Visitor monitoring systems more important than ever as number of prison officers drops by 30% in 3 years


Solid and reliable visitor monitoring systems that are mostly automated and require a minimum level of assistance from prison staff will soon become a “must have” for all detention facilities, given the fact that the number of prison officers in England and Wales has been cut by 30 per cent in three years.

Visitor monitoring systems more important than ever as number of prison officers drops by 30% in 3 years image 1

The figures obtained by the Howard League for Penal Reform also point out that the drop in officer numbers nationwide has coincided with a deepening prison overcrowding crisis and an alarming rise in the number of self-inflicted deaths in custody.

The findings are published in the Howard League’s latest research briefing paper, Breaking point: Understaffing and overcrowding in prisons. The paper also warns that suicides, assaults and riots will become increasingly common unless urgent action is taken to increase officer numbers and reduce prisoner numbers.

Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “The prison system is at breaking point. Everyone should be concerned at the crisis in prisons as when people come out of jail they are more likely to inflict more crime on us.

The implementation of a very solid and reliable visitor monitoring system within prisons is another measure that could help streamline the prison officers’ activity, and this is specifically where Tensor Prison Pass will prove its worth.

Our Prison Pass solution is a low cost, easy to install, computer based pass system for registering each visitor, both on and off site that will enable HM Prison Service Officers to quickly check the identity and monitor the movements of visitors.

A photograph taken by a digital or eyeball camera is printed on a bar-coded pass using a high speed printer so each visitor is easily identified. Then, at controlled monitor points, the visitor pass badge is simply swiped and a high quality digital image appears to the HM Prison Service Officers thus verifying that the correct person is passing through.

Additionally, biometrics can be combined with the visitor badges to operate the system. Tensor’s range of dermal fingerprint reading technology gives increased accuracy and reliability, and is perfect for when irrefutable proof of identity is required.

Tensor can offer various financing and rental packages to both private and public sector organisations who wish to install our products so, if you’d like to find out more about the Prison Pass solution or any other Tensor product, just contact us or Book a Demo.

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