuals. When corrections officers and staff can see inmates performing their roles, staying out of trouble or exhibiting positive behaviours as indicated by their movements and participation in the facility, corrections staff will be able to appropriately reward those individuals—potentially leading to positive behaviour change and long-term outcomes.
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