Biometric Monitoring Comes to Washington Jail
In July 2024, Kittitas County Jail (KCJ) became the first in Washington to implement OverWatch, a wearable device produced by 4Sight Labs that monitors detainee vital signs and alerts jailers to medical emergencies. Jail officials claim it will prevent deaths, but critics say that invasive surveillance is no substitute for effective guard patrols.
Washington jails recorded at least 36 in-custody deaths in the 18 months prior to rollout of the system at KCJ. But privacy advocates warn that meeting the problem with devices like OverWatch merely replaces one set of problems with another, since personal data is collected by private companies with little to no oversight. VeriWatch, a smartwatch-like monitor made by 4Sight Labs competitor and GEO Group subsidiary BI Inc., tracks location, captures facial recognition data and monitors biometric information—purportedly allowing it to predict the wearer’s emotional state.
Deployment of OverWatch in KCJ is part of a new wave of invasive digital tools marketed as enhancements and alternatives to incarceration that are expanding state control under the guise of public safety and rehabilitation. Immigration authorities are already using ankle monitors to track and control immigrant populations, leading to isolation and job loss. As these devices invade the United States landscape, it is crucial to note the ongoing decrease of individual privacy and potential for abuse of individuals’ rights.
Sources: KOMO News, Prism Reports
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