While corrections facilities vary widely, detecting contraband is a critical challenge across the country. Like all security challenges, there is no single contraband detection solution that does it all. Preventing items that can be used as weapons from entering facilities is a matter of life and death. In sometimes short-staffed and overcrowded facilities, improvements are needed to address the high rates of assaults on corrections officers and inmate-on-inmate violence.
In addition, drugs smuggled into corrections facilities have resulted in an addiction epidemic and an exponential increase in drug-related deaths of incarcerated persons. In a recent study, it was estimated that more than 58% of inmates in correctional facilities meet the definition of drug dependence or abuse. Beyond drugs, interdicting cellular phones, cigarettes and alcohol are high priorities as they are known to support criminal activities.
A recent study and report funded by the National Institute of Justice cited the primary point of entry for contraband like drugs, cell phones and weapons is returning incarcerated individuals, facility staff or personnel, and visitors to facilities. To date, the first line of defense against contraband has been walk-through metal detectors, physical search, video surveillance and K-9s. More recently, corrections facilities have installed body scanners that utilize X-rays to screen individuals for concealed contraband and items that are carried inside the body or in body cavities.
However, metal detectors cannot detect non-metallic objects and contraband on staff and visitors. X-ray systems work well to detect weapons and drugs on inmates but don’t take into account privacy or health implications. In many states, the use of X-ray technology in correctional facilities is prohibited – particularly for minors – while large national agencies like the Transportation Security Administration have switched to using millimeter wave scanning technology.
CURRENT CONTRABAND DETECTION TECHNOLOGIES
Metal detection, the baseline contraband detection methodology to screen returning inmates, staff and visitors, is easy to use and requires little training. But metal detectors do just that and cannot detect any of the non-metallic or non-ferrous concealed items and contraband entering prisons. Newer, more capable X-ray body scanners introduced more recently to corrections facilities can detect far more concealed contraband and can reduce the need for strip searches, but these systems come with significant challenges.
Costly and requiring highly trained staff to discern concealed contraband, the systems also use ionizing radiation which exposes both those being screened and security operators to potentially harmful long-term doses of radiation. Moreover, the resolution of the scanners has proven to be insufficient to detect many of the small, concealed items and narcotics that are entering facilities.
Although successful security screening measures are paramount in every jail in the country, facilities must consider the ramifications of their particular equipment.
It’s critical that the screening system’s efficacy doesn’t infringe on the rights and respect for the privacy of the individuals who are being scanned.
Security protocols must also be safe for everyone who passes through any equipment used and the officers who operate it.
HIGH-RESOLUTION AUTOMATED BODY SCANNERS
First introduced to aviation security screening, high-performance and safe millimeter wave body scanners have made tremendous advancements in detection and applicability to corrections contraband prevention efforts.
So how do they work? Millimeter wave systems use safe radio waves instead of ionizing radiation. These radio waves bounce off the body and cannot penetrate skin like X-ray-based body scanners but they “see” concealed anomalies of any kind and made from any material (metallic and non-metallic). This means that, unlike X-ray-based body scanners, the non-ionizing screening system is completely safe for all individuals, including children and pregnant women.
Of the new technologies, many corrections facilities turn to R&S QPS Quick Personnel Security Scanners by Rohde & Schwarz. What sets QPS scanners apart is their ultra-high definition resolution and automated detection capabilities. Able to discern even the smallest of carefully concealed items, the system’s sophisticated AI and deep learning algorithms enable automated detection of contraband made from any material — opaque, metallic or non-metallic.
Requiring minimal operator training, QPS systems scan five times faster than the blink of an eye and deliver results in just over a second without requiring operators to review any images to identify contraband or threats. QPS systems display any alarm on an avatar to direct screeners to the location of any detected concealed anomaly. These features make QPS scanners ideal for screening juveniles, visitors and staff, and their hands-down scan pose makes security screening especially simple for those with mobility challenges.
The resulting scan appears with exceptionally high quality – with an image resolution of about 2mm by 2mm by 4mm to be exact, says Darren McCarthy, technical marketing manager at Rohde & Schwarz. He explains that clarity in an easy-to-understand analogy: “Current technology is like coloring using a box of crayons with eight colors,” he said. “The QPS is like using 256 colors.”
Whatever anomalies appear in the scan, whether drugs, weapons or other contraband, are presented on an avatar in the specific zone, providing complete privacy for the individual being scanned and reducing the skill set required by the operators to make an assessment of an image. “When you use a technology that can see the human body with resolution, it definitely means that the privacy rights of people need to be protected,” McCarthy emphasized. “This is why no images are presented, but rather an avatar with detailed zone alarms.”
There are two models of QPS scanners that are currently being used in high-volume and high-security screening operations:
R&S QPS201
The R&S QPS201 has been validated as one of the highest-performing body scanners available. It is differentiated by its ultra-high-definition automated detection capability, flat panel design, millisecond scan time and hands-down scan pose. Requiring minimal training and reliable performance, it has rapidly become one of the most widely used body scanners in airport security screening and other high-security venues. For corrections facilities or others with staffing challenges, the QPS201 can be deployed using its auto-scan feature.
R&S QPS WALK2000 Fully Automated Body Scanner
One of the newest security technologies, the R&S QPS WALK scans individuals for concealed threats and contraband made of any material in real time as they walk through the system. QPS WALK’s fully automatic scanning reduces staffing requirements and supports high-volume precision security screening.
R&S QPS TECHNOLOGY IN CORRECTIONS FACILITIES
Corrections facilities in the U.S. are increasingly upgrading to R&S QPS technology as are those internationally. The Norwegian Correctional Service was an early user of R&S QPS scanners and is deploying systems across its 57 prisons and correctional facilities. Almost 70% of these are high security and, like other corrections facilities, require effective screening of staff, visitors and inmates to prevent the flow of weapons, drugs, cell phones and other types of potentially dangerous or prohibited objects.
The Norwegian Correctional Service, along with other facilities in the United States, have gained greater peace of mind knowing they are not exposing inmates or screening system operators to harmful radiation while simultaneously keeping contraband out. It’s a win-win that boosts efficiency and accuracy all while protecting the rights of those who are incarcerated.
Visit Rohde & Schwarz for more information.