A fight breaks out on the block involving several inmates, one is stabbed, but it's not clear who was the perpetrator. A typical response would mean hours of face-to-face interviews to determine the exact role of each inmate. But the definition of typical has changed.

Today, corrections officials can interview subjects using layered voice analysis software and within minutes can learn if the interviewee is attempting to deceive, how much thought is happening as question is answered and when the truth is being told.

This is way beyond your grandmother's polygraph.

"The [LVA] software analyzes thoughts, shows stress, and inaccuracies. Truth is easy [to detect] but with deception, [the software] can tell you about why it is being made," said Richard Parton, CEO of V Worldwide, which is the distributor of the software developed by an Israeli company called Nemesysco.

The software uses thousands of mathematical algorithms to track and analyze vocal patterns and ultimately identifies states of stress, excitement, uncertainty and deception. Polygraphs tend to equate stress with lies, but the layered voice analysis looks much deeper at a person's response and can delve into layers of subconscious to provide analysis.

At a recent meeting of the Northeast Technology Product Assessment Committee, this new technology and others were presented to corrections practitioners to give them a glimpse at the latest on the market that could benefit security and safety in their institutions.

The LVA technology drew much interest from practitioners who could see uses in inmate investigations, monitoring sex offenders and in probation and parole. The interaction between practitioners and vendors is exactly what NTPAC is designed to promote.

"NTPAC is all about receiving information and giving information to the vendors," said Alex Fox, Chairman of NTPAC and Director of Security Technologies for the Massachusetts Department of Correction. "By connecting with these vendors we can communicate our specific needs."

Fox said the group's mission is also to expand this type of interaction to other regions of the country. By doing this, corrections practitioners can encourage the development of more useful products and technologies for the field. 

A Technology Review

Layered Voice Analysis

The LVA software from V Worldwide has multiple applications to corrections according to Parton. As a screening tool, corrections officials could inquire with inmates about contraband on a regular basis or it could be used with visitors before they are allowed to enter a facility.

"[It] almost makes visible searches obsolete," said Parton.

The software can also be used to analyze taped telephone conversations, allowing officials to better monitor what inmates say to others on the outside and determine whether illegal activities are taking place.

Parton also believes that the software could have a huge impact on the parole and probation system. By connecting the software to a call-in system, he said, probation and parole officials could determine when offenders check in, whether they are in an authorized location, whether they are socializing with prohibited individuals or following the conditions of their release.

"We could [then] determine the cases we need to follow up on," he said.

LVA also can be used in typical investigations of facility incidents and disturbances or to determine the truthfulness of grievances. "When you have that many individuals with a lot of time on their hands, they can blow things out of proportion and agencies direct investigating time appropriately," said Parton.
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The Wisconsin Department of Corrections is using the software in this capacity.

According to Linda Mulhern, Program Assistant Advanced Confidential Security Department for the Wisconsin DOC, security staff are using the software to assist in inmate investigations in all of its facilities.

"It leads us in a certain direction. It's not a lie detector but it raises a red flag. Then we know to go in that direction," said Mulhern.

Some of the scenarios in which the DOC would use the software, Mulhern said, include in information came out that an inmate was planning an escape or disturbance or to investigate other inmate-related activities.

Mulhern said the software is unique in that it highlights the emotions behind the words people use.

At NTPAC's meeting corrections practitioners had a chance to see the software in full use.

Parton played for the group an actual taped 911 call from a man who reported to police that his girlfriend had been murdered. The man was in fact the killer. The police ran the tape through the software and determined that even though the man seemed to be frantic and upset on the phone, there was little emotion behind the words he was saying.

The only truth that the software indicated in the entire conversation, according to Parton, was when the man answered a question from police who asked him during the call what the girlfriend had done. His reply was "Nothing."

Corrections officials at NTPAC who saw the demonstration saw the benefits to having such a device.

"We see it as having a lot of potential with a fixed cost," said Jim Mahan, Senior Technologist, Office of Security Technology, federal Bureau of Prisons.

