CASE STUDY
NZ Corrections, New Zealand
Integrated solution for inmate benefits and calls.
- Facial Recognition
- Finger Print
- Video Communications
- Rugged Design
New Zealand Corrections is one of the largest government departments in New Zealand. They oversee 18 prisons and 151 Community Corrections sites across New Zealand.
Neo designed a ruggedised self-service kiosk that enables prisoners to place commissary supply orders, order their weekly meals, and arrange medical and other appointments. The kiosks also have phone and video communication built in to allow inmates to make calls outside of the prison.
A key functional requirement of the kiosks was that they had to withstand an array of corrections settings. Kiosks were subjected to extensive in-house testing to ensure that they exhibited significant resilience against physical blows, liquids, and attempts to remove them from their fixed location. Additionally, the kiosk screen has been chemically toughened to protect against scratching and shattering. A wall mounting fixture is employed to minimise disturbances to the kiosk. These measures ensured that full access to the physical kiosk and its internals was strictly limited to corrections staff.
The kiosks employ sophisticated software solutions to ensure they are being best utilised. The kiosks connect to the Corrections network, allowing for real time updating of content. They can also incorporate identification recognition peripherals – facial recognition in conjunction with a fingerprint reader. Kiosks provide access to register and gain information about work, training, and program modules. Further, they provide prisoners with essential and unambiguous guidance relating to their prison stay.
New Zealand Corrections have demonstrated a significant offloading of routine tasks to prisoners that were previously undertaken by prison officers. This has improved officer job satisfaction and productivity – allowing corrections staff to focus on more complex tasks like rehabilitation. The kiosks have also had a positive outcome in facilitating more prisoner independence.
The kiosks help reduce pressure on facility resources and improve inmate independence.
