Digital infrastructure in the prison system of North Rhine-Westphalia

Introduction of detention room telephony and other digital services outside the detention room

The subject of the award is the piloting of a digital-based detention room telephony and other digital services in the North Rhine-Westphalian prison system.

In detail, the following spatial and functional concept results.

On the supply side, a concept must set out the following:

a. Haftraumtelefonie

Detention room telephony is primarily to be established and it only requires the provision of a control box and a telephone receiver without further visualization options in the form of a screen.

b. Infoterminals

Information terminals are already freely accessible in the corridors of the prisons in the prisons of Herford, Castrop-Rauxel and Bochum (a terminal is to be put into operation in the Hövelhof prison this week) and currently offer the following solutions:

-Current pay slip

-Current bank statement

-Account statement with open bookings

-Haftkostenbeiträge

-Exemption days according to § 32 JStrVollzG NRW

With the new system, these digital offerings of the information terminal are to be expanded to include further uses, e.g. to electronic purchasing and the electronic submission of leave requests and visit requests. In particular, it is important to work out a technical solution that can collaborate with the existing software.

c. Social spaces

The social rooms offer the possibility of enabling a more legally compliant design of prisoner telephony compared to corridor telephony or telephony in the offices of the staff of the prison. Therefore, it should be part of the trial to extend detention room telephony to this area. Social rooms accessible under supervision also offer the advantage of being able to provide the detainees with video telephony and other digital services.

d. Overview of offers

The provision of a general infrastructure platform for digital services would offer the advantage of adapting the technical offerings to the spatial possibilities or permissibility. For example, the platform would only provide detention room telephony in the detention room, and in specially designated social rooms in addition to telephony, services such as telephony. E-learning and directly in the detention area in the corridor provide a terminal solution, for example for electronic applications, and centrally control the access options.

This idea would have the potential to react in an agile manner according to the respective security requirements and, as a result, to provide the detainees with a wide range of digital options, which would make the work of the staff easier in order to have more time and space available for treatment measures.

On the supply side, a concept must set out the following:

The technical infrastructure platform for digital services must have the following range of functions:

-The provider's independent use of the phone. In this case, it must be possible for the respective authority to use its own or already available providers via the platform.

-A digital administrative procedure for the expansion of the electronic. application system including a translation function.

-E-mailing including security and role concept for monitoring e-mail traffic as well as a translation function. It must be possible to send e-mails to adaptable groups of people (e.g. the entire social service or the entire departmental service).

-Historization of e-mails and replies. The prisoner must be able to delete/hide individual entries. The course must be maintained for the staff.

-Videokontakt.

-Standard office package (Open Office is allowed).

-personal data storage.

-Kalenderfunktion.

-Alarm clock.

-Einkaufsshop.

-Anstaltsinformationsportal.

-Possibility of subsequent implementation of digital education platforms.

-Virtual desktop PC (Windows) that is restored to its original state after each access, so that it is not possible to save it there.

-Ability to print documents.

The above-mentioned areas of application, in particular video telephony, must comply with current IT standards.

The range of functions for the employees of prisons

On the supply side, a concept must set out the following:

In every detention department that has digital services, there must be a central control unit that can be operated by the staff via a web interface. Separate hardware is not acceptable. This interface should essentially have the following range of functions for the department employee:

-Overview of all devices and their activities.

-Complete control over detainees' detention room telephony and digital services.

-Create different groups with the same permissions.

-Individual assignment of authorizations for individual persons. The respective individual assignment should be able to overwrite or supplement group authorization in whole or in part.

-Determination of blocking periods during which individual or all modules of the detention room media device cannot be used or can only be used partially.

-Blocking of individual modules with an expiry date (e.g. issue disciplinary measures that provide for a television withdrawal of two weeks)

-Determination of periods in which, e.g. the TV can only be turned on at a reduced volume; the volume should be individually adjustable

-Evaluation of the user behavior of the devices.

-Electronic detection of manipulation attempts on the hardware and software

-Acoustic and optical monitoring of (video) telephony by switching on. The immediate interruption of (video) telephony must be possible at any time.

-Customization of all workflows (application system, e-mailing, etc.) in the system.

-Customizable access of the detainees.

For further information, please refer to the Appendices