Hidden Fortress

Scanning for Person-Borne Contraband in Correctional Facilities

There are multiple ways in which contraband makes its way inside prisons and other correctional facilities.

Person-borne contraband is that which is found hidden on a person, either concealed within or under their clothing or within a body cavity.

Detecting person-borne contraband must be done using capable, yet safe methods to be accurate enough to locate items while also not causing harm to the person or to security personnel.

Full body scanning using advanced x-ray technology is considered the safest and most accurate way to locate person-borne contraband.

What Detection Methods Are Used in Correctional Facilities?

There are two methods in which scanning for person-borne contraband can be performed at a correctional facility: full-body stationary walk-through scanning and handheld wand body scanning.

Both of these devices are available using various technologies such as x-ray, backscatter x-ray, transmission x-ray, ion scanning, millimeter wave, and others that detect different items including cellular devices, metallic and non-metallic items, narcotics, and explosives, each to varying degrees.

The devices also have varying degrees of penetration in three different scanning situations, those being on the body, within a body cavity, and under body armor.

Yet among all of the different walk-through and handheld devices available, as of yet there is no single device that can detect all five categories of contraband in all three locations.

Which Devices Yield the Least Amount of Radiation?

Concerning radiation, the scanners emitting the lowest amount of radiation can detect the fewest types of contraband, while those detecting the most types emit higher radiation.

While all of these devices are considered safe for repeated use, the number of uses considered safe for each device may be higher or lower depending on the amount of radiation emitted.

Handheld devices generally deliver smaller doses of radiation in comparison to walk-through units, but this is not always the case, as exposure may increase based on how the device is used.

Also, the cost of these devices tends to correlate directly with the radiation level and detection ability of each device.

Which Scanning Device Is Right for Your Facility?

Practically speaking, handheld scanners may be more desirable in many cases due to their easy use and affordability, but they are more time-consuming to use.

Conversely, full body scanners are more convenient and thorough, but much more expensive.

When considering the cost of these devices and their different limitations based on the technology and radiation exposure, the sensible solution for any correctional facility is to use a combination of these approaches to detect the most types of person-borne contraband while delivering the least amount of radiation possible.

Curious About Hot Stone Massage Therapy? Here Are Its 5 Benefits!

There are a lot of ways to relax, de-stress, and energize.

You can go on a vacation leave from work and spend time with family and friends, you can visit the park with your pets, or you can do some yoga session with your pals.

But if you prefer to do something truly relaxing, calming, and energizing, booking for a hot stone massage therapy might be the best option for you.

A massage therapy that combines the art of Swedish massage and the unique and satisfying effect of heated stones will surely relieve your stress and refuel your energy.

What Is Hot Stone Massage Therapy?

Whenever you see video clips or images portraying a massage therapist carefully putting smooth, heated stones on the back of a person lying peacefully on a spa bed, then that is what hot stone massage therapy is all about.

Hot stone massage therapists are trained to use and place heated basalt river stones on trigger points and other specific points of the body and they can even hold and use the stones while doing Swedish massage techniques like kneading, stroking, and rolling.

Five benefits of hot stone massage therapy

There are five great benefits that you will discover from hot stone massage therapy:

Alleviate Anxiety And Relieve Stress - All massage therapies, including hot stone massage therapy, are found to be very effective in relieving stress and anxiety. The use of heated stones even adds to the relaxation and calming effect that significantly induces positive vibes and energy. After a long week at work, a hot stone massage therapy might work its magic on you.
Reduce Muscle Pain And Tension - Since heat has been used to manage muscle pain and tension for a very long time now, hot stone massage therapy is also very effective in doing such. How does it work? The heat applied on the body part will increase the blood flow in that area and reduce muscle tension and pain.
Promote Sleep - Research found that massage therapy can replace sleeping pills in people who have difficulty in sleeping. Hot stone massage therapy, when done particularly on the back, can help in promoting sleep and relaxation. Once you get a good sleep, you will automatically feel better and energized when you wake up.
Improve Immunity - When you undergo a massage therapy, it can lower your arginine-vasopressin, the hormone which regulates water retention and blood pressure. This will lead to having your immunity boosted, which can help you ward off diseases and sicknesses.
Aid In Managing Cancer Symptoms - Cancer symptoms such as depression, nausea, anxiety, stress, fatigue, and pain are found to be managed well through massage therapies like hot stone massage therapy.

