Fixed telephony management for prisons and correctional facilities?

Mobile phones are generally forbidden in correctional facilities, such as prisons and jails. Inmates, of course, but also staff are often not allowed to bring personal mobile devices into prison facilities. Instead, fixed desk phones are still commonly used within prisons. Not only by the staff, but also for communication between inmates, their families, and lawyers. There are several reasons for this:

1. Control over communications: The last thing you want is cell phones in the possession of prisoners. You want to prevent unauthorized communication and avoid the coordination of illegal activities. Not just plain telephony is a risk, people can also use chat services, social media and even chat options in online games to communicate. And a smartphone is easy to brought in and hide.
2. Also, staff are often not allowed to bring in smartphones to prevent the risk of detainee misuse. Privacy aspects are also important. After all, photos and recordings can quickly be taken and shared with a smartphone. Some prisons have even implemented technologies to block mobile phone signals.
3. Therefore, fixed telephones are still widely used for internal staff communication and communication between inmates, their families, and legal representatives. Fixed telephony systems are easier to manage and control. For example, you can monitor incoming and outgoing calls more efficiently and tap conversation traffic where necessary.
4. Also important, no batteries are needed because the network powers landlines; landline systems are often more reliable, relatively cheap, easier to use, and have no coverage problems. This is important because telephones must always be available in emergencies.

Extension Mobility in prisons

Of course, fixed-line telephony has disadvantages. In a traditional office, you have your own desk and telephone with your personal number and facilities. In flexible workplaces, you switch between seats and every seat comes with another phonenumber and no access to your own contacts, voicemail and features. Cisco solves this problem using Extension Mobility, a feature that allows employees to log into any desk phone. Via any desk, users can be reached via their own number, use their contacts, and listen to their own voicemails. Logging in via Extension Mobility is however inconvenient, as you must enter a username and PIN code via the telephone keypad; and repeatedly if you switch from one desk to another.

Manage desk phones in correctional facilities

Our ALM (Active Login Manager) application has now solved this problem. For employees who use a computer, ALM syncs their computer account with a desk phone. People log into their computers and automatically upload their phone settings to the corresponding desk phones. If they log out, the phone is immediately blocked again; which is, of course, very important in penitentiary institutions.

Our software can also be used to centrally manage desktop phones. Staff can, for example, instantly check into a desk using a desk monitoring device. The application immediately reserves the relevant desk, and the corresponding telephone is automatically loaded with someone’s personal number and settings. You could also manage the telephones for inmates via this management application. Via the application, a phone becomes assigned to an inmate for a specific timefslot, including the relevant restrictions (for example, only a few numbers can be called).