A surprise inspection at Choudwar Circle Jail in Cuttack, India, revealed security loopholes that have existed for many years, including the long-term failure of closed-circuit television (CCTV) and mobile phone signal jammers. The incident has once again raised serious concerns about the prison's security system. Although the prison is one of the largest and most important prisons in the region, the problems of old equipment and staff shortages have led to serious security risks, allowing some criminals to continue their criminal activities in prison.
Chaos caused by failed supervision
1. CCTV is out of service and monitoring is ineffective
- According to sources within the prison, at least 54 CCTV cameras were installed in phases in 2008 to strengthen monitoring of prisoners. However, after these cameras were damaged by lightning in 2011, no repairs have been carried out so far and they have completely lost their function. Prison officials said that for many years, these devices have not been restored to normal operation due to lack of funds and maintenance negligence. This has caused the prison to be almost "blind" in security management and unable to effectively monitor internal activities.
- In modern prison management, CCTV is one of the core equipment to ensure security, especially for prisons holding high-risk criminals. Jodwar Prison holds some of the most dangerous gangsters and felons in the state. However, the ineffective CCTV system has made it a huge challenge for prison managers to monitor the behavior of prisoners and prevent escape attempts.
2. Outdated cellphone jammers allow prisoners to easily use smartphones
- In addition to the failure of the CCTV system, there are serious problems with the phone signal jammers in Jodwar Prison. The jammer blockers first installed in 2008 can only block 2G networks, and in today's era of popular 3G and 4G smartphones, these signal blockers have completely lost their effectiveness. Prison management revealed that a single 2G signal jammer is currently not enough to block the signals of modern smartphones, and multiple upgraded signal blocker devices are needed to effectively block signals in higher frequency bands. However, due to funding and technical limitations, these devices have been delayed in being updated, allowing prisoners to easily use mobile phones for communication.
- Prisoners have been found repeatedly in Jodwar prison to keep in touch with the outside world through mobile phones and continue to command their criminal organizations. Prison officials warned that if the jammer devices are not upgraded as soon as possible, the situation will continue to deteriorate and may even lead to more serious security accidents.
3. Overcrowding and insufficient police force: prison management faces huge challenges
- The Jodwar Ring Prison is designed to accommodate 728 prisoners, but the current number of prisoners far exceeds this number. According to data on the day of the surprise inspection, there are at least 1,100 prisoners in the prison, while the prison police force is only 89. Such a serious overstaffing phenomenon not only increases the difficulty of management, but also further weakens the security capabilities of the prison.
- It is reported that the prison should have four watchtowers to monitor every corner of the prison in real time. However, due to a shortage of staff, these watchtowers have been idle for a long time and have not been able to fully play their due role. The prison management pointed out that the current human resources are seriously insufficient, which has led to the daily operation of the prison being almost stretched. Even during Sunday's surprise inspection, the police still found prohibited items such as gutka (tobacco products), bidis (hand-rolled cigarettes), cigarettes, televisions and small recorders, showing that there are serious loopholes in the supervision inside the prison.
Behind the poor management: urgent need for reform and upgrading
The aging of internal equipment and insufficient police force in prisons are not new problems, but management problems accumulated over the years. Although the government and relevant departments have repeatedly promised to improve prison facilities, the actual situation shows that there is a lack of sustained funding and effective implementation measures. This not only makes prisons unable to cope with the development of modern communication technology, but also enables some influential prisoners to continue to direct criminal activities in prison.
Under the current situation, prison authorities urgently need to take multi-faceted measures to improve security. On the one hand, monitoring equipment and cellphone signal jammers should be updated as soon as possible to cope with the challenges of 3G, 4G and even future 5G technologies; on the other hand, it is necessary to increase the training of prison staff and improve their awareness of preventing high-tech crimes. At the same time, solving the problem of insufficient police force is also the key to ensuring prison safety. Increasing security personnel and strengthening internal prison management will help curb the phenomenon of prisoners using high-tech means to evade supervision.
To ensure prison safety, relevant departments should increase investment in prison infrastructure, upgrade existing security equipment, and further strengthen technical training and staffing for prison administrators. Only through a two-pronged approach of technology and management can we effectively prevent prisoners from continuing to commit crimes in prison and ensure the long-term stability of society.
