IDENTIFICATION OF CONVICTS IN HUNGARIAN PRISONS
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Land Forces Academy Review
Vol. XXVI, No. 2(102), 2021
IDENTIFICATION OF CONVICTS
IN HUNGARIAN PRISONS
Katalin KONDÁS
Óbuda University, Budapest, Hungary
kondaskatalin@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Personal identification is a crucial element of some safety-technology
systems. The same applies to facilities brimming with safety devices, in particular, in
penalty institutions, prisons. My goal is to present a comprehensive picture of the
identification method used in Hungarian prisons. There is no other summarizing
document available on identification. My present paper is based on the 12 years of
experience that I have gained in the Penalty Enforcement Organisation in the area
of information technology since 2007. I have been analyzing and researching the
personal identification of convicts based on their biometric characteristics. In 2004,
a well-functioning, object-based identification method was established. This article
will give an overall picture of the identification system(s) used in Hungarian prisons
as well as of my former plans to renew the identification methods of convicts.
KEYWORDS: prison, biometrics, identification
1. Introduction number of people requires an extensive
Biometric identification is one of the database.
most wide-spread and most modern In the penal institution, the personal
personal identification methods, whose goal identification of inmates is particularly
is to establish an individual’s identity with crucial in the following situations:
confidence, rapidity and credibility. Due to the – admission,
explosive and dynamic progress of – receiving visitors,
information technology, biometric identification – starting work in prison,
methods are undergoing continuous and – shopping in the prison shop,
quick development. This type of – using the public phone attached to
identification can be diverse depending on the corridor wall,
the requirements, goals and the allocated – the activities of right enforcement
budget and how the desired identification (Kondás & Szűcs, 2020).
system can be implemented. It is my goal to describe the operation
In Hungarian penalty enforcement, of the identification system used in
biometric identification is not yet wide- Hungarian prisons. In this paper, I will
spread. I will outline the identification mainly focus on the identification process
method of convicts used in the penalty during inmates’ use of the public phone and
organisation and its importance in prison the prison shop.
residents' lives. In total, there are over My research still concentrates on how
17.000 convicts in Hungarian prisons. identification methods and their
The data management of this significant effectiveness could be improved and
DOI: 10.2478/raft-2021-0017
© 2017. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License.
118
implemented during the time of Ensuring the availability of
imprisonment and in the various systems information and the protection of data from
operated in the different professional areas. the access of unauthorised individuals are
I genuinely believe that the physical permanent tasks within the framework of
implementation of a long-desired biometric the operation of the IT system. For the basic
identification system is already on our traceability of the management and use of
doorstep in the Hungarian Penalty special data, the identification of users and
Enforcement Organisation. the authentication process of information
are of pivotal importance (Kondás, 2018).
2. Identification of Prisoners Although the inmate record database
After a custodial sentence has been is multi-layered, the database of the Penalty
imposed, the Penalty Enforcement Enforcement Organisation is not identical
Organisation determines when and in which to that of the organs of the criminal justice
prison the convict will apply to complete system.
their sentence. The convict’s identity must
be checked. 2.2. Register Number
As soon as the prisoner arrives at the All prisoners receive an individual
penal institution, their data are registered in register number when they are taken into
the central database; all available confinement or custody; upon admission to
information gets recorded in a computer the penal institution. This register number is
programme specially developed for this a code consisting of two letters and four
purpose. The database contains the current numbers, which remain with the convicts
and past data and the documents related to during their entire imprisonment period,
the sentence and the enforcement of even if they are transferred to another penal
measures (Hungarian Prison Service in institution. Should they be sentenced to
Service of Justice, 2020). Personal confinement again for an already known
identification is necessary during the crime, the individual’s register number will
admission process of inmates and in the regularly stay the same. In other words,
course of their daily activities, e.g. phone they will be registered under the same code.
use or shopping.
2.3. Barcode Cards
2.1. Prison Register Upon admission to prison, personal
Upon the admission of a prisoner, items and money are deposited, so inmates
they get photographed and receive a register have no ID cards or money with them.
number. These can be disclosed only with These items are safeguarded by the penal
relevant permission. Information is stored institution and will be returned to their
in a database, where the personal records of owners upon release. As convicts are not to
any inmate can be searched at any time. own cash, but shopping in the prison shop
The personnel of the various units or using the prison phone works only with
(disciplinary, security, registration, healthcare, money, they can make use of these services
re-integration, prison employment) can with the help of a virtual account.
view and have access only to the functions To resolve this issue, a method using a card
and data relevant to their use. Should has been devised. All inmates receive this
further information be added to the personal card upon entering confinement, which also
records, the time of entering the new data serves as a means of identification. With the
and the name of the officer documenting help of this so-called barcode card,
them are also recorded and can be searched. the available amount can be established
The record database is severely monitored. from the data records of the prison.
119The front of the card contains the that the barcode will be allocated to each
following data: convict based on their register number
prisoner’s name, (Kondás, 2013).
prisoner’s register number,
prisoner’s photo, 3.3. Making Phone Calls
individual barcode. The primary and most crucial step for
making phone calls in the phone system is
3. Identification of Prisoners in to identify the given inmate quickly and
Hungarian Prisons confidently. Upon initiating a phone call,
3.1. Phone System with Barcode Card the convict picks up the phone and receives
A prison phone system has been an oral instruction to display their barcode
operated in all penal institutions of this on their card to the barcode reader and to
country since 2004. The basic concept of face the camera. Following this step, the
the system is that all convicts are given a fading of the flash of the barcode reader
barcode ID card, which is registered in the demonstrates that the identification has been
central prison database alongside a biometric automatically performed. Should the camera’s
identifier of the inmate. In practice, the just-taken photo not agree with the one
database also includes a photograph of the stored in the database, the phone indicates a
convict. When the given individual wishes defect and does not permit the call.
to make a phone call, the phone device Then, the system immediately finds
attached to the wall will detect the barcode the relevant, necessary and accessible
card, then the camera installed in the phone (for the given institution) data belonging to
takes a photo of the user and compares it to the barcode card in the database and displays
that featured in the database. If they prove those on the screen in an appropriate order.
to show the same person, the inmate can These data will be hereinafter be referred to
start dialling. as the regulation system belonging to a
given inmate. Within this regulation
3.2. The Purpose of and the Use of system, a module of the phone system will
Barcode Cards in the Phone System retrieve the list of phone numbers the
The fundamental purpose of the convict is allowed to call based on their
prison phone system is to enable the prison permitted contact list from the institution’s
personnel to check and listen into the phone prison registry.
calls of inmates. Another goal is to make all The identification of the inmate is
conversation should be controlled, all their possible, therefore, through the comparison
features should be recorded and that the of the photo retrieved from the prisoners’
telecommunication fee should be automatically database and that made by the webcam
paid through the payment system. placed next to the phone displayed on the
It is cardinal that the prison’s IT officer’s screen. This is the process of
system can provide data in an event-driven biometric identification. The webcam image
manner to independent sub-systems, among shot at the time of visual identification and
others, the phone system and can displayed on the screen – alongside the
communicate online with the shop’s money other parameters of the phone call – get
register. All in all, the barcode card can be stored and can be retrieved later. With this
used for making phone calls and for method, makers of unpermitted phone calls
shopping, provided the convict has the can also be confidently identified, and
necessary funds. The use of this card is further control processes are facilitated.
similar to that of bank cards in civilian life. Figure no. 1 shows the phone cabinet
After comparing the appropriate sums, the with the telephone receiver, the camera and
card codes must be updated, which means the barcode reader.
120Figure no. 1: Prisoners’ phone with the installed camera
(Source: Author, 2012)
During the call, the following data are Naturally, the prison shop needs to comply
visible: with the regulations of the National Tax and
– Prior to the identification of the Customs Administration. Nevertheless,
inmate: as no cash is used, the price of the various
• the portrait photo taken by the purchased articles must be deducted from
camera; their balance. This process is aided by the
• the state of the device. barcode card. The goals of introducing a
– After the identification of the shopping system using a money register
inmate: were the following:
• their personal data appear (name, The shop assistant can work with this
cell number, penalty level, etc.); money register licensed by the National Tax
• photo of the inmate (upon and Customs Administration in a manner
admission). they were used with the usual money
– After the inmate has made a phone registers.
call to a permitted number: Financial flows should occur online.
• the data of the dialled contact The convict can choose to spend their
person (phone number, name, money on making calls or shopping.
address, degree of family Inmates can identify themselves with
relationship); the same barcode card while making calls
• remaining time in confinement and while shopping. The system will deduct
(Kondás, 2013). the used amount from the virtual bank
account associated with the barcode card in
3.4. Shopping both cases.
The phone system and the shopping In order to prevent frauds, the
account system is one and the same. computer next to the money register (see
In other words, purchases immediately Figure no. 2) is to display the photo of the
show in the virtual account of the convict. card owner upon each purchase.
121Figure no 2: Money register in use
(Source: Author, 2012)
With the help of the shop computer, 4. Effectiveness of Identification
the purchase procedure is the following: Methods
– The convict hands over their The identification system currently in
barcode card to the shop assistant who use is effective. In the above chapters,
reads the barcode information with the I summed up the Penalty Enforcement
barcode reader. The monitor placed on the Organisation data management based on the
counter will display the card holder’s photo identification of convicts. For the use of the
and the personal data that were permitted various systems, the application of the
by the given penal institution. For privacy barcode card is essential. Without it, convicts
reasons, only a moderate amount of data is cannot contact their family members; neither
entered in the system. Also, the shop can they do shopping in the prison shop.
assistant can view the overall sum available When an inmate enters the prison,
for use. The screen is visible for both the their data are recorded, and they are
customer and the shop assistant, so the photographed by the registration department.
convict can easily decide how much money Thus, the information is available to release
they wish to spend in the shop, on making the barcode card, which stays with the
calls or on shopping later. convict as long as they are in confinement.
– At the outset of the purchase, The barcode card is basically a means
the inmate’s register number (the unique of payment. If it is photocopied or perhaps
identity number) is printed on the paper roll forged, then it will have duplicates.
of the money register. When the purchase is The card may, on occasion, get stolen,
completed, the system deducts the spent and its new “owner” might attempt to use it
amount from the convict's virtual account too. However, in practice, copying has little
and lists the purchase among their financial chance, even though we can never know
activities. The inmate signs the receipt when it occurs. It is more frequent that
(which contains their register number), and convicts lose their cards, and a new card
with this signature, they acknowledge the must be released. The barcode of the new
completion of the purchase (Kondás, 2013). card will be identical to that on the lost card.
122Consequently, if the old card is retrieved, began in 2010, making use of European
there will be two identical cards registered Union funds. The restructuring affected the
in the system. Therefore, it is necessary that modernisation of the networks, the increase in
greater attention is paid to the registration the number of termination points, the entirety
of barcode cards to prevent duplication. of the IT system (servers, workstations) and
Personal identification can be made the replacement of the registration system
even more secure by introducing more that used to be based on an obsolete
advanced technology. To identify convicts, software-technology. The purpose of this
a biometric identification system should be restructuring process was to set up a
introduced in prisons so that convicts would homogenous, standardised, firm and – on a
not need to carry any identification items national level – closed IT system, which –
with them. As a result, the theft or loss of thanks to a homogenous office environment
barcode cards would not represent a problem. – will ensure an identical infrastructural
background for the operation of newly
5. Conclusions developed databases on each site of the
The barcode card-based identification organisation. Simultaneously, former IT
of convicts was introduced nation-wide in systems have been replaced by new ones
Hungarian penal institutions in 2004. (Magyar, 2012).
The system works logically, meets the The operation of penality enforcement
requirements, and consequently, the financial was given a new legal basis in 2013.
transactions of inmates can be managed in a Act CCXL of 2013 on the Enforcement of
practical and easy way. The execution time
Penalties, Measures, Certain Coercive
of shopping and phone call has also been
Measures and Detention for Misdemeanours
reduced.
also refers to the identification of convicts:
The identification of convicts, however,
“The penal institution operating within the
would deserve to use new technologies
framework of the Penalty Enforcement
keeping pace with the technological
Organisation is obliged to check the
advances of the world. An identification
system based on unique physical features – a personal identity of convicts. During this
biometric identification system – would be process, the personal identification data
most suitable. specified in the documents on which the
Should the present system of object- prison admission is based are transferred to
based identification remain in force for a the criminal database and the photo-based
more extended period of time, a more of the penal institution; the authenticity of
robust and sturdy item, an RFID card, the data is re-checked” (Évi CCXL.
should be applied instead of the currently Törvény, 2013). The penal institution also
used barcode cards. The new card could takes the convict's fingerprint and initiates
also have a hologram and the card owner’s the comparison with the criminal registration
photo on it. There is a wide range of organ, in compliance with Part (5) b) of
options available; the application of our Section 82 of Act XLVII of 2009 on
dream technology is only limited by the Criminal Conviction Records of Hungarian
budget available to us. Citizens in any EU country and also on
The possibilities and defects of the Criminal and Law Enforcement Biometric
current identification system help us set up Data Records.
our requirements regarding the future This comparison is conducted
identification method. electronically by reading the fingerprint
An overall restructuring process of with a dedicated electronic device
the Hungarian penalty enforcement system (Évi XLVII. Törvény, 2009).
123Thanks to the legal changes, convicts prison shop is still card-based but
have the possibility to keep in touch with modernised with a new IT system.
their family via mobile phones provided by It is, therefore, still a relevant goal in
the organisation. These are simplified cell Hungarian penal institutions to use an
phones whose use does not require self- identification based on a more modern
identification. Phones attached to the wall technology, where there is already an
are taken out of service. Shopping in the updated IT-background to support it.
Acknowledgements
This article was supported by Óbuda University.
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