Now, AI-supported vigil on criminals lodged in Uttar Pradesh jails

The state government has allocated fund to the prison administration and reforms department for the purpose

With a view to maintaining vigil on mafias and criminals lodged in different jails of Uttar Pradesh, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed in these prisons have been equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) system.

The CCTV surveillance units are being set up in a phased manner to enhance the security system of prisons. (For Representation)

“Along with dual view scanner baggage, full human body warn scanner, contactless glasses for meeting rooms and other devices equipped with the new technology have been installed in five high security jails of the state,” said a state government spokesperson.

The proposal to install sophisticated gadgets in jails was sent to the state government after a high-level meeting under the chief minister in which he directed the officers to remove deficiencies in jails security, he added. “The state government has allocated fund to the prison administration and reforms department in the annual budget 2023-24,” he said.

Till now, 145 videoconferencing halls have been set up, which include 72 prisons and 73 district courts, to conduct 100% remand of undertrials detained in state prisons through videoconferencing.

“Five dual view scanner baggage, five full human body worn scanner, 130 contactless glasses for meeting rooms, 5 panic alarms systems, 15 night vision binoculars and 5 light protection system ESE units have been set up in five high security jails, including district jails of Lucknow, Azamgarh, Chitrakoot, Gautam Buddh Nagar and central jail Bareilly,” he said.

“The CCTV surveillance units are being set up in a phased manner to enhance the security system of prisons. Around 30 cameras have been installed in each prison, marking sensitive places in the prisons,” the spokesman added.

“At present, more than 3600 CCTV cameras have been installed in all the jails of the state. The work of increasing the number of cameras, their restoration and arrangement of servers, including storage in 30 prisons, has been completed,” he said.

“A command centre has been set up for high-level monitoring at the headquarters in which the live feed of the cameras installed in the prisons is being received in the video wall. More than 1200 cameras have been integrated in it, which get alerts through AI,” he further said.

“A letter has been written to the state government seeking financial sanction for body-worn cameras in ten jails of the state, sanction for heavy duty washing machines in 10 prisons, lighting protection system in 20 prisons and the security system has been strengthened in 20 prisons of the state,” the spokesperson said.