According to the US NIJ (National Institute of Justice*) “A widespread technology that allows people to connect with anyone, anywhere, has created concerns for corrections officials. The use of inexpensive, disposable cell phones has changed the age-old cat-and-mouse game of controlling whom inmates communicate with in the outside world and is creating serious problems for public safety officials.”

Use of contraband wireless devices is a serious threat to the safety and welfare of correctional facility employees, other inmates, and innocent members of the public.

Statistics released by Ministry of Justice in the UK show that in 2016 alone over 20,000 mobile phones and sim cards were recovered from prisons in the UK - helping to thwart the attempts of criminals to continue committing crime behind bars.

UK Prisons Minister Sam Gyimah said: “I have been clear that the current levels of violence, drugs and mobile phones in our prisons is unacceptable. We have put in place a number of measures to help disrupt this illegal activity as it is an issue I am absolutely determined to resolve.”

To try to combat this problem, recently in the UK a £2 million investment has seen every prison across the estate fitted out with NLJD Non-Linear Junction Detectors ie hand-held mobile phone detectors and portable detection poles to step up the detection of illegal phones on the landings.

A piece of equipment that is already being used successfully at many prisons, that can be operated by Prison Officers requiring no Specialist training, is the Soter RS. A low dosage full body scanner combining ultra-low radiation with maximum visibility. It is extremely easy to use and fast, and as it uses a minuscule dose of radiation and is therefore harmless, the dose absorbed is lower than 2 µS.

The person to be scanned stands on a platform that is transported from left to right. This process takes about 10 seconds and during that period an x-ray image is generated, showing the entire body and all contraband is revealed in it.

The Soter RS has been designed to make it impossible to smuggle contraband in the human body, including contraband wireless devices.