Jail Achieves Defensible Regulatory Compliance Through Automated RFID Technology
San Fernando, CA (Marketwire)- In a new initiative to automatically track and document critical interactions between individual jail detainees and guards, Hardin County Jail in Eldora, Iowa has implemented Clincher® RFID (radio frequency identification) Wristbands as a major enhancement to its GUARDIAN® RFID Corrections System from Codex Corp.
Nick Whitmore, Jail Administrator, states, “Clincher RFID Wristbands provide a new level of precise, point-of-contact verification of one-on-one interaction between the detainee and our correctional officers. The Clincher RFID Wristbands, with GUARDIAN® Mobile software, electronically validate our officer’s physical contact with detainees whether it’s to log headcounts, supply passes, jail rounds, or more.” Whitmore continues, “Before using Clincher RFID Wristbands, we solely relied on RFID tags positioned throughout the facility, which only provide our officer’s proof-of-presence within the general vicinity of the detainee. With Clincher, we now have electronic documentation of the inmate, date, time, location, and guard officer that were involved in each interaction.”
Hardin County Jail first installed the GUARDIAN RFID Corrections System in 2005 as a Correctional Compliance™ system for its 107 inmate capacity facility. Implemented in December 2009, the adoption of Clincher RFID Wristbands enhances the jail’s safety and security by providing non-transferable identification of detainees. Previously, Hardin County Jail used ID badges for inmate identification, but as Whitmore points out, “ID cards were sometimes lost by the detainees or taken by another inmate. With Clincher RFID Wristbands, the detainee’s ID stays intact at all times.” Clincher’s read/write technology interfaces with the GUARDIAN RFID Corrections System for real-time, electronic recordkeeping, tracking, and reporting.
Regulatory compliance within the jail is a key driver for the RFID applications now used at Hardin County Jail. As the officers scan an individual detainee’s Clincher RFID Wristband with their ruggedized mobile computers, powered by GUARDIAN Mobile software, the GUARDIAN system records the interaction at the point of contact which provides defensible documentation for regulatory compliance. “If there is an investigation on an assault or suicide occurrence, we’re able to document and prove in court that there was one-on-one contact between the individual detainee and jail guard. Being able to manage and document the individual interactions between guards and detainees is critical to several of our safety programs, including suicide prevention, drug abuse prevention, and medical care administration,” said Whitmore.
There are several applications designed to improve jail security and detainee safety, while also automating manual processes to save time and labor. Tracking the issuance and return of supplies -- especially dangerous supplies, such as shaving razors -- to individual detainees is now administered using Clincher RFID Wristbands. Another application is tracking the transfer of detainees from the jail to court and back to ensure all detainees are accounted.
Plans are underway for further application development at Hardin County Jail for automated documentation of other key compliance programs using the GUARDIAN RFID Corrections System and Clincher® RFID Wristbands.
For additional information regarding PDC’s Clincher® RFID Wristbands please call 800.838.3683 or visit www.pdcorp.com/clincher. For additional information on the GUARDIAN® RFID Corrections System by Codex Corp. call 866-382-6339 or visit www.codexcorp.com/guardian.
About Precision Dynamics Corporation
With over 50 years of experience, PDC is the global leader and pacesetter in the development of wristband and label systems for healthcare, leisure and entertainment, and law enforcement. The company introduced the first patient bar code ID wristband, patented Smart Band® Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) wristbands, and the award winning PDC Smart® Kiosk. PDC is committed to 100% quality in service, design, and manufacturing and has ISO-9001: 2000 and ISO-13485: 2003 certification. For more information, visit www.pdcorp.com.
About Codex Corp.
Codex Corp. is a provider of Correctional Compliance Software delivered as Software as a Service (SaaS) to government agencies and companies to address legal, corporate, and government compliance and risk management. Codex blends innovation and emerging technologies, including Web, radio frequency identification (RFID), and mobile computing to create practical, value-driven software solutions.