T’puram: An AI-based smart surveillance and monitoring system, PRISM (Prison Real-time Intelligent Surveillance & Monitoring), has been launched at Central Jail, Thiruvananthapuram, in collaboration with Keltron, marking a major step towards strengthening security and modernising prison administration. Home minister Ramesh Chennithala inaugurated it on Sunday.The new system is designed to use AI-powered camera surveillance both inside the prison and around its outer perimeter. One of the key objectives is to prevent the smuggling of narcotic substances and other prohibited items into the prison from outside, as well as to detect unauthorised activities and transactions within the prison premises.The AI-enabled surveillance network is expected to strengthen round-the-clock monitoring and help prison authorities identify suspicious activities more efficiently. The use of technology is also aimed at reducing the possibility of security breaches and improving the overall accountability of prison operations.As part of the reforms, a new food system is also being introduced at the central jail. The new arrangement will do away with preferential or VIP treatment in the distribution of food and seek to ensure a more uniform system for inmates.The reforms are being introduced with the broader belief that prisons should not be places where inmates repeat their mistakes or commit new offences, but institutions that provide an opportunity to rebuild their lives.The introduction of PRISM is therefore being projected not merely as a security upgrade, but as the beginning of a broader transformation in prison administration, combining modern technology, equal treatment and a greater focus on rehabilitation and reform.