Trigger Point Massage Therapy – Learn Its Many Benefits!

Trigger point massage therapy, also called neuromuscular therapy or myofascial trigger point therapy, is a manual form of therapy that aims at releasing and detecting trigger points.

It mainly targets the muscles.

Trigger points are hyperirritable muscle spots mostly with palpable taut bands or knots in the muscle tissue.

On compression, the trigger points are painful and often relay tenderness and pain to other body areas.

The affected muscle is in most instances ischemic which causes the whole muscle to be weak, painful, too tight, and becomes fatigued easily.

The trigger points are usually caused by overstressing the muscle, sustained chills, and muscle fiber trauma.

What Does Trigger Point Massage Therapy Do?

Trigger point massage therapy targets directly the trigger point and the adjacent muscles.

The therapist keenly identifies the trigger point and may use whole-body vibration, friction strokes, compressions, or stretches which is suitable to make the trigger point melt away.

There is a significant or complete alleviation of pain once the trigger point is released.

Trigger point massage therapy can be used in managing headaches, frozen shoulder, osteoarthritis, temporomandibular joint pain, migraines, back pain, whiplash, tinnitus, carpal tunnel syndrome, sports injuries, hip pain among others.

Benefits Of Trigger Point Massage Therapy

There are many benefits to be received from trigger point massage therapy.

Improves Body Posture - Tight muscles negatively affect the posture through slouching. Trigger point therapy may be used to relieve muscle tightness and alleviates pain which in turn gives the normal human posture.
Improves Flexibility - Trigger point massage therapy stretches your connective tissue and thus improving the body's flexibility.
Increases Range Of Motion - Muscle weakness and pain majorly causes reduced flexibility and decreased range of motion. Release of muscle tension from a trigger point increases the range of motion and improved flexibility.
Promotes Hormone Production – Trigger point massage therapy also helps with lymph drainage.
Alleviates Pain - It alleviates all kinds of pain. Before pharmacological pain management is given, muscle tension release should be done on the main trigger points.
Improves Muscle Circulation - Through tissue stimulation, there is improved blood flow. This reduces the ischemic-related pain.
Reduces Stress - Trigger point massage therapy frees your mind from emotions and difficult situations. It also reduces headaches and migraines by relaxing the tight muscles associated with migraines and tension headaches.

Trigger point massage therapy is used to relax the inflamed muscles which is often applicable to the those involved in sports.

Overextension of muscles may result in soreness and these massages help curb the soreness and hasten the recovery time.

In Summary

Trigger point massage therapy is rejuvenating.

At the end of the massage, one feels connected, revitalized, balanced, and energized to keep going.

Trigger point massage therapy gets rid of the body's distractions and stimulates the brain cells thus enhancing a healthy mental and physical connection.

Detecting Contraband in Prisons – What Is Contraband?

Keeping prisons safe starts with the utilization of the best detection technology like advanced full body scanners.

Before any type of detection technology for corrections including scanners can be used accurately, the definition of what classifies as contraband must be made.

Without policies that include the definition of contraband and how it must be detected, full body scanning is not as effective as it could be.

What Is Considered Contraband in Corrections Facilities?

In its most basic definition, contraband refers to illicit items that are not allowed within a facility being brought in or out illegally.

The challenge with relying on the basic definition of contraband is that what is prohibited in one facility may not be the same as what is prohibited in another.

While most people have a good idea as to which items are typically considered to be contraband, relying solely on interpretation can open the door for inaccuracies, even using advanced detection technology like full body scanners.

Scanning Is Helpful Only When Contraband Is Explicitly Defined

As useful as full body scanning with today’s more accurate and advanced detection technology may be, it can only be used to its greatest abilities by when the exact definition of contraband according to each specific facility is clearly stated.

In prisons and other correctional facilities, contraband normally refers to items like weapons, illegal drugs, items that could facilitate escape, tobacco, explosives of any kind, and alcohol, the obvious items that most people are aware of.

Other Possible Definitions of Contraband

Depending on the type of facility and the level of security, contraband can also refer to things like aerosol spray cans, medications, smoking accessories, USB storage drives, tattooing equipment, flammable liquids, and other specific and lesser-known items.

Unless there are policies in effect that identify all of these things and detection technology is used to detect all of these items, even the most accurate full body scanning features can still fail to keep a facility safe against contraband due to human inaccuracy.

