6 TECHNOLOGYin GOVERNMENT News December 2003 CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES ...~ '" ~ Iu ~ 0 , if] ii..0 ..~ EdmontonInstitutionupdatesprison SKI!)!I doorcontrolsystemwithtouchscreens Overhaulispartof anITupgradethat will replacecurrentpush-locksystem BY NEIL SUTTON is replacing "a console that's safe environment for both staff anada's prison system is un- probably eight feet long and five and offenders," said Tim Krause, dergoing an IT upgrade feet deep that wraps around and regional prairie region commu- Cwhereby certain institutions takes up most of the control cen- nications manager for the Cor- are replacing push-button lock- tre room. It's full of switches rectional Service of Canada. ing systems with touch-screen (and) LEDs," he said. By com- "The biggest thing would be technology to im- parison, the Delco ease of operation for the security prove security. technology is "a staff that are going to be operat- The most recent smaller console ing all the different locking addition is the with a flat panel mechanisms," he added. "This is Delco Automation's touch-screen technology keeps Edmonton Institution inmates behind bars. Edmonton Insti- monitor with a part of a standard operations and tution, a maxi- few other systems maintenance program that we're Stony Mountain Institution in Legimodiere. mum security mounted on the seeing in the prairie region that Manitoba. Julia Noonan, a spokesperson prison which console. " updates various systems to the Other facilities across the with the Ontario Ministry of houses more than In the event of a modern-day technology." country are receiving the same Public Safety and Security, says 300 inmates. It's power failure, the Edmonton Institution inmates treatment. For example, Deleo one of the key things about the one of four facili- locks are fail-safe will be housed in an undisclosed recently completed an installa- touch-screen system is that it's ties in Alberta and will automati- location for a month to six tion and a new institution in faster. "You can lock down very that Deleo Au- cally close, he weeks while the system is put Brockville, Ont., called the St. quickly or unlock very quickly tomation Inc. has been con- added. into place. Lawrence Valley Correctional in case of an evacuation. If for tracted to upgrade. Established in 1978, the Ed- The move away from push- and Treatment Centre. The cen- some reason the door isn't Based on Windows XP archi- monton Institution is observing button technology has been go- tre, which was recently built, locked all the way it shows up on tecture, the touch-screen tech- its 25th anniversary this year. ing on since 1993, said Krause. will begin housing inmates over the computer." nology is tied into both the "As a result, you can imagine The most recent Prairie institu- the coming weeks. 'That's a The facility is now training prison intercom system and door there's some upkeep that needs tions to upgrade include the Ed- provincial facility. It's more inte- staff to use the system. Older control system, said Grant Legi- to be done to make sure the in- monton Institution for Women grated and it's got high-end re- Ontario jails to be retrofitted modiere, marketing and sales stitution is running smoothly and Grande Cache Institution in dundant servers and a redundant with the technology include manager for Saskatoon-based and has all the appropriate secu- Alberta; the Regional Psychiatric fibre network. We designed all of Penetanguishene and Lindsay. Deleo. The touch-screen system rity features in place to ensure a Centre in Saskatchewan; and the LAN for it," said - ITBusiness.ca.