Technology Update Biometrics: Applying an Emerging Technology to Jails

By Allan Turner

lthough sometimes neglected including accounting for staff and visi these technologies to access control, by politicians, the public and tors in the case of emergencies, the controlled surveillance and Web the media, jails are an impor ability to screen and identify visitors, searches for missing or exploited chil A tant part of our nation’s and the control of inmate movement. dren. The Defense Advance Research correctional system. Jails are the most Projects Agency (DARPA) recently has common type of confinement used in Application of Biometrics initiated a HumanID program with the the United States and they perform goal of developing and demonstrating multiple functions — detaining individ One technology area that rapidly is advanced surveillance methods that uals waiting to appear before court, emerging in the private sector and has automatically detect, recognize and holding sentenced offenders awaiting tremendous potential for application in identify individuals from a distance and transfers to prison and holding those jail and prison environments is biomet alert operators to any potential securi serving sentences of one year or less. rics. Biometrics comprises automated ty concerns. Jails, more than any other compo methods of recognizing a person based NIJ also has committed funds to a nent of the correctional system, must on physiological or behavioral charac joint effort with the Department of work directly with a wide range of soci teristics. Biometric technology includes Defense’s (DOD’s) Counterdrug Tech etal problems because they have such fingerprint and facial recognition, retina nology Development Program Office to a diverse population. A typical jail may and iris scan, hand/finger geometry and define a facial recognition program plan include adults and juveniles; males and voice recognition. Biometric recogni that will have immediate benefits for females; and individuals who are vio tion can be used in the identification corrections. The design of this program lent, nonviolent, mentally ill, drug- or mode or the verification mode. In the will coincide with the release of the alcohol-dependent, or homeless. identification mode, the system identi results from the Facial Recognition Ven Offenses can range from driving under fies a person from the entire population dor Test 2000 in September. Facial the influence to homicide. An example by searching a database for a match. In Recognition Vendor Test 2000 is spon of the special demands placed on jails the verification mode, the biometric sored by NIJ, the DOD Counterdrug recently was highlighted in a Washing system authenticates a person’s Technology Development Program ton Post article that focused national claimed identity from his or her previ Office and DARPA. The test will consist attention on jails increasingly becoming ously enrolled pattern. of an in-depth evaluation of commer the main psychiatric facilities for cially available facial recognition tech offenders with mental illnesses. To Research and nologies. A two-step evaluation, includ complicate matters, jails must function Demonstration ing a recognition performance test and while also facing crowding, staffing a product usability test, will be con shortages and limited funding. In order to assess the potential for ducted. Based on the results, one or application of biometric technology in two facial recognition systems will be Jails’ Special Needs corrections, OST has committed installed and demonstrated in a jail resources to biometric demonstration facility. It is anticipated that the facial To meet these special challenges, projects in two areas during fiscal year recognition system demonstration ini the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ’s) 2000 — facial recognition technology to tially will address the identification of Office of Science and Technology (OST) identify staff and visitors, and the jail employees and inmate visitors. has implemented a correctional tech development and demonstration of a nology program that stresses the needs smart card with a biometric key as a Inmate Management of jails and prisons. The program sets tool for inmate management. Smart forth stringent criteria for technology card technology combines computer The Biometrics and Inmate Manage identified for development and applica chips with photo identification cards. ment Demonstration Project will identi tion. First, the technology must meet a The processor and memory chip are fy or develop biometric technology to clearly defined need. Second, it must be embedded in the card and have the enhance the control of inmate move affordable, reliable and easy to install capacity for off-line storage as well as ment and accountability within a cor and maintain. encryption. rectional facility. Issues being explored Access control is an obvious need. are the types of biometric devices that Jails are characterized by rapid popula Facial Recognition are appropriate to the correctional tion turnovers and the need to provide environment and how they will affect frequent access to a variety of official NIJ is funding several development facility operations. The project aims to and nonofficial visitors. This makes efforts to detect faces in live or taped establish a prototype inmate control identifying people entering and leaving video, or Web pages and optimize the and accountability system that will uti the facility a major security concern. facial image and compare it to large lize smart card or other technology Jail managers face many challenges, image databases. One project will apply combined with a biometric key as the physical authentication mechanism to positively identify inmates. This allows for the development of a system to accu The Law Enforcement and rately monitor and track inmates. It will allow administrators to automate sched Corrections Technology Center uling and identify potential incidents by alerting staff to inmate whereabouts. The project will be a cooperative effort between OST and the U.S. Navy and will t its 1999 annual meeting, the Law Enforcement and be developed by the Space and Naval Corrections Advisory Council (LECTAC) subcommit Warfare Systems Center in Charleston, tees on custody, contraband detection and informa S.C. The Naval Correctional Facility in tion systems heard presentations on and discussed Charleston will be used as the demon A biometrics and facial recognition technologies. The Law stration site. Enforcement Operations Subcommittee included the develop ment of real-time facial recognition programs in their recom Conclusion mendations for research at OST. Biometrics is a rapidly emerging LECTAC is an advisory organization to the National Law technology area that is widely perceived Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center system. LEC as a tool that can enhance the security TAC was created to identify law enforcement and corrections of correctional facilities. The projects equipment and technology needs, and to recommend program initiated by OST will identify emerging priorities. Council members of LECTAC represent federal, technologies that are affordable, reliable state and local criminal justice agencies; labor organizations; and easy to use and maintain, and and national and international law enforcement; and correc demonstrate the capabilities of selected biometric technologies that can poten tional and criminal justice organizations. They are appointed ◆ tially meet the specialized needs of jails. based on their distinguished service records.

REFERENCES Beiser, Vince. 1999. Biometrics breaks into prisons. Wired News. (August 21).

Campbell, Joseph P. Jr., Lisa A. Alyea and Jef Pearson, Robert.1999. The expanding role of Standberg, Keith. 1999. The present and fery S. Dunn. 1999. Government applications biometrics. Security Technology and Design. future of biometrics. Law Enforcement Tech- and operations. The Biometric Consortium. Vol. 9, No. 7, pg. 10. nology. (August). (August). Phillips, Jonathon, Alvin Martin, C.L. Wilson Carlson, Norman A., Karen M. Hess and Chris and Mark Przybocki. 2000. An introduction to Allan Turner, Ph.D., is a professor at tine M.H. Orthmann. 1999. Corrections in the evaluating biometric systems. Computer. (Feb- George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., ruary). 21st century, first edition. New York: and currently is a visiting scientist at NIJ. Wadsworth. Sapsford, Jathon. 2000. Microsoft to use bio- He is retired from the Federal Bureau of Lyderesen, Kari. 2000. For jailed mentally ill, a metric tools to bolster security for windows. Prisons, where he held a variety of posi- way out. The Washington Post. (June 28). The Wall Street Journal. (May 2). tions, including jail administrator and warden.

Reprinted with permission of the American Correctional Association, Corrections Today, October 2000 Vol. 62, No. 6

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