NCJ Number
112279
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 50 Issue: 4 Dated: (July 1988) Pages: 122,128,130
Date Published
1988
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre in British Columbia, a combined remand center and maximum security prison, houses two separate inmate populations in living units with shared common facilities.
Abstract
Corrections staff are tracked as they move through the prison so that they can be dispatched efficiently in case of trouble. To achieve maximum security in this setting, a central computer system was designed to be fully redundant, and peripheral equipment was designed so that in the event of failure of any one piece of equipment, no more than one secure area would be left dysfunctional. All computer equipment is located in secure areas, and all cable was installed in conduit in areas protected from inmate tampering. During the day, three console operators are assigned to specific portions of the building; as traffic decreases, assignments can be changed so that one operator can control the entire prison. The system provides for entry/exit control, staff tracking, surveillance television, and intercommunications systems. Operators can lock and unlock cell doors, and inmate call buttons in each cell permit inmates to summon help. Similar sytems, installed in two other Canadian facilities, have incorporated access cards for staff, improved video detection techniques, and control of elevators. Photographs.