Parton told the NTPAC group that the software is sold to agencies in licenses, with one license for each computer. The cost for the license for the LVA is $16,000 and the cost of training is around $2,100 per person. The only other hardware an agency needs is a high-quality microphone.

Keeping Metal Detectors in Check

Walk-through metal detectors are a valuable tool for correctional facilities, but, because they are vulnerable to physical damage and interference from other signals in the area, correctional facilities need to test them from time to time to ensure that they are functioning properly.  Engineering Technology, Inc. (ETI), a Florida-based company that recently presented at the NTPAC conference, has developed a mechanism to facilitate this testing process.

According to Dan Hartman, ETI's Business Development Manager, the Walk-Through Metal Detector Test System was designed specifically for corrections agencies, with support from Department of Defense's Technical Support Working Group.  The technology enables departments to test their metal detectors to ensure that they are working and in compliance with the National Institute of Justice standard.

The system is comprised of a thrust arm that is mounted horizontally on two vertical rails. The arm moves up and down and back and forth through the walls of a metal detector with a carrier block attached to it.  Test objects, which can vary by size and include items such as eyeglasses, keys, belt buckles, aluminum blades and steel guns, are embedded in that carrier block.  As the objects attached to the horizontal beam pass through the metal detector at various speeds, the equipment is tested for accuracy.

"Each time, [the device] presents an object [it's] trying to determine whether the [metal detector] portal has detected the presence of that object or not," Hartman said. 

The system is controlled by software that can run on any Windows operating system and is easy for corrections personnel to use, with a point-and-click graphical user interface, Hartman added.

Another highlight of the testing system is its portability, he said.  It is on wheels and can be collapsed, tilted back (to fit through doorways) or broken down into compartments. 

Another potentially appealing feature Hartman believes is that agencies may not have to purchase their own equipment.  Currently, ETI is seeking to establish a relationship with a provider who would purchase the equipment and then market metal detector testing services to correctional facilities and departments.

Currently, however, the Walk-Through Metal Detector Test System is in the development phase and production is slated for fiscal year 2005.

"We will deliver the first system to our development sponsor - The Technical Support Working Group - before the end of this calendar year," Hartman said.  "They will conduct operational testing at various facilities by different agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Department of Energy, the Transportation Security Administration and the Secret Service."

In the spring of 2005, ETI plans to deliver two additional systems; marketing and sales activities are expected to begin soon, Hartman said.

Light Surveys

While the Walk-Through Metal Detector Test System is under development, another ETI product is already available to corrections agencies: The Automated Light Survey (ALS) System.  This light-testing system allows corrections agencies to detect deficient lighting in outdoor areas and perimeters of correctional facilities.

The system is portable and uses GPS technology, a light meter and a computer interface to determine what areas around the perimeter of a correctional facility are in need of more lighting.  During night-lighting conditions, a single operator can canvas the grounds of a correctional facility carrying the device, which reads the light levels at various points. 

Those light measurements are then processed by customized software, which runs on Microsoft Windows.  The computer program creates a contour map of the lighting levels around the facility, which is overlaid to a map of the facility.  The areas where lighting is sufficient appear bright on the map and, where more lighting is needed, the area is shaded gray.

According to Hartman, the computer-generated map is an easy and clear way for correctional facility operators to determine which areas have lighting problems, whether the lights that are installed there are malfunctioning or where additional lights are needed.  This, he said, can help improve the security of correctional facilities.

The testing system itself consists of a light sensor, a GPS antenna and a handheld data logger weighs 12 pounds. Altogether, is easy to operate and has rechargeable batteries that last for eight hours at a time, Hartman said.  Additionally, ETI will provide on-site training for corrections departments that purchase the technology.

Like the Metal Detector Test System, ETI is looking to build a relationship with a company that can purchase the ALS system and provide light testing services to agencies, Hartman said. 

But, for agencies that wish to purchase the product themselves, the cost is $37,000, including the hardware, software, training, a one-year warranty and technical support, Hartman added.

While ETI's products are designed to keep correctional facilities maintained and secure, another company that gave a presentation at the NTPAC conference has created a product aimed at preserving staff and inmate safety in emergency situations.

