NCJ Number
125200
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 52 Issue: 4 Dated: (July 1990) Pages: 110,112,114
Date Published
1990
Length
3 pages
Annotation
In correctional facilities, rapid transmission of voice messages, videos, and data is critical for security.
Abstract
The correctional officer's ability to communicate with a local or central control room can be crucial to safety, along with having hands free while speaking with the control room. Inmates should also be able to communicate with an officer at all times. Communications systems must be tailored to a facility's specific needs; equipment must be designed and built with the latest technology. The buzzword in today's communications market is networking - the capability to combine several kinds of electronic communications into a single system. All aspects of a facility's security network can be combined into a single system including telephones, intercoms, voice paging, duress alarms, audio monitoring, door cameras and controls, lighting controls, smoke detectors, and various operational information systems. The integrated security system can also include a hard-copy printer, which prints out a record of all system activity. Large computerized systems such as these are becoming more affordable and save time and money.