Oshkosh Correctional Institution installing a stun fence
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Oshkosh Correctional Institution, along with other correctional facilities in the state, is installing an electrified fence as part of a security upgrade.
"Stun fences" are being installed at 13 medium and maximum security correctional facilities in Wisconsin. The perimeter fences, which are part of a $4 million project that was approved by the state Building Commission in 2005, have a non-lethal stunning mechanism that is designed to prevent inmates from escaping.
The standard fence, which is electrified by attached stun fence equipment, provides a non-lethal electric current that will repel or knock down an inmate or intruder before they can reach the razor wire, Wisconsin Department of Corrections spokesman John Dipko said.
"They are designed to serve as a deterrent, a detection mechanism and a barrier to escape," Dipko said. "It not only will reduce the likelihood of an attempted escape, but it also keeps an inmate from harm if an inmate attempted an escape."
Instillation of the fence at OSCI began in early August. OSCI Warden Judy Smith said she expects installation to be complete in the next month. She said the installation will not change any of the facility's security practices and that the watch towers will still be manned.
Upgrading the technology at the 2,050-inmate institution and installing the fence is logical and smart, Smith said, and also supports the goal of maintaining a safe and secure institution.
"With any kind of perimeter, our intention is to keep the inmates in and keep anyone else out," Smith said. "It's just to secure the perimeter."
The Department of Health and Family Services approved a $538,900 project last month to install a stun fence at the 460-bed Wisconsin Resource Center. Construction is scheduled to begin in May and be completed by November 2009.
Source of article: theNORTHWESTERN.com
About StunFence™:
GDI's StunFence™ is an advanced perimeter security system designed to provide a formidable deterrence as a physical barrier and an exceptional intrusion detection system. The system designed for correctional facilities it provides an active deterrent functionality for high security requirements. Currently, StunFence™ is in use in over half of the United States ranging from the deserts in Arizona and New Mexico to as far north as the upper peninsula of Michigan at correctional facilities. Its ability to work reliably in all climatic conditions coupled with its ease of use and service, have made it the superior solution for standalone or integrated technology perimeter boundary protection.
