Alabama becomes the first state to require prison visitors to have their fingerprints scanned
David Fathi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Prison Project, was quick to slam the fingerprint scans as extreme. “If showing a driver’s license is all that is required to get on an airplane that will fly you near the White House, it should be enough to get you inside a prison to visit someone,” he said.
I’ve got news for Mr. Fathi and his ACLU: Comparing a prison to an airliner is absolutely ludicrous!
Jeff ‘Pacovilla’ Doyle says “Kudos to Alabama DOC for implementing a common sense program designed to enhance security. Beyond verifying the person at the gate is the approved visitor depicted on an ID card, a live scan also provides the opportunity to conduct a warrant [for arrest] check.” And Greg ‘Gadfly’ Doyle says “I see this move as a win-win.”
ALABAMA REQUIRES FINGERPRINT SCAN FOR PRISON VISITORS
By Marty Roney
Montgomery Advertiser
September 3, 2012
The Alabama Department of Corrections’ new policy requiring visitors at the state’s prisons to have their fingerprint scanned before they are allowed to enter the facilities is the first in the nation.
No other state prison system in the country has a similar requirement, a USA Today check of other corrections departments showed.
The change, implemented in August, has its roots in the prison system getting a new computer program, said Brian Corbett, spokesman for the Department of Corrections. The old computer system still was using Cobalt software, he said.
“Our IT department came up with the idea of scanning fingerprints as part of the upgrade,” Corbett said. “We still require visitors to have a government-issued photo ID, and that requirement will remain in place. But there are times when someone else resembles the photo on an ID. Scanning the fingerprint of visitors verifies they are who they say they are.”
The move is drawing some quick criticism.
State departments of corrections routinely require that visitors be approved, and each visitor undergoes a criminal background check. But the fingerprint requirement is “extreme,” said David Fathi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Prison Project.
“Alabama prison officials can’t say with a straight face that it is a security issue,” Fathi said. “Not when the remaining 49 state prison systems do not require the scanning of visitors’ fingerprints. It is an unnecessary barrier to visiting inmates.”
Reasonable security measures at prisons should be expected, he said.
“Visiting during incarceration is a key factor that will determine if the inmate will re-offend once they are released,” Fathi added. “There is study after study that shows the vital role interaction with family and friends plays with inmates while they are in prison. That support net is very important in the rehabilitation process.”
Visitors with prior criminal convictions can be approved, but standard practice among the state prison systems is that the warden of the individual facility has the power to approve who is on the visiting list based on safety and security concerns.
Alabama prison visitors’ fingerprints will not be filed in a database, and the prints will not be shared with other local, state or national law enforcement agencies, Corbett said. The prints will not be used to check if the visitors have outstanding warrants, he said. Alabama operates 29 facilities that house about 25,500 adult inmates.
Scanning fingerprints also makes the visitation process more efficient, Corbett said. The visitor places his or her index finger on a screen, and an electronic file showing the visitor’s information comes up on a computer.
“Under the old system, the corrections officer had to look at every ID and verify the identity of the visitor,” Corbett said. “That was a time-consuming task. Now, the verification process is much faster, so visitors are moved through the process much faster.”
Fathi isn’t buying it.
“If showing a driver’s license is all that is required to get on an airplane that will fly you near the White House, it should be enough to get you inside a prison to visit someone,” he said.
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