Introduction
This proposed design for a juvenile detention centre will uphold the necessity of prisoner tracking and the security of the detention centre guards through the use of embedded RFID technology. The IdentChip (the name of the proposed chip), a small innocuous device no bigger than a grain of rice, can be surgically inserted within the skin of a juvenile prisoner enabling a safe and efficient way for detention centre staff to access the personal history of juveniles as well as track their movements within the jail without having to track them via CCTV cameras and guards at every gate (Lavigne, Halberstadt & Parthasarathy, 2009). The RFID system can also limit the ability of juveniles to enter particular areas of the detention centre by keying the RFID frequency emitted by the chips to the door locks which helps to minimize instances where juveniles inadvertently get a hold of the keys to a restricted area of the prison (LaVigne et al., 2009). This report assumes that RFID tracking will lead to a more secure way of limiting the freedom of juvenile prisoners, thus lessening the need for more personnel at a detention facility.
Functionality
Each Identchip must link to a complete record of the prisoner via the serial number on the chip which has their block number, cell assignment, list of prior offenses, level of danger, prior escape attempts and time till release. This is for guards to be able to immediately identify prisoners on sight without wasting time by checking on the prison’s information database. The Identchip must have its own unique identifying digital signature to allow handheld and wall-mounted scanners to immediately distinguish prisoners. Such a feature is important given the need to distinguish who is who through the scanning process.
How is the Identchip system more efficient than the present-day processes utilized in juvenile detention centres?
The Identchip will be utilized to replace the current need to have multiple guards in various entrances and exits to control the flow of prisoners from one area of the prison to another. Utilizing automatic doors that have RFID readers on them, this will limit the ability of prisoners to gain access to other parts of the prison without the appropriate RFID code (Lavigne et al., 2009). Unauthorized personnel without the correct RFID registration will be barred from entering specific sections unless an override is utilized within the master control room of the prison. Access to cells and washrooms within the prison system will similarly be restricted based on the RFID registration of a prisoner with specific time slots being allotted for particular batch numbers. If a person does not belong to a batch that is supposed to use a facility at a particular time, they will not be allowed to enter (Lavigne et al., 2009). Prisoners will be informed why they are prevented from utilizing facilities at a particular time (i.e., via the Identchip system). They will be informed that they are being monitored and that the monitoring personnel is also the ones that limit access.
Prison Outline
Registration Center
The purpose of the registration centre is to create the inmate designation profile that will be correlated with the RFID chip that will be implanted into the prisoner. The centre will act as the initial drop off point for new prisoners before they are allowed to join the general population. Their picture will be taken as well as any relevant information (criminal, medical or otherwise) will be placed into a designated chip frequency code.
Cells
The cells and corridors will act as the primary method of controlling and limiting the movements of the juvenile delinquents. In combination with the normal bars, walls, and guards that ensure the prisoners stay within the facility, RFID readers and scanners will be scattered around the facility. Access to particular areas will be limited to people having the correct RFID frequency. This will result in limited access for prisoners resulting in fewer human guards needed to contain and control inmates.
Recreation Facilities
Recreation facilities for the juvenile delinquents at the centre consist of a basketball court, bodybuilding gym and various areas where they can play table tennis or chess. It is expected that these facilities should help to alleviate the boredom associated with incarceration.
Counselling Centre
The counseling centre of the facility is where inmates will be brought to talk to a guidance counselor regarding their behaviour and what potential remedies can be implemented (Zdun, 2012). It is expected that a counseling centre should be able to get to the bottom of the issues that drive the adverse behaviour of juvenile prisoners and resolve them to prevent such an individual from becoming a career criminal (Giebel & Hosser, 2013).
Skills Development Centre
The skills development centre will focus on helping the juvenile inmates (at least the older ones) in developing marketable skills that will enable them to acquire a job in the future. Through such a facility, it is expected that inmates will be able to develop the necessary job skills to avoid a life of crime (Giebel & Hosser, 2013).
Monitoring of Inmates
This section details how inmates will be tracked and monitored while they are outside of their cells and are accessing various parts of the juvenile detention centre. It will showcase how the monitoring devices interact with the prisoners and how access is granted or denied in specific scenarios.
Example of Hallway based RFID sensor at work
As can be seen in the example above, the RFID tracker in the corridors and various areas of the prison are wall-mounted and placed out of the reach of the prisoners. They continuously send out a query to the various tags which then respond via a signal they emit, which helps to distinguish one tag from another (Lavigne et al., 2009). By placing each reader in various corridors of the prison that prison has to go through, the system is thus able to track their movements in real-time via continuous log data regarding places where the RFID trackers have mapped their movement.
Design of the Tracking System
Example of the system in action – design
As seen in the diagram provided, the design of the system is pretty straightforward. Once an inmate approaches the range of the reader, their RFID chip is scanned, and its unique identifying marker is searched for within the system. Once the system matches the identifying marker on the chip with the one in the system, the movement of that prisoner is logged within the server and then placed into a map grid that is unique to that particular prisoner (LaVigne et al., 2009). When queried regarding the movement of a particular prisoner, two windows will appear: one will show the log history of the prisoner’s movements while the other will show a virtual representation of the movement of the prisoner based on his/her logged movement within the prison. Through this process, the guards will know exactly where a prisoner is at all times.
Reference List
Giebel, S., & Hosser, D. (2013). Criminal careers of young adult offenders after release. Central European Journal Of Operations Research, 21(2), 411-413.
Lavigne, N., Halberstadt, R., & Parthasarathy, B. (2009). Evaluating the Use of Radio Frequency Identification Device Technology to Deter Misconduct in Prison. American Society of Criminology, 5(1), 1.
Zdun, S. (2012). The meaning of agency in processes of desisting from delinquent behaviour in prison: an exploratory study among juvenile inmates in Germany. Journal Of Social Work Practice, 26(4), 459-472.