6 Tips for Zone-based Inmate Tracking Success

Zone-based inmate tracking is a powerful, practical alternative to coordinate-based inmate tracking. But how do you determine whether a long-range, zone-based inmate tracking system is right for you and your facility? Start by asking yourself some questions.

Do you:

1. Have unescorted inmate movements or controlled movements that require verification of inmate arrival and travel time?

2. Maintain a high inmate-to-staff ratio?

3. Suspect (or have empirical evidence to show) inmates are taking liberties while getting from one destination to another?

4. Are your workflows so heavily dependent on manual or paper-based systems that you cannot determine, with any level of precision, where inmates are at any given time? Or, is the time and effort needed to collect and share this information resulting in delays that may (or are) causing security concerns? 

If you answered “Yes” to at least three out of the four questions, you may find it useful to deploy a zone-based inmate tracking system. This blog highlights six tips to maximize your success with a zone-based inmate tracking system.

First, let’s cover some terms:

A THRESHOLD is a virtual boundary formed by one or more long-range readers that provide a consistent and continuous read zone. A threshold detects a long-range RFID tag across a customizable distance that helps to confirm tag identity, presence, and direction. This means that a threshold is able to identify inmates and their presence, including whether they are entering or exiting a threshold, and which zone they originated from and entered into.

A ZONE is space within a correctional facility that is meaningful to the OmniPresence application. In broad terms, a zone can be a building, floor, pod, hallway, recreation yard, etc. A zone-based inmate tracking system will always place inmates into a virtual box that can be displayed visually on a digital blueprint.

A CHECKPOINT is a type of threshold that enables the application to identify an inmate’s location. It’s essentially a breadcrumb waypoint that confirms the presence and, together with other checkpoints, helps to define the path an inmate takes to travel from point A to point B.

1. Get Your Team’s Input 

Opening up the door to all team members and receiving input on data collection objectives and what intel you will need to share in the near and long term is extremely helpful. Front-line officers are the ones on the ground and can offer the most accurate insights into what needs to be done. 

Data collection and reporting are exceptionally powerful with long-range inmate tracking systems. Thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of tag reads can be captured in mere minutes. However, most of that data is simply just “noise,” unless you can apply it. Distilling the data you actually need to a crucial level preserves your ability to “see the trees through the forest” and to communicate critical, security information to those who need to know.

For example, system notifications within your zone-based inmate tracking system must trigger intelligently at the speed of light in the event of a violation of movement or attempted movement that may breach any number of parameters. 

If an inmate from Housing Unit A intentionally enters Housing Unit F to attempt to assault another inmate, a notification must be pushed immediately to nearby staff members or select user groups so that swift action can be taken. If inmates from opposing gangs converge toward the same zone, staff must be alerted quickly to avert potential violence. Or, if an inmate has a call-out to go to medical at 10 am from an inmate program, the system must monitor the inmate’s movement to ensure on-time arrival, in addition to verifying that the amount of travel time was acceptable.

Another key factor in successful zone-based inmate tracking systems is to consider the quantity and location of your thresholds, zones, and checkpoints. These are the essential building blocks of a successful inmate tracking system.

2. Consider which inmate identification option suits your facility 

Long-range RFID tags are available in either wristband or ID badge form. Most prisons use inmate ID badges over wristbands for a variety of reasons – proven longevity, lower cost, and lower complexity than having sentenced inmates with high-tech wearables that they may try to ruin. 

If you’re already using ID badges, a high-tech ID card, such as Universal ID from GUARDIAN RFID, greatly minimizes the amount of change inmates and staff members have to navigate. (Universal ID is a proprietary ID badge that supports simultaneous dual long-range and near-field support). 

When it comes to transferability concerns, are your inmates transferring ID badges between themselves now? If not, it’s even less likely to occur with long-range inmate tracking because of the higher level of automated scrutiny that each inmate would now face.

3. Consider what role mobile may play in your workflows

The beauty of long-range is that it supports completely hands-free, workflow tracking automation. However, there are circumstances where you’re going to want (or need) to verify a call-out movement. Or, you may need to update an inmate’s movement on the fly because he’s now being re-routed from his inmate worker location to visitation, and you’re well outside the reach of a computer to log this activity. 

That’s where mobility, supported by apps such as Mobile Command, can provide staff the flexibility to collect data in certain dynamic scenarios, such as where an inmate’s movement demands up-to-the-minute re-routing and no workstation or computer support is nearby to capture this information.

4. How much read range is supported?

Long-range RFID tags can support anywhere from 10 to 100 feet or more in read range. In contrast, with zone-based inmate tracking, you’re creating a series of strategically placed thresholds, checkpoints, and zones. These thresholds are often created at ingress and egress points. This commonly includes housing unit entrances, for example, as well as hallways and corridors.

Read range is an important aspect of the success of your long-range inmate tracking platform. Perhaps just as important is its read accuracy – if not more so. You can ensure that your reads are optimized by configuring and testing your long-range reader’s mounted location, as well as tuning certain reader settings, such as power and beam with our professional services team. These readers are highly configurable and support a wide range of use cases.

5. Evaluate the life expectancy and consider any upfront and ongoing expenses

Long-range Active RFID tags can vary in price. Their useful life will be limited to 1, 2, 3, or 4 years – not including having to replace intentionally damaged or defective tags that may be out of warranty. OmniPresence long-range tags are a unique, proprietary innovation that costs a fraction of the price of an Active RFID tag and yields high-performance, long-range tag reads. Our professional services team can answer any questions about pricing.

6. Leverage Cloud reporting and business intelligence tools

Cloud computing, powered by platforms such as OnDemand by GUARDIAN RFID, helps to accelerate time to deployment while reducing the overall total cost of ownership (TCO). That’s because long-range, zone-based inmate tracking powered by the Cloud virtually eliminates server software costs and enterprise maintenance (data backups, software platform updates, and general system updates.) 

Plus, you gain the complete independence of being able to access your data securely from any device, anywhere, while receiving real-time notifications, system emails, and Cloud-based reporting access.

But what if you lose power or Internet connection? Aren’t you required to have always-on internet access? With Command Cloud offline mode, we store and exchange data on an interim basis on your local area network. When power or Internet is restored, we auto-merge records with the Cloud so that your reporting is accurate and centralized.

With the GUARDIAN RFID Cloud, you can easily leverage business intelligence integration with leading platforms such as Qlik and Tableau to better analyze and understand your long-range data.

Long-range, zone-based inmate tracking is a practical, value-driven alternative to the longstanding coordinate-based inmate tracking systems that were attempted over the last 25 years.

If you have tightly controlled movements or rely too frequently on manual systems to manage high-volume inmate movement, a long-range, zone-based inmate tracking system may be right for you. Carefully consider your workflow objectives and your data collection and reporting needs. Identify where you want to create your thresholds, checkpoints, and zones and what type of inmate identification you want to use. Evaluate your preferred inmate identification form factor. 

Prisons frequently deploy ID badges because of their useful life and far less frequent attempts by inmates to intentionally remove their ID badges. Conversely, pretrial adult detention facilities more commonly deploy wristbands because of their lower unit cost and the fact that pretrial offenders are generally in custody for shorter time spans. Ultimately, it’s your choice to choose the form of inmate identification best suited for your facility and inmate population.

By considering the history of long-range inmate tracking and avoiding the mistakes of the past, you can place your team and your facility in the best position possible to make the most of zone-based inmate tracking with a demonstrable return on investment, lower TCO, and most importantly, a safer, more connected facility.