In Hong Kong, ready to start creating the first "smart" prisons

Ensuring the safety of prisoners is not an easy task: they can “pump up” to death with secretly carried drugs, terrorize their cellmates and engage in self-harm.

The Hong Kong Department of Corrections (CSD) has developed a plan for the use of robots, wearable electronic devices and other technologies of the Internet of Things in order to improve the management of the 8,300 prisoners held in megalopolis prisons.

The first step towards creating a “smart prison system” will be testing several technologies in order to integrate them into everyday practice. One of these technologies is a robotic arm, screening the feces of just-arrived prisoners in order to detect items that are prohibited in the prison and, above all, drugs. 

The following know-how is a tracking bracelet that has a lot in common with a regular fitness bracelet. It will be used to monitor the physical condition of prisoners and their location. In case of deviations from the “norm” - feeling unwell, self-harm, etc., the prison administration will immediately receive a notification.

Correctional facility Pik Uk is currently testing a “smart” video surveillance system, which includes 12 cameras with “video analytic monitoring functions”. They can record the unusual behavior of prisoners, in particular, the harm to themselves or property.

And yet talking about the effectiveness of these innovations is premature. So, last year, two prisoners in Hong Kong prisons committed suicide, and 48 did harm themselves. Nevertheless, the experience gained will certainly come in handy when creating the smart prisons of the future.

techcult.ru