June 2024

The Future of Safety: How Modern Technology Can Benefit Prison Units While Improving the Safety for Officers, Inmates, and the General Public

by Jason Henderson

During a recent board meeting, Facilities Division Director Ron Hudson spoke to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice about new projects for consideration. Hudson gave details on the installation of updated security fences at TDCJ units. One moment in the conversation that got everyone’s attention, “if you touch it, it’s going to hit you with anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 volts!”

A traditional security perimeter at a prison consists of inner and outer fencing, barbed or razor wire, security lights and cameras, as well as manned guard towers positioned along the perimeter. TDCJ employees refer to these guard towers as “pickets” from the French word piquet signifying a group of soldiers placed on a defensive forward position to provide warning of an enemy attack.

The voltage Hudson was describing is part of a modern pulse detection fencing system. This new pulse fence would attach to the inner fence. Fifty-four wires would run horizontally up 15 feet to the top of the fence throughout the entire perimeter of the unit. The system is broken into zones so if there is any need of repair, one zone can be shut down without affecting the rest of the zones.

The pulse fences use sensors to measure the tension and vibration of the wires. When an intruder is detected, a notification is sent to a controller or command center. If the wires are electrified, energy is constantly sent through it. This will deliver a shock to an intruder making it almost impossible to climb the fence. Several other states have implemented this type of system in their correctional facilities including Ohio, Colorado, Florida, and Georgia.

Hudson explained that the voltage of the wires is divided into two phases. If someone were to touch the bottom of the fence, they would be met with 8,000 to 10,000 volts. Further up the fence, if someone managed to make it that high, they would be hit with 16,000 to 20,000 volts.

Beyond this shocking deterrent, the new pulse fencing system eliminates the need for manned pickets around the unit. From the new fencing projects already in use at other units, 22 pickets have already been closed, which means about 60 TDCJ employees were moved from those pickets to other much needed positions inside those units. From a financial standpoint, after all these fences are installed and the correctional officers moved to other available positions, the entire system pays for itself within eight years.

Another new technology being implemented at the TDCJ is the MailSecur T-Ray mail screening system. Eighty-seven machines will be sent to the units and post offices. Although personal inmate correspondence has already transitioned to digitized mail going to the inmate’s tablets, these new mail screening systems will be for special mail and packages, such as legal mail.

The new scanning systems can detect materials such as liquids, powders, and chemically treated paper. These scanners use a multicolored screen display to assist employees in detecting all nine of the Department of Homeland Security’s designated substances compared to only three out of nine from a traditional x-ray machine.

Amanda Flinn, assistant director of Classifications and Records explained, “The saying is that ‘ink does not float,’ so if the scanner detects certain movements within the envelope this could be cause for concern. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s something bad. But if there is some type of fluid or powder in the envelope, it will need to be further examined.”

All mail arriving to a unit is scanned through the MailSecur machines, including mail for the warden, legal mail for inmates, media correspondence, and business mail. After legal mail is inspected, it is then given to the inmate where it is opened in view of an officer or other TDCJ employee.

“Sometimes we will receive mail that appears to come from politicians or attorney general’s offices with anomalies in the packages,” Flinn said. “What we are finding out is inmates are getting the documents then mailing it back out to their family, who then mail it back in with contraband.”

Flinn feels positive about these new scanning systems.

“I think this will have a huge impact on our contraband interdiction,” she said. “I think it’s made a big difference in the amount of contraband that is seized.”

The TDCJ is constantly examining new techniques and resources to help improve the health and safety for inmates and employees.

“We are always looking for new technologies and updating procedures. We talk to other states as well trading ideas to see what works,” Bobby Lumpkin, Correctional Institutions Division director said. “We are always examining the latest trends and practices to see what might work for Texas.”