In Summary

While it is essential that every prison has accurate detection technology for corrections systems in place, that technology cannot actually be protective without a unique definition of what constitutes contraband within that facility where it is being used.

The prime goal at every prison is to keep inmates and staff safe by keeping contraband out.

That can only happen when all staff understands the definition of contraband in their setting and are fully trained on how to use available detection technology to accurately locate those specific items.

Which Is Better? Movers or a DIY Moving Pod?

Pod moving containers have become a popular alternative for DIY moves, as they offer a convenient and affordable moving and storage solution.

In a few situations, these storage and moving containers can make sense over hiring full-service movers.

Yet in other instances, regular moving services can still be a better option, even in those situations when moving dates do not coincide and item storage is required.

Benefits of Moving Pods

Why choose a moving pod?

The biggest benefit that moving containers offer is time, as those preparing for local moves can gradually pack their belongings and put them in the pod over days or weeks until it is finally filled up, then call the container service to have the unit picked up and relocated.

They can be less expensive than regular moving services, but pods only work out if there is a place for them to sit while it’s being loaded up.

Concerns About Moving Pods

Another concern is that customers must move their heavy furnishings into the container themselves, which may be difficult.

The fact that the pod sits out in the sun and/or the cold might be another issue that could affect the ability to actually use it as intended since some home items can be damaged by high or low temperatures.

Pods come priced for moves within a limited area, too.

Pods Can Be Very Convenient

Limitations aside, moving containers can be convenient for those dealing with a move-out date that does not correspond with their move-in date and it is necessary to store belongings for a while.

Storage usually comes at an additional fee, but it is a simpler solution than moving boxes to a storage unit, then moving them from the unit to the new residence.

Storage Is Available From Moving Services Also

What many people may not realize is that most moving services offer the same short-term storage options to help their customers deal with moving schedule discrepancies, sometimes at no extra cost.

Not only do customers hiring traditional local movers then have the advantage of someone else loading and unloading the truck, but the movers will frequently store goods in their own warehouses between move-out and move-in day, keeping items protected and climate-controlled.

Which Is The Better Option?

So, which is the better option to choose, a moving pod container or a regular moving service?

While both have their advantages and disadvantages, hiring moving services is better for those who want their things moved quickly and safely be professionals, even if that requires a short period of storage between pickup and dropoff.

Moving pods can work well for some who are willing to put in the hours of work themselves to get everything, including their heavy furniture, into the container, but full-service movers can do it all quickly and responsibly!

Why Are The Newest Full Body Scanners Safer to Use?

Body scanners have been in use in prisons, airports, and countless other facilities to improve security for many years now.

While these devices have already been instrumental in improving security at these locations, the technology is continually being updated, suggesting that facilities should be updating their equipment.

Are Body Scanners Worth the Expense?

As expensive as full body scanning machines are, it might lead some to question what the value is in replacing older x-ray body scanning units with newer ones.

This is a valid question that has an equally valid response for heads of corrections facilities especially to take into consideration.

Better Imaging - The latest technology in body scanners has introduced groundbreaking imaging improvements, with high-definition 3D imaging making it possible to detect contraband as small as a packet of powder or differentiate between living tissue and other materials.
Lower Radiation - Improved full body scanning can now be performed using a fraction of the dose of older, legacy machines, a factor that is especially important in prison facilities and similar where multiple scans per day can be normal.
Fewer Physical Interactions - Greater accuracy with lower radiation means fewer of the questionable images common with older x-ray body scanning machines as well as fewer pat-downs and other physical interactions. Advanced body scanners with 3D imaging and automatic detection eliminate the guesswork of older machines, making security scanning as close to being a completely hands-off process as it has ever been.

Based on these three noteworthy reasons, it should be clear how today’s more advanced body scanners make the security screening process faster and more convenient, but also safer for everyone involved.

Correctional facilities that have already updated their full body scanning capabilities are getting lower radiation readings among staff and inmates both, seeing fewer calls for pat-downs and body cavity searches, and experiencing fewer overdose incidences and illicit substances being passed around the facility.

The Final Focus

The important takeaway in this is that there is more to safety than just reducing radiation dose, which has always been a focus of improving x-ray body scanning technology.

Safety in correctional facilities is also measured by the kinds of interactions happening between inmates and staff, and the reduction of harm to the inmates themselves from contraband such as weapons and drugs.

With better ways to reduce all of these risks, every facility using full body scanning should seriously look at how upgrading to the latest technology can further improve the safety level at that facility.