In the second task you must outline (P2) the types and methods of searches conducted by staff in a custodial environment
This must include the following:
Searches:
• Importance of correct and thorough searches
• Respecting individuals and their property
• Rubdown search (procedure, use, li...
Task 2- How control is maintained in the custodial environment
Searches:
Searching is a security process used within custodial environments, there are many ways in which
searches can take place i.e. using machinery/ technology. Searches can be conducted systematically,
randomly, routinely or they can be intelligence- led. Every person who enters and leaves a prison
environment, including; visitors, staff and prisoners needs to be searched to ensure no contraband is
being brought in or out of the prison. The level of security will depend on the category of the prison
and the risk that individuals pose towards society and the establishment itself. It is common within
custodial environments to have security gates similar to airports, as well as x-ray machines to scan
shoes, bags and jackets.
Within category A prisons everyone needs to undergo these searches where as in category C pre-
booked official visitors will undergo machine and x-ray searches but they wont need to take part in
physical searches. As well as persons, goods such as food and post will also be screened to ensure no
contraband such as drugs and weapons are not being brought into the establishment, there are
many creative ways in which contraband can be smuggled in to prisons, for example drugs have
been hidden in the spines of books or under the postage stamps of letters.
As well as searching goods and people prison officers need to search inmates cells and rooms in the
establishment such as the library and other rooms where inmates can congregate. These places are
searched routinely and on an intelligence basis. Staff must also patrol the perimeter of the grounds
to prevent inmates from attempting to escape and to ensure that no contraband has been thrown
over the walls or that there are no technology such as drones delivering prohibiting items such as
drugs, phones and alcohol. It’s not only staff and machinery used for searches, search dogs are also
used.
The purpose of searching is to discover any illicit items which have managed to go undiscovered by
other security checks. It is crucial that all items are confiscated from the inmates to prevent acts of
blackmail, fights and escapes from the institute. As crucial as a searching is, it is still important that
staff search with respect to both the person and their belongings.
Rub down searches are used to ensure that people entering the prison are not in possession of
forbidden items. All staff which are responsible for searches need to be trained to conduct a search
so that they know have to search correctly and efficiently. All staff who take part in searches need to
be the same gender as the person they are searching. The purpose of rub down searches to detect
any prohibited items being carried on the body externally, the only downside to rub down searches
are that they cannot detect anything that is being carried internally.
Electronic wands and walk-through body scanners are used to identify any metal objects such as
knives and capsules used to smuggle in drugs, this allows prison officers to see internal items which
cannot be found on a person using rub down searches. A newly introduced piece of equipment used
in prisons is the Body Orifice Security Scanner chair, this is also referred to as BOSS. This makes it
even easier for officers to detect any internally hidden contraband. Also search dogs can be used to
find any hidden drugs on visitors and inmates, this is as dogs smell receptors are forty times stronger
than humans so they find it easy to detect items such as drugs, and mobile phones. One downfall to
this search procedure is that is someone has a medical replacement such as hip replacement it will
show up on the screen, this may make the officers suspect the person is hiding something when
they’re not.
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