Jointly Produced by the ICT in Prisons Expert Group and the Real Estate & Logistics Expert Group.
The use of Technology within prisons now sees the increasing use of digital solutions to enable the delivery of communication, security, education, inmate management and wider support services. In the context of prisons it is important to understand that there is no single unified approach to the application or adoption of ICT solutions across the many jurisdictions operating across Europe. Levels of ICT integration and sophistication varies between different nations. These disparities in ICT adoption are due to a number of factors including differences in policies, access to financial resources and broader societal and socio-economic differences between nations.
Digital systems are continually evolving and advancements in these have moved forward at pace through the introduction of new Internet Protocol (IP) technologies and the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). IP has now become the dominant technology, gradually replacing the previous generation of ‘analogue’ technologies, with a focus on user interoperability and offering enhanced levels of functionality (as equipment has more processing power enabling devices to full a broader range of complimentary functions). This guidance note offers prison practitioners a clear commentary on the accepted practices of how to conjure, manage and maintain ICT installations, as well as offering early insight into some of the new and emerging technologies that the prison community and individual prison systems need to carefully consider over the coming years.
Read the full guidance document, here.