Jails Hope Eye Scanners Can Provide Foolproof Identification System for Inmates
There is always the possibility of human error, as all humans are imperfect, and sometimes mistakes can have huge impact. Recently, as well as in the past, there have been instances of jailbreaks, where inmates have pretended to be a soon-to-be-released cellmate and have escaped from jail. In an effort to end such deception, the Federal government, more specifically the Justice Department, is awarding grants worth $500,000 to the National Sheriff’s Association. This money will be distributed to almost 50 jails across the country to fund the purchase of eye, or retina, scanners. Retinas are the innermost coat that lines the interior of the eyeball, containing various layers of photoreceptive cells that are directly connected to the brain. Every person has a unique retina pattern, and light reflects differently off them; the scanners use this fact to identify an individual. Though this biology-based technology was created 10-15 years ago, the scanners still remain rare because of their cost. However, since you get what you pay for, this technology is also much more efficient and effective than dated technologies such as fingerprinting devices. Results are more accurate and returned faster, and the actual scanning process takes just seconds. Despite the advantages of the iris scan and the database it creates, fingerprinting is still used, and will continue to be used in the future. Iris scanners cannot be used on dead bodies, and privacy issues may limit the use of scanners as well.
This information affects us all because it will help keep our streets safe by eliminating the human aspect of identification. Also, as it said in the article, prisons are often testing grounds for technologies that may be used in the general public, so one day we all may have our retinas scanned before entering public places, such as airports, and it is important to educate ourselves about them.
I thought this article covered a very interesting topic, but could have been more detailed. For instance, it did not go into detail about how the scanners work, and so I had to research the topic myself. I also wish it had asked the opinions of more people and incorporated more quotes into the article.
Drew did a very good review of the article “Jails Hope Eye Scanners Can Provide Foolproof Identification System for Inmates” in which he talked about the use of retina scanners in prisons. He did a good job in describing why proper identification was so necessary especially in prisons and why poor identification systems had previously led to prisoners escaping. I also liked how he explained in detail what retinas are and exactly how retina scanners work, even though the article didn’t really talk about it, they just said retina scanners were faster than scanning fingerprints and that you can’t scan retinas of dead people because after death retinas break down. I enjoyed and agreed with the fact that Drew also talked about how people should be informed about retina scanners since prisons are normally a testing ground for products that will be used in public.
ReplyDeleteI think in the article Drew could have talked more about how the prisoner escaped and how often situations like that one occur. He also could have talked more about how difficult the scanners were to use, the training needed to operate the retina scanners, and how long the guards needed to train.
I was not aware of how retinas and retina scanners work, which Drew included in his article. I was quite impressed with the technology of retina scanners, especially how quickly and efficiently the worked. Also, I was impressed that fingerprinting, which is a pretty old technology, is still the most efficient method for identification at a crime scene.