• Improved visual coverage - Many prisons and correctional facilities are expansive, consisting of a variety of different areas, all of which require close monitoring. While guards and officers can't be everywhere at once, security cameras can provide continuous coverage of an entire facility.
• Monitor inmate activity - The constant presence of surveillance cameras helps officers to spot suspicious inmate activity, and can prevent prison incidents from getting out of hand.
• Provide visual evidence - Archived surveillance footage is an extremely valuable resource for investigations of prison incidents.
• Maintain order in common areas - Locations where large groups of inmates convene, such as dining and recreational areas, necessitate tight surveillance from multiple security cameras.
• Reduce the frequency of assaults - In prisons and correctional facilities, tension is high, and fights are inevitable. Security cameras work to deter such behavior and also help in analyzing incidents of violence.
• Prevent drug smuggling - Video surveillance systems help in preventing inmates from smuggling drugs into the facility from the outside.
• Monitor officer behavior - Instances where guards and correctional officers act out of line towards inmates are caught on camera. Such footage is used in investigations and can help to prevent further misconduct.
• Safer transport - Security cameras installed in hallways and throughout cellblocks provide an enhanced level of safety when inmates and others are escorted through the facility.
• Enhanced search capabilities - Digital surveillance technology allows video footage to be archived and stored on digital video recorders and hard-drives rather than bulky cassette tapes. Searching footage is significantly easier and more efficient in digital format.
• Remote video monitoring - With a networked digital surveillance system, users can access the footage remotely over the internet. Authorized users are able to view multiple camera feeds from their personal computers, rather than a lone monitoring room within the prison or correctional facility.
  

• Tampering - There exists a risk that inmates will attempt to tamper with a facility's security equipment. While many prisons use tamper-resistant cameras to cope with this problem, there's always a possibility that a camera will be damaged and lose its signal. In such cases, it's important that a backup security plan is in place.
• Over reliance - Prisons and correctional facilities should not rely too heavily on surveillance equipment. While security cameras are effective and undoubtedly necessary in helping to maintain order in a prison environment, they are only one part of a larger security effort that must include the proper staffing of officers and guards, along with alarm systems and other safety measures.
• Privacy - Concerns over privacy are a constant debate when it comes to video surveillance. In the case of prisons, it's a tricky subject. Some facilities feel that for the safety of their inmates, it's appropriate to use security cameras to monitor individual cells, while others consider this a breach of what little privacy the prisoners have left.
  

Prisons and correctional facilities present plenty of challenges when it comes to installing a comprehensive video surveillance system. Such facilities are usually massive with hundreds of rooms, multiple cell blocks, and a wide variety of indoor and outdoor areas, all of which require constant surveillance. Consider the following factors when determining the appropriate video surveillance system:

• Install cameras in all common areas, such as dining and recreational areas.
• Monitor hallways, corridors, stairwells, and other areas where inmates are escorted.
• Situate cameras in booking and identification areas.
• Maintain thorough video surveillance to continuously monitor all cell block activity.
• Position cameras to keep watch over the prison yard.
• Install video cameras at all entrances and exits to the facility and independent cell blocks.