Victim Rescue Unit

The Illinois-based Essex PB&R Corporation created the Victim Rescue Unit (VRU+), a hood that encapsulates a person's head, protecting the individual from smoke, fumes and chemical and biological threats.

"It is a self-contained, protective breathing device with its own source of oxygen," said Anna Thompson, Essex PB&R's Sales Manager.  "Its intended use is for rescue and escape situations from fire, smoke, toxic fumes, chemicals, hazardous materials and biological agents, such as serin and mustard."

The hoods are stored in a barrier pouch that is vacuum-sealed to prevent exposure to humidity, which can damage the product.  Once that pouch is torn open in an emergency situation, it takes less than 15 seconds to don  the VRU+, Thompson said.  The product has no front or back, so there is no right or wrong way to wear it, she added.  Also, it allows the person wearing it to have 360-degree visibility.

To prevent outside air from entering the hood, the VRU+ has a high-strength, elastic silicon neck seal, which, without adjustment, fits most adults.

According to Thompson, the VRU+ is equipped with an 18-liter bottle of aviators-grade compressed oxygen, which fills the hood once it's released.  The system then goes into a rebreathing mode, she said.

"After the oxygen has completely dumped into the hood, the carbon dioxide [from the person's breath] is absorbed into lithium hydroxide pads, which keep the carbon dioxide level down and your oxygen level adequate for survival," Thompson said.

That period survival, she added, can last for up to 60 minutes, depending on the size of the individual wearing the hood and his or her health, fitness and level of physical activity. 

A person waiting to be rescued, for example, would be able to breathe using the hood for about 60 minutes, Thompson said.  On the other hand, for someone who was rapidly walking upstairs during an escape attempt, the VRU+ would only be effective for about three minutes.

"In an evacuation situation, an average male would be provided with 18 to 21 minutes of protection," Thompson said. 

According to Thompson, the VRU+ has been purchased by agencies such as the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior, the State Department and the Secret Service to keep employees safe during an evacuation. 

Additionally, some corrections agencies are also using the product, which costs about $300 and has a 10-year shelf life.  In fact, the some Colorado Department of Corrections facilities have begun to replace their Self Contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBA) with VRU+ systems.

The DOC's Fremont Correctional Facility purchased about 40 VRU+ this past spring.

"We're happy that we haven't had to use it in a real situation, but, up to this point, based on the training, we're happy that we have made the switch [from the SCBA]," said Al Weber, Public Information Officer for the facility. 

After testing the product, Fremont's life safety officer decided it was a good fit for the facility, Weber said.

"[The officer] found them to be easy to handle, very lightweight in comparison with the SCBA and, after some consideration, and a comparison of cost to keep the SCBA in [working] condition, we determined it would, number one, be more cost effective to go with the VRU and, second, they would be much easier to handle," Weber said.  "They have a longer life span in terms of being able to breathe in a smoky environment."

Weber said that now that the facility has purchased some VRU+s, training about how to use the product is now standard for all new officers.  But the orientation is quick; the life safety officer simply gives them a brief lesson on how to don the hood in an emergency situation.

In the event of an evacuation, the hoods can be found in various locations all around Fremont, Weber said.

"They're stored in all of our housing units [and] in strategic locations throughout our facility, [like] food service [areas] and vocational shops," he said.  "Basically we've scattered them throughout the facility."

Although Fremont is one of the only correctional facilities in Colorado that has purchased the VRU+, Weber expects others to soon follow suit.

"I am going to guess that there will be some other facilities that will be inclined to go that way [and purchase VRUs]," Weber said.

Thompson also believes that, once other corrections agencies realize that it a simple, affordable product, they will jump on board, too.

"They're very easy to use and cost effective," she said. 

Resources:

Alex Fox, Massachusetts DOC, NTPAC afox@doc.state.ma.us

V Worldwide www.vworldwide.com

ETI www.engrtech.com

Hartman (407) 281-1948 or dhartman@engrtech.com

Thompson (618) 659-9070 ext. 322