A high-security prison in north China is using a cutting-edge artificial intelligence network to monitor its inmates 24/7.
The Yancheng prison in Yanjiao, Hebei province, where high-profile inmates are incarcerated, has employed a network of AI cameras to monitor inmates’ every movement and flag behaviour that is deemed abnormal to human guards, according to South China Morning Post.
The high-tech surveillance system allows cameras to track up to 200 faces at the same time at the 40-hectare facility, sources involved in the project confirmed to the Hong Kong newspaper.
The Yancheng prison in Yanjiao, Hebei province, where high-profile inmates are incarcerated, has employed a network of AI cameras to monitor inmates’ every movement. Above, a photo released in 2016 shows inmates engaging in a sport activity in the prison compound
The high-tech surveillance system allows cameras to track up to 200 faces at the same time at the 40-hectare facility, sources involved in the project confirmed to South China Morning Post
High-profile residents include Gu Kailai (above), the wife of disgraced former Chongqing party head Bo Xilai, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of a British businessman
The new ‘smart jail’ system includes a network of surveillance cameras and hidden sensors that reach out like ‘neuron fibres’, one insider said. The coverage will extend into every prison cell.
The network, jointly developed by numerous public research institutes, collects and streams data into an AI-powered computer that can recognise, track and monitor every inmate at any point of the day, according to the report.
The system then generates a report completed with behavioural analysis on each prisoner using facial identification and movement analysis. If anything abnormal is detected, the system will send out an alert to the guards.
If anything abnormal is detected, the AI system will send out an alert to the guards
The new ‘smart jail’ system includes a network of surveillance cameras and hidden sensors that reach out like ‘neuron fibres’, one insider said. The coverage will extend into every cell
A 2016 photo shows inmates participating in a sports event at the Yancheng jail
‘For instance, if an inmate has been spotted pacing up and down in a room for some time, the machine may regard the phenomenon as suspicious and suggest close-up checks with a human guard,’ project representative Meng Qingbiao told South China Morning Post.
Some experts told the newspaper that the system will eliminate any attempts of escape as inmates wouldn’t be able to stop the system from triggering the alarm even if they are able to bribe the guards.
The jail, directly controlled by the Ministry of Justice, has been described as a VIP or luxury jail due to its high-profile inmates and relatively comfortable environment.
Some of its high-profile residents include Gu Kailai, the wife of disgraced former Chongqing party head Bo Xilai, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of a British businessman.
The jail, directly controlled by the Ministry of Justice, has been described as a VIP or luxury jail due to its high-profile inmates and relatively comfortable environment
Other VIP inmates include Nan Yong, the former deputy chairman of the national soccer association, who is jailed for corruption in 2012
Behind the prison is a vegetable field and orchard where the prisoners grow organic plants
Gu was originally given a suspended death sentence for the killing of Neil Heywood over a business dispute in 2011. Her sentence was later commuted to life in jail.
Other VIP inmates include Nan Yong, the former deputy chairman of the national soccer association and Zhang Shuguang, the former deputy chief engineer of the now-disbanded railways ministry. Both were jailed for corruption.
In 2016, a WeChat account named Sword of Chang’an, backed by the Communist Party’s Political and Legal Affairs Commission posted photos showing life inside the compound.
The images show the inmates’ living quarters, the prison canteen and study library. Others show prisoners receiving a training workshop and playing on an open field.
In 2016, a WeChat account named Sword of Chang’an, backed by the Communist Party’s Political and Legal Affairs Commission posted photos showing life inside the compound
The images show the inmates’ living quarters, the prison canteen and study library (above)
Others show prisoners receiving a training workshop (above) and playing on an open field
Behind the prison is a vegetable field and orchard where the prisoners grow organic plants.
The jail’s management has been under pressure to improve its operations, after a team of party disciplinary inspectors warned that some guards were engaging in ‘frequent violations of the rules’, according to South China Morning Post.
After months of construction, the upgrade of surveillance system is nearly finished, the report added.
The Yancheng prison can hold up to 1,600 prisoners, according to Chinese reports.