NCJ Number
141444
Journal
Large Jails Network Bulletin Volume: 1 Issue: 4 Dated: (March 1990) Pages: 4-5
Date Published
1990
Length
2 pages
Annotation
The new jail facility in Santa Rica, California, integrates the latest technology with operational procedures to provide for safe, efficient, and effective handling of inmates.
Abstract
The facility has a capacity of about 3,500 inmates and is laid out in a decentralized "campus" style. The 850,000 square feet of building space are divided into three sections: 18 self-contained housing units, a core building, and a service building. Because of the facility's size and the need to bring services to inmates, a key part of the facility's technology is a unique robotic service system called the Automated Guided Vehicle System (AGVS). The AGVS is designed to deliver from the service building to inmate housing units all meals, laundry, commissary items, and supplies. The system consists of 19 computer-driven, battery-powered vehicles that move 163 carts over 12,000 lineal feet of concealed guidepath at a speed up to 3 miles per hour. At the destination, an electronic sensor detects each cart and signals the housing unit of its arrival. Under staff supervision, inmates push the cart into the housing unit. The vehicles are designed to operate in all types of weather and can handle grades of 10 percent. Safety and security features of the AGVS include obstacle detection, a cart travel lock, a global recall button, and tamperproof features. The AGVS in the Santa Rita facility cost about $7 million, but systems for smaller facilities start at $300,000.