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Mobile Inmate Tracking Technology in Corrections

As technology has unleashed exponential productivity and power within the corrections industry, many are left wondering how mobile scanners can best suit their facility’s needs.

The new era of digital transformation has made waves across the correctional industry, leaving many agencies wondering how to keep their facilities updated with the latest technological innovations. One of the many newer cutting-edge technologies that have proven to help correctional staff stay on track with their daily operations is handheld devices, otherwise known as mobile scanners. 

This blog covers the use cases of handheld devices in the corrections realm as well as the key considerations that agencies should weigh in when selecting which device best suits their facility’s unique needs.

Handheld Scanners in Corrections

In the last decade or so, handheld scanners have been introduced to the corrections industry as a method for mobile inmate tracking. These devices mimic a smartphone, making them easily adoptable as most people are already comfortable with them and use them on a daily basis. 

As correctional facilities seek more efficient, effective, and accurate ways to conduct security rounds, handheld scanners have essentially become the holy grail. Just like with a smartphone, these handheld devices can pull up the necessary information on inmates and the facility, document what inmates are where, what supplies they have in their possession, if they have meds due, if they’ve eaten a meal that day, and much, much more.

Handheld scanners can be used in correctional facilities to:

  • Identify inmates: By using either inmate wristbands or ID cards, inmates have unique identification that can be scanned by handheld devices, such as GUARDIAN RFID’s SPARTAN device. This allows officers to pull up an inmate's mugshot, history, and other critical information in a matter of seconds. 

  • Track inmate activities and movements: Piggy-backing off inmate identification, officers can track the movements and behaviors of inmates with their mobile devices. If an inmate goes to medical, rec, court, or any other location within or outside the walls, an officer can quickly document and track their movements. The same goes for any supplies they may check out, from books to razors, knowing who has what is a critical aspect in avoiding misuse of objects. 

  • Distribution of meals and medication: If an inmate claims they were not offered a meal or their needed medication, would you be prepared to dispute their claims? With mobile devices, like the SPARTAN, you can easily review who was offered what, when, by whom, and if the inmate accepted or declined it (assuming it was all documented accurately by the officer interacting with the inmate). This type of data collection and reporting capabilities allow you to quickly and easily pull up the data you need to prove that they were offered whatever they are claiming they weren’t offered. 

  • Conduct security rounds: Using RFID hard tags, officers can quickly document which inmates are in specific cell blocks or areas. By using a mobile device, you can quickly scan a tag and document who is where and what they are doing, or how they are behaving. This helps ensure that officers are conducting security rounds efficiently and accurately, furthering the security of the facility and compliance percentages.

Selecting the Right Choice for Mobile Inmate Tracking

Every facility has its own set of unique needs, making it difficult to know which is the “right” choice to select. Below are some additional questions for your facility to consider when debating which handheld scanner solution is best suited for your facility:

  1. What data is staff collecting and how do you want to collect it? (e.g. RFID or QR Code.)

  2. Who developed the application for the handheld scanner? 

  3. What is the JMS system you’re currently using compatible with?

  4. How do you charge your handheld scanner and how well does it maintain its battery? Does it support a docking cradle or a micro-USB port? 

  5. Does your handheld scanner have mobile device management software installed on it? If so, can it track device locations? 

These are just a few of the considerations you should have in the back of your mind when making decisions about which mobile device to go with. Things like battery life or breakability are important to cotempalte because you don’t want a device dying or breaking mid-shift. GUARDIAN RFID’s SPARTAN is an Android device that has enhanced functionality to withstand nearly every scenario in corrections. From battery life to durability, these devices have become a pillar technology in the corrections industry.

While deciding which mobile device option to select is more-so a personal preference, it’s important to consider the different functionalities of options as they can drastically change a device's reliability, accuracy, efficiency, and effectiveness.

Weighing the pros and cons between the two is crucial in choosing the device that is going to be the most durable and ideal option for your facility. With differences in battery life, breakability, location tracking, and other key functions of the device, it comes down to what you need as a facility to function without unnecessary headaches from unreliable devices.