Carbon County is moving forward on equipment that will provide more accurate checks of inmate cells at the county prison.

This week, the county commissioners voted 2-0 to approve an agreement with TimeKeeping Systems Inc. and the Pennsylvania Counties Risk Pool for the Guard1 Timekeeping system. Commissioner William O'Gurek was absent.The county prison board has been discussing this product since February.The cost for the system is $22,816.57 and will be paid for by PCoRP, and money for a server that is needed, which is estimated to cost around $13,000, to run the program is being applied for through a grant.The Guard1 Timekeeping System allows corrections officers doing their rounds to tap a button with a specialized pipe that logs them in.They then tap a second button on each of the inmates' cell doors with that pipe to record the checks.All information automatically then goes to the computer system.The system would also help monitor those on suicide watch because the corrections officer would tap the cell door and then have a keypad to describe what the inmate is doing in their cell.Right now, all checks are done and handwritten on forms at the prison.Reports would also be able to be printed out as often as administration would like, cutting down on the amount of time the administration would have to look through tapes to make sure records were correct.The only cost the county may incur in this project is an estimated $1,500 annual service fee if it chooses to participate in the service agreement.