Covert monitoring and recording of audio and video in controlled-environment facilities

• US 10,284,820 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2015
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Original Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Inventors: Passe, Scott, Keiser, Luke
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung-Hoang J
• Application Number:
  US14/827,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20150358589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,359 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/656 for recording conversations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/155 involving storage of or access to video conference sessions tracking arrangements for later retrieval of a computer conference content or participants activities H04L12/1831
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/79 Processing of colour television signals in connection with recording

Abstract

Systems and methods for covert monitoring and/or recording of audio and/or video in controlled-environment facilities are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method may include capturing at least one of: an audio, a video, or a picture of one or more residents of a controlled-environment facility using a communication device disposed within the controlled-environment facility, where the communication device is not being used in any communication session during at least a portion of the capturing; and storing the at least one of the audio, video, or picture.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

capturing at least one of;

an audio, a video, or a picture of one or more residents of a controlled-environment facility using a communication device disposed within the controlled-environment facility, wherein the communication device is not being used in any communication session during at least a portion of the capturing when the communication session is involved with a non-resident of the controlled-environment facility;

comparing captured audio, video or picture with one or more biometric or non-biometric identifiers, and identifying a plurality of residents based upon the comparison; and

alert at least one of controlled-environment facility personnel in response to a first identified resident being adverse to a second identified resident.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first identified resident is a member of a first gang, group and/or organization, and the second identified resident is a member of an opposing gang, group and/or organization.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a determination that the first identified resident is adverse to the second identified resident is based on a type of resident of the first and/or second identified resident.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a determination that the first identified resident is adverse to the second identified resident is based on a resident classification system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a determination that the first identified resident is adverse to the second identified resident is based on one of the identified residents being classified as more violent than another of the identified residents.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlled environment facility is a correctional facility and the residents are inmates, and wherein a determination that the first identified resident is adverse to the second identified resident is based on terms of sentences of the inmates.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a determination that the first identified resident is adverse to the second identified resident is based on at least one identified resident being under investigation and at least one other identified resident not being under investigation.

8. A controlled-environment facility covert monitoring and recording system comprising:

a communication device disposed within a controlled-environment facility; and

a controlled-environment facility covert surveillance module employing at least one processor, with a memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory configured to store program instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the controlled-environment facility covert surveillance module to;

capture at least one of an audio, a video, or a picture of one or more residents of a controlled-environment facility, using the communication device, where the communication device is not being used in any communication session during at least a portion of the capture when the communication session is involved with a non-resident of the controlled-environment facility;

compare captured audio, video or picture with one or more biometric or non-biometric identifiers, and identify a plurality of residents based upon the comparison; and

alert at least one of controlled-environment facility personnel in response to a first identified resident being adverse to a second identified resident.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first identified resident is a member of a first gang, group and/or organization, and the second identified resident is a member of an opposing gang, group and/or organization.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein a determination that the first identified resident is adverse to the second identified resident is based on a type of resident of the first and/or second identified resident.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein a determination that the first identified resident is adverse to the second identified resident is based on a resident classification system.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein a determination that the first identified resident is adverse to the second identified resident is based on one of the identified residents being classified as more violent than another of the identified residents.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the controlled environment facility is a correctional facility and the residents are inmates, and wherein a determination that the first identified resident is adverse to the second identified resident is based on terms of sentences of the inmates.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein a determination that the first identified resident is adverse to the second identified resident is based on at least one identified resident being under investigation and at least one other identified resident not being under investigation.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by a controlled-environment facility covert surveillance module, cause the controlled-environment facility covert surveillance module to:

capture at least one of an audio, a video, or a picture of one or more residents of a controlled-environment facility using a communication device disposed within the controlled-environment facility, wherein the communication device is not being used in any communication session during at least a portion of the capture when the communication session is involved with a non-resident of the controlled-environment facility;

compare captured audio, video or picture with one or more biometric or non-biometric identifiers, and identify a plurality of residents based upon the comparison; and

alert at least one of controlled-environment facility personnel in response to a first identified resident being adverse to a second identified resident.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the first identified resident is a member of a first gang, group and/or organization, and the second identified resident is a member of an opposing gang, group and/or organization.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein upon execution by the controlled-environment facility covert surveillance module the program instructions further cause the controlled-environment facility covert surveillance module to determine that the first identified resident is adverse to the second identified resident based, at least in part, on a type of resident of the first and/or second identified resident.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein upon execution by the controlled-environment facility covert surveillance module the program instructions further cause the controlled-environment facility covert surveillance module to determine that the first identified resident is adverse to the second identified resident based, at least in part, on a resident classification system.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein upon execution by the controlled-environment facility covert surveillance module the program instructions further cause the controlled-environment facility covert surveillance module to determine that the first identified resident is adverse to the second identified resident based, at least in part, on one of the identified residents being classified as more violent than another of the identified residents.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the controlled environment facility is a correctional facility and the residents are inmates, and wherein upon execution by the controlled-environment facility covert surveillance module the program instructions further cause the controlled-environment facility covert surveillance module to determine that the first identified resident is adverse to the second identified resident based, at least in part, based on terms of sentences of the inmates.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein upon execution by the controlled-environment facility covert surveillance module the program instructions further cause the controlled-environment facility covert surveillance module to determine that the first identified resident is adverse to the second identified resident based, at least in part, on at least one identified resident being under investigation and at least one other identified resident not being under investigation.