Why Are The Newest Full Body Scanners Safer to Use?

Body scanners have been in use in prisons, airports, and countless other facilities to improve security for many years now.

While these devices have already been instrumental in improving security at these locations, the technology is continually being updated, suggesting that facilities should be updating their equipment.

Are Body Scanners Worth the Expense?

As expensive as full body scanning machines are, it might lead some to question what the value is in replacing older x-ray body scanning units with newer ones.

This is a valid question that has an equally valid response for heads of corrections facilities especially to take into consideration.

Better Imaging - The latest technology in body scanners has introduced groundbreaking imaging improvements, with high-definition 3D imaging making it possible to detect contraband as small as a packet of powder or differentiate between living tissue and other materials.
Lower Radiation - Improved full body scanning can now be performed using a fraction of the dose of older, legacy machines, a factor that is especially important in prison facilities and similar where multiple scans per day can be normal.
Fewer Physical Interactions - Greater accuracy with lower radiation means fewer of the questionable images common with older x-ray body scanning machines as well as fewer pat-downs and other physical interactions. Advanced body scanners with 3D imaging and automatic detection eliminate the guesswork of older machines, making security scanning as close to being a completely hands-off process as it has ever been.

Based on these three noteworthy reasons, it should be clear how today’s more advanced body scanners make the security screening process faster and more convenient, but also safer for everyone involved.

Correctional facilities that have already updated their full body scanning capabilities are getting lower radiation readings among staff and inmates both, seeing fewer calls for pat-downs and body cavity searches, and experiencing fewer overdose incidences and illicit substances being passed around the facility.

The Final Focus

The important takeaway in this is that there is more to safety than just reducing radiation dose, which has always been a focus of improving x-ray body scanning technology.

Safety in correctional facilities is also measured by the kinds of interactions happening between inmates and staff, and the reduction of harm to the inmates themselves from contraband such as weapons and drugs.

With better ways to reduce all of these risks, every facility using full body scanning should seriously look at how upgrading to the latest technology can further improve the safety level at that facility.

1 Jan

Scanning for Person-Borne Contraband in Correctional Facilities

There are multiple ways in which contraband makes its way inside prisons and other correctional facilities.

Person-borne contraband is that which is found hidden on a person, either concealed within or under their clothing or within a body cavity.

Detecting person-borne contraband must be done using capable, yet safe methods to be accurate enough to locate items while also not causing harm to the person or to security personnel.

Full body scanning using advanced x-ray technology is considered the safest and most accurate way to locate person-borne contraband.

What Detection Methods Are Used in Correctional Facilities?

There are two methods in which scanning for person-borne contraband can be performed at a correctional facility: full-body stationary walk-through scanning and handheld wand body scanning.

Both of these devices are available using various technologies such as x-ray, backscatter x-ray, transmission x-ray, ion scanning, millimeter wave, and others that detect different items including cellular devices, metallic and non-metallic items, narcotics, and explosives, each to varying degrees.

The devices also have varying degrees of penetration in three different scanning situations, those being on the body, within a body cavity, and under body armor.

Yet among all of the different walk-through and handheld devices available, as of yet there is no single device that can detect all five categories of contraband in all three locations.

Which Devices Yield the Least Amount of Radiation?

Concerning radiation, the scanners emitting the lowest amount of radiation can detect the fewest types of contraband, while those detecting the most types emit higher radiation.

While all of these devices are considered safe for repeated use, the number of uses considered safe for each device may be higher or lower depending on the amount of radiation emitted.

Handheld devices generally deliver smaller doses of radiation in comparison to walk-through units, but this is not always the case, as exposure may increase based on how the device is used.

Also, the cost of these devices tends to correlate directly with the radiation level and detection ability of each device.

Which Scanning Device Is Right for Your Facility?

Practically speaking, handheld scanners may be more desirable in many cases due to their easy use and affordability, but they are more time-consuming to use.

Conversely, full body scanners are more convenient and thorough, but much more expensive.

When considering the cost of these devices and their different limitations based on the technology and radiation exposure, the sensible solution for any correctional facility is to use a combination of these approaches to detect the most types of person-borne contraband while delivering the least amount of radiation possible.