Nearly 40% of facilities using GUARDIAN RFID now rely on RFID cards for inmate identification, double the 20% of customers who utilized them prior to 2017. This shift has been driven by several factors, including cost considerations, personal preferences, and issues with wristband durability, such as staff errors or inmates intentionally damaging or removing their wristbands.
When we refer to mistakes made by staff, we don’t mean that these are necessarily intentional. Sometimes, it's as simple as inmates complaining that their wristband is too tight (though we guarantee, it’s not). In such cases, an officer or staff member might loosen the wristband before securing it, leading inmates to remove and replace it repeatedly, almost like an accessory.
Other issues stem from the gradual introduction of moisture or water into the wristband, particularly among inmate workers, after several months of use. Some judges also have an aversion to wristbands being worn in their courtrooms, often requiring inmates to cut them off before court appearances. This results in the staff having to replace the wristbands to comply with the judge's preferences.
While these are just a few examples of the challenges some jails and prisons face, they have prompted many facilities to seriously consider switching to RFID cards. This blog will answer common questions that arise when transitioning from RFID wristbands to ID cards, including:
The switch between RFID wristbands and RFID cards (or vice versa) is relatively simple. The first step is to contact your JailOps account manager. However, if you're actively deploying Command Cloud and decide to switch to RFID cards, be sure to inform your Academy trainer as soon as possible.
Explain to either JailOps or Academy that you want to change inmate identification methods and the reason behind the switch. If you prefer to stick with RFID wristbands but are experiencing issues like delamination or premature moisture exposure, they can help you resolve these problems.
If you’ve decided to switch to RFID cards, no problem! We want to ensure you have the right identification method for your facility. Let us know:
In short, we’ll work to apply a credit for unused wristbands, accessories, and labels, and apply it toward the new accessories you’ll need for RFID cards.
The price is the same for both RFID wristbands and RFID cards—$1.50 per unit. RFID cards are sold in boxes of 200 (available in portrait or landscape). RFID wristbands come in boxes of 450, complete with metal fasteners.
We aim to make this process as simple as possible because, in our view, the most important thing is that you choose the form of identification that best fits your inmate population and unique situation. We’re not rigid about this choice, and the form of identification you start with may not be the one you stick with three, six, or twelve months after go-live.
That said, our teams—sales, Academy, and JailOps—will work closely with you to ensure you're selecting the best option. They’ll even offer recommendations based on your previous choices and the dynamics of your inmate population.
If you've already started using RFID wristbands, that's perfectly fine. The most important thing for us is that you're using the form of inmate identification that you feel confident in. Think of it as a worry-free, money-back guarantee.
We’ll do our best to reasonably credit back any unused (or slightly used) accessories, and you can apply this credit toward the exchange for RFID cards.
There are some key differences in peripherals and accessories between RFID card setups and RFID wristband setups which we will cover in this section.
For RFID cards, you'll need the following accessories:
Some agencies prefer RFID cards over wristbands because they have fewer components, which means fewer points of failure, faster assembly, and a significantly longer useful life compared to RFID wristbands.
For RFID wristbands, you'll need the following accessories:
The timeline for this change can vary, but here’s a true story about the fastest switch we’ve ever seen. When we were deploying at the Alameda Co. Sheriff’s Office (Oakland), they initially chose RFID wristbands. Our Academy trainers were setting up the wristbands and discussing the pros and cons of wristbands vs. RFID cards.
After the discussion, the captain decided that RFID cards were the preferred direction for the jail. Our Academy team immediately contacted the implementation team to see if it was possible to swap the RFID wristbands for cards while our trainers were still on-site.
Shipping all the RFID cards, accessories, and peripherals overnight would have been costly, and there was no guarantee they would arrive before our trainers left. Instead, it was more cost-effective to fly our head of technical support, Mark Thomson, that evening with the RFID cards and accessories. He hand-delivered them to our Academy team, still on-site at Alameda Co. Sheriff’s Office, to accommodate the captain’s request.
No matter which option you choose—RFID wristbands or RFID cards—you know your inmate population better than we do, and you likely have a good sense of which form of identification works best for you. Every team at GUARDIAN RFID is committed to supporting you in making the decision that’s right for your facility. If your approach changes, regardless of the reason, our goal is always to do what's best for you.