Government bringing iris ID to jails
17 March, 2010
category: Biometrics, Government
Government agencies such as The Sheriff’s Association and the Biometric Intelligence and Identifications Technologies are helping equip jails and prisons with iris identification systems to help better identify inmates and prevent escapes, according to a Vidette Online article.
Members from the two groups chose to use iris recognition over the cheaper and more ubiquitous fingerprint recognition technology as iris recognition use 235 unique points on the iris for identification whereas fingerprint technology tends to use 70 to 90 reference points.
As the systems have been rolling out, Alaska and Hawaii are the only states without one operating in a prison or jail. As the scanners are also used for community projects that scan and store information on children and senior citizens to help them if they are lost, police using the systems now look forward to a time when they can be equipped with mobile scanners for better identification of people who need help or people who have past legal infractions.
Read the full story here.