Institutional Corrections Technology Newsletter April

The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) was created in 1994 as a component of the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ's) Office of Science and Technology. NLECTC serves as an "honest broker" offering support, research findings, and technological expertise to help State and local law enforcement and corrections personnel perform their duties more safely and efficiently.

NLECTC has created this electronic newsletter to keep institutional corrections professionals informed about technology developments and how technology is being used by the field to enhance mission performance. We hope that you find this information useful.

	National Institute of Justice News
Click here for an article that appeared in the current edition of the *NIJ Journal*. The article, entitled: "Using Technology to Make Prisons and Jails Safer", describes some of NIJ's current work in support of Corrections.

Training

The West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), and the National Corrections and Law Enforcement Training and Technology Center (NCLETTC), annually host a Mock Prison Riot on the grounds of the former West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville.

The purpose of the riot is to showcase emerging corrections and law enforcement technologies, and to give corrections officers and tactical team members an opportunity to use and evaluate emerging technologies in riot training scenarios. The next Mock Prison Riot is scheduled for May 3-6, 2009.

Click here for more information.

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NLECTC's 10th annual Innovative Technologies for Community Corrections Conference will be held on June 1-3, 2009 in San Diego, CA. The conference focuses on the implementation of technology as well as new technologies on the horizon.

An exhibit hall will also be set up for attendees to interact with technology vendors.

Visit our website at: http://www.justnet.org/Pages/commcorr.aspxfor more information or to register.

Cell Phone Issues

According to this article appearing in the Baltimore Sun, Maryland prosecutors are alleging that an offender on trial for ordering the killing of a witness in a separate murder case, used a contraband cell phone to silence a witness from jail.

Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services officials acknowledge that contraband cell phones are a major problem in the state's prisons and jails. Last year, 947 phones were confiscated from prison cells. Click here for more information.

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Two New Jersey inmates were recently indicted for possession of an electronic communication device in a correctional facility. Click here for the article that appeared in the Newark Star-Ledger.

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According to this article appearing in The Reporter, a Solano County(CA) grand jury report indicates that inmates in possession of cell phones remains a serious security issue that needs to be addressed immediately at California Medical Facility in Vacaville. Click here for more information.

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North Dakota is one of the latest states to propose legislation making it a felony to attempt to smuggle cell phones into correctional facilities. Click here for the article appearing in the Bismarck Tribune.

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Never underestimate the ingenuity of an inmate. According to this Associated Press article, inmates in Brazil have found a way to use carrier pigeons to smuggle cell phones into prison. Click here for further information.

Green Technology

Click here for an informational publication on a Rooftop Solar Water Heating System installed by the Philadelphia Prison System at the Riverside Correctional Facility.

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Click here for an article appearing in the Capital News Service, which describes the amazing success that the Michigan Department of Corrections has had through the implementation of green technology.

Information Technology

According to this Associated Press article, Nevada lawmakers recently advanced a bill that would allow some state prison inmates limited access to the Internet. The plan is to set up kiosks where inmates could access incoming e-mails from approved senders and download MP3 digital files for a price. Click here for the article.

Click here to view the bill.

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This article appearing in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, describes a low-cost video teleconferencing system to be used in a new jail in Butler County, PA. The internet-based system will link the jail and the county's two criminal courtrooms. Click here for more information.

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This article appearing in The Capital Times, describes tension in Dane County, WI over the use of video teleconferencing - with the Sheriff in support and the Courts questioning its value. Click here for the article.

	Surveillance Technology
This *United Press International* article discusses a new video analytics system installed in a prison in Botswana. The system, according to the vendor, offers kinetic energy-sensor technology that protects against potential intruders into the facility, and monitors movement inside the prison to reduce potential incidents among inmates. Click here.

Less Than Lethal

This press release appearing on FoxBusiness.com, announces the launch of a new Taser technology called the Shockwave Area Denial System. The basic unit consists of a six-shot TASER ECD that covers a 20-degree arc with 25-ft XP TASER cartridges. The units can be stacked side-by-side, vertically, or can be 'daisy-chained' together in limitless combinations to allow an optimized response for every deployment. Click here for more information.

Thank you for reading and sharing the latest technology news with your colleagues. Please contact us if we can ever be of assistance.

Joe Russo

Assistant Director, NLECTC- Rocky Mountain

This project was supported by Cooperative Agreement No. 2005-IJ-CX-K001; awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice.