But blind spots exist, as well as situations in which a body camera will help get to the truth, including whether an inmate or a guard is at fault, Chambers-Smith said. The system already has about 6,000 cameras in place in Ohio's 28 prisons.
The death of an Ohio inmate in January during a scuffle with guards sped up the examination into using the cameras although the pilot program was already in the works, said Annette Chambers-Smith, director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. California later expanded the cameras to five other prisons. The Ohio agency started examining the issue after a California judge ordered body-worn cameras for guards at a state prison in San Diego following allegations of abuse of prisoners with disabilities. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction hopes to announce by year's end which of four companies has won a contract estimated at about $17 million a year.
By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS, Associated PressĬOLUMBUS, Ohio - A growing number of states' prison systems are outfitting guards with body-worn cameras, even in correctional environments already covered by thousands of stationary security cameras.Īgencies hope the extra cameras will help reduce violence and hold both inmates and guards accountable, although experts and unions question their usefulness on top of existing cameras.
