A False Sense of Security: 12 Factors For Securing Your Facility Beyond Reasonable Doubt

With nothing but time on their hands, they can watch and assess both corrections officers and security protocols, carefully observing the procedures and tools used to keep order. And then, they can formulate effective plans to get around them.

The result is that contraband is one of the most serious issues facing correctional facilities today. From drugs to weapons to cell phones, attempts to smuggle contraband into correctional facilities reached record levels in 2017: “In spite of our diligent efforts, we are experiencing a vast increase in the amount of contraband being introduced into correctional facilities statewide, which is exacerbated by current staffing shortages,” wrote Ricky Dixon, Florida’s deputy secretary of institutions this year. Virtually every state is facing the same problems.

As a result, the pressure to make smart investments in security technology has never been greater. But it can be very difficult to select the best tools and technologies to use in combatting contraband. Facilities must understand their problems and recognize that many of them are coming from within in ways that traditional detection technologies can miss. As a result, typical tools may not fully address the problem, and if the tried-and-true is falling short, what can work?

Thankfully, detection technologies have come a long way. Facilities have more options available than ever, and it’s crucial to understand how to compare those options. No two products are exactly alike, even if they’re both used to fight contraband. Two items that appear very similar on the surface can be very different underneath.

That’s where this guide comes in.

Step by step, we’ll present the critical questions to ask when investigating and evaluating any new security solution, including six questions to ask about the product and six to ask about the vendor itself.

Let’s get started!