Wialon in law: offender monitoring in Mexico

Despite the fund reduction, the penitentiary system running costs Mexico US $1 billion per year. Taxpayers challenge the soundness of such expenses. Wouldn’t it be better to allocate funds to the healthcare system, educational or social sector? Debates are endless. That’s why our Mexican partner – Lertek – decided not to waste the breath, but act. Keep reading to find out how to ensure security out of jail and save the state budget using Wialon platform.

Pilot programme 

Overcrowded prisons and growing expenses on their maintenance made the authorities of Nuevo León state, Mexico, think of some changes. They decided to run a home detention program for minor offenders. The system of electronic monitoring for parolees/probationers has already been tested in the USA and Europe and appeared to be a good alternative to the custody. So, it could work in Mexico too.

Local authorities had high expectations of the project and wanted to:

• remotely and continually control 500 offenders grounded (i.e., to make sure parolees/probationers don’t leave the house or stay within a permitted area);
• save money of taxpayers on extra bed in prison;
• guarantee the security in neighborhoods.

Solution offered

Lertek was responsible for the technical part of the project. They offered GPS tracking solution from Gosafe: a home beacon, an ankle bracelet with an RFID tag, and LBS as secondary location source.

And that's how it works:

• A probationer wears an electronic bracelet. It's a personal tracker offering RFID-based control indoors and GPS/LBS location detection outdoors.
• Home beacon remotely reads an RFID-tag to make sure that a probationer stays inside.
• If a probationer is allowed to leave home, Lertek draws geofences in Wialon. Those are used to keep a person within the specified territory.

A probationer can't get rid of the bracelet. 

A human should wear a bracelet: temperature sensor reacts to body temperature. 

You can't cut the strap: it's made of optic fiber and sends notifications about any interference to the system. 

If a probationer tries to remove or damage the bracelet, the system will notify the controlling body. At the same time, the bracelet vibrates to warn its owner of the violation. 

Results

First and foremost our partner achieved 24/7 control of 500 offenders. They realize being constantly monitored and tracked. As a result, no serious violations and no runaways since the implementation of the home detention programme were detected. Plus, the solution of our Mexican partner provides benefits for all the parties involved:

• Local authorities obtained an economically efficient monitoring solution: now the county saves up to 70% per offender.
• Offenders stay in a safe and secure environment. And their return to normal life is likely to be painless.
• Taxpayers can rest assured that their money is used in a reasonable manner, not only for the penitentiary system.
• The integrator can provide other regions with the same services and get new clients. 

Despite some positive changes, the issue of the prison overcrowding and increased costs remains open. That means more Wialon-based solutions and more challenges for service providers. 

If you are interested in the project and need more information, we will share the contacts of the developer. In case you have the story of successful Wialon implementation, write to us at marketing@gurtam.com.

Photo source: gosafesystem.com