By Belinda Nolan
PRISONERS at Deer Park’s women’s prison will be X-rayed for hidden drugs and weapons as part of a new trial.
A state-of-the-art body scanner has been developed and is being shipped from the Netherlands to the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre early next year.
The full body scanner is capable of detecting items hidden inside body cavities within seconds and will be used to bust prisoners and their visitors carrying contraband.
The $240,000 technology will be tested at the maximum security prison before being rolled out by Corrections Victoria.
The scanner generates a full height X-ray image on screen, which can detect concealed items without the need to strip search prisoners.
The 2.5 metre machine will be installed at the prison’s entry and will be used to screen each prisoner as they enter the building. It will also be used to catch prisoners suspected of stashing items internally and to screen some visitors.
Those suspected of carrying contraband are tested by stepping onto a platform and holding handles while the scanner rotates around the body.
A full body image appears on a screen within 10 seconds. Corrections Victoria commissioner Bob Hastings said the prison would test the scanner next year.
