Courthouse Security, architectural designs
Successful security design for Courts projects must efficiently satisfy the specific requirements of the three distinct groups that utilize those facilities:
- The Public
- The Judiciary
- The Offenders
The movement of these groups must be separated and monitored until they come together in the courtroom.
PUBLIC ISSUES
The primary issue for public security design is effective screening of contraband that would constitute a threat to the occupants of the Courts facility. The objective is to promote public safety while providing an efficiently accessible and “community friendly” building. Traditional metal detection and organic/inorganic scanning are the technologies that are conventionally deployed for this function. Ion sensor equipment utilized for the detection of minute explosive substance particles should also be considered to complete the screening process. The arrangement of the screening station must be configured to allow efficient movement of the public with the expected traffic flow including the required percentage of detailed inspections. The placement of the screening station should provide adequate space for staging as the public enters the facility and, optimally, the design is enhanced if the equipment can be integrated into the architectural design of the building.
Closed circuit television is deployed throughout the public spaces for general surveillance. It is recommended that digital video capture technology be utilized for recording purposes. This is the best solution available for archiving today for historical data archiving and is the most efficient method for retrieving information in the event an incident occurs and back up is required. Digital video is also the best method to provide information immediately to security staff to allow the best immediate response to a security breach.
Future applications of video technology will actually involve real-time facial recognition screening of the public when entering the facility. The CCTV surveillance system will be interfaced directly to active criminal suspect databases and potential threats will be monitored and alarmed before the individual enters the facility.
JUDICIARY ISSUES
In consideration of the best security design for the judiciary the primary concern will always address maintaining a well-defined security perimeter. Immediately upon entering the facility, access control technology should be deployed to create secured parking space. The preferred design will allow individuals to remain in their vehicles until inside the protected area. A direct, restricted access pathway should be created from the parking area to the judiciary workspace providing efficient protected movement.
The access door to the courtroom should be simple to enter and a means to quickly “manually” lock the door after exiting the courtroom should be provided in the event an incident occurs. The judges bench should be equipped with ballistic-rated material to provide an area of refuge.
The judge’s bench and chambers should be configured with signaling devices to activate a duress call. Annunciation of the duress call should be routed to a 24/7-security post. In the event that a designated post is not available, the design solution should utilize wireless technology to provide alpha-numeric messaging to security personnel for immediate response to the call.
Future monitoring technology will utilize wireless duress signaling to allow the judiciary to call for support anywhere inside the facility and the security personnel will automatically receive a pin-point location of the individual. This technology could also be extended beyond the boundaries of the facility.
OFFENDER ISSUES
The security design must provide for efficient offender transport and holding within the facility. The optimum design provides a well-defined security perimeter around the offender at all times beginning from the secured sallyport at the offender entrance to the secured court holding areas. Complete separation of the offender from the judiciary and the public is the ultimate goal of good design practice.
CCTV surveillance with digital recording should be provided to cover the entire movement pathway of the offender inside the facility. This system is utilized to track the position of the offender as well as document the occurrence and conditions present in case an incident occurs.
The trend in future courtroom technology is moving to provide for the interaction of the offender, as required by the court proceedings, without requiring the physical presence of the offender. By utilizing traditional video conferencing technology, the security issues created by the physical movement of offenders will be virtually eliminated.