Prison Installations: Are You Missing Out?

CE pros looking to diversify into commercial markets envision working in hotels, sports bars and schools. The thought of working in a prison probably never comes to mind.

But perhaps it should.

Not only are TVs often installed through correctional facilities, but demand for teleconferencing seems poised to explode because it makes life easier for prison officials.

Indiana's Rockville Correctional Facility provides teleconferencing for inmates to have virtual visits with family, according to the Associated Press (AP).

"When [prisoners] have that contact with the outside family, they actually behave better here at the facility," Rockville assistant superintendent Richard Brown told the AP. He adds that with teleconferencing, there’s no chance inmates can be slipped contraband.

Working Behind Bars

Somebody has to install these products. InfoComm suspects there has been a surge in the number of technology installations required by the U.S. prison system. It's hard to pinpoint exact numbers, according to director of public relations Betsy Jaffe, because prisons fall into InfoComm's broader "government" category.

Matthew Thompson, product manager for CCS Presentation Systems, an audio/video company with 27 U.S. locations, says "court rooms, law offices and prisons are three up-and-coming markets."

Thompson installed videoconference technology, auditorium audio systems, projectors and laptop connections at a Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services facility in Washington, D.C. "We had security guards watching over us the whole time," he says. "The inmates were closed off, but you can still talk to them through the bars."

Although it's a youth facility, there were plenty of intimidating teenagers. "We were kept in a privileged place so you're not in the cells or in the thick of things," he says.

Thompson isn't opposed to doing more prison installations if there's proper security. "It depends on the type of installation," he says. "If guys are going to have drills and screwdrivers, etc., I suggest locking that area off."

While most prisons contacted by CE Pro declined comment, one mentioned it tends to “handle installations internally.” In Thompson’s experience, he says prisons are likely to hire a contractor with a national reach, such as CSS.

Would you consider installing products in a prison? Leave us a comment.