It’s no secret that correctional facilities are dangerous places with safety concerns that stretch far beyond the well-being of staff members alone. Inmate-on-inmate assault is common, and the number of suicides that occur while behind bars has sharply risen in the last several decades. The Bureau of Justice Statistics notes that from 2001 to 2019, state prisons have seen an 85% increase in inmate suicide rates.
Aside from violent acts against others or themselves, inmates can also become the victims of sudden health issues, while others endeavor to escape. Although many of these efforts are thwarted, far too many are also successful, like the May 2025 incident in New Orleans, where 10 inmates escaped.
To protect against any of the above concerns from transpiring, corrections officers monitor inmates with steady regularity. Physically walking by every cell takes time, though, and for short-staffed facilities, this level of monitoring can be challenging. If an event does occur, there may be too much time elapsed before staff are even aware of what’s happening, leading to detrimental situations that could’ve been prevented.
Some correctional facilities have turned to wearable devices as a way to help monitor inmates, but even the best ankle or wrist bracelet has the potential to be tampered with or removed, leaving staff with no other option but to resume making rounds. However, some forward-thinking facilities have implemented a new solution, one that stemmed from a completely unrelated concern.
An unexpected start
Like any new parent, Vik Ramprakash wanted to ensure his son’s health was closely monitored. But when the infant developed some breathing issues, the CEO of what is now known as Cell-Guardian committed to creating a reliable monitoring solution that would send an alert if his son’s breathing stopped. Ramprakash designed a prototype of his idea and was approached by a group that wanted to use the equipment in a postsurgical veterinary setting.
At the end of 2023, Ramprakash sold his company but retained the licenses for the human application of his design. After conducting some deep research, he concluded that his product would be a valuable addition to the corrections industry.
“One of the big things we identified is that you can prevent something from happening in jail cells before it happens, and that’s where the idea of Cell-Guardian was born,” he explained.
What is Cell-Guardian?
A small sensor designed to be affixed to a jail cell ceiling or wall, Cell-Guardian introduces proactive monitoring without needing to come into contact with inmates. This “zero touch” approach protects the privacy of those who are incarcerated by operating using cell numbers rather than names. The sensor is water and tamper resistant and will alert officers if someone tries to tamper with it.
In addition to monitoring inmates to prevent suicides, violence, escape attempts or medical emergencies, Cell-Guardian can be placed in more sensitive spaces like exam rooms to not only protect inmates but also function as a liability tool for staff members. The solution helps improve staff morale, too, particularly in short-staffed facilities, by reducing the frequency of physical rounds needed, leading to a lower turnover rate and less burnout.
“One of the only things people in correctional facilities have is cameras, and they often don’t tell the whole picture,” Ramprakash said. “They mainly use them to view recordings after an incident has happened and it’s already too late.”
While the real-time aspect of the sensor is a key element, officers are able to view recordings after the fact as needed. All data collected by Cell-Guardian is securely stored in the cloud. Officers can access real-time video footage through a secure browser, and key events are also available in PDF report format to support decision-making or legal documentation.
How this inmate monitoring solution works
Like any piece of technology, Cell-Guardian has been improved over time to provide better functionality. Initially, the camera’s field of view only spanned 55 degrees, but after changing the angle at which the camera was mounted, the sensor now provides officers with a 110-degree viewing area.
The sensor is designed by combining multiple types of electronics to create a comprehensive solution, including a thermal camera, RGB camera and sensor boards – all of which are used in conjunction with a Raspberry Pi (a collection of small, single-board computers) to store and process the data before sending it to the cloud. Video feeds are accessible through a secure browser, and the data is transmitted using Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) for reliability, given the thickness of jail cell walls.
The combination of radar, thermal imaging and computer vision to provide live audio and video feed while monitoring temperature and movement differentiates Cell-Guardian from other types of sensors, yet it’s the advancement of AI capabilities that pushes the ability of the platform even further.
“You can easily alert a corrections officer to see if something’s going on, whether it’s fighting in the jail cell or the inmate is hitting themselves on the head or trying to harm themselves in another way,” Ramprakash said. “AI behavioral analysis can pick that up.”
These AI-driven alerts make it so officers don’t have to sit at a screen all day waiting to encounter a situation that needs intervention and is made possible by the company’s certification by the FDA as a Class I medical device. Class I approval enables current capabilities, including fall detection and non-contact monitoring. Class II will expand this to include vital sign tracking once cleared.
Cell-Guardian in action
Deployment of Cell-Guardian is flexible based on a facility’s budget, and the company encourages the adoption of one unit initially as a test pilot. Jailer Justin Hall at the Nelson County Correctional Center in Bardstown, Kentucky, has done just that.
With nearly 19 years of experience in the corrections industry, Hall heard about Cell-Guardian from one of his facility’s vendors and decided to install one in a cell in early 2025. He notes that the ability to trigger a fall protection notification, along with providing heat signatures inside the cell, makes Cell-Guardian a valuable tool for him and his officers.
Although Kentucky jail standards require physical checks no matter what type of technology is deployed, Hall views Cell-Guardian as a complement to the work his staff is already doing.
“I would encourage all correctional facilities to embrace any bit of technology they can inside their facility, especially for health and safety,” said Hall. “We don’t get to pick who comes to our facility, but we do have a duty to protect everyone, whether they’re a family friend or someone who is incarcerated for capital murder.”
Future AI capabilities
Cell-Guardian’s AI capabilities are evolving rapidly. While the system is currently optimized for single-occupancy cells, future iterations will support group settings – enabling the detection of high-risk behaviors across multiple individuals.
“We’re now working on AI that can detect complex patterns, such as escalating movement, repetitive behavior or scenarios suggestive of a fight, fall or contraband concealment,” said Ramprakash. “Using image classification powered by advanced models like CLIP, we can build prompt-based systems that identify and respond to risk in real time – without needing wearables or physical contact.”
With its real-time, edge-based AI, Cell-Guardian is designed to reduce staffing strain, enhance safety and bring scalable intelligence into correctional facilities.
“Corrections budgets are tight and officers need all the help they can get,” Ramprakash added. “We’re giving them the tools they need to make things better.”
Visit Cell-Guardian for more information.
