The facilities are under the supervision of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Detention and Removal Operations, an agency of the DHS. Due to increases in the apprehension of illegal aliens, the agency is expanding and modernizing its detention facilities, and is looking to RFID technologies as an efficient way to track and organize the inmate population.

The TSI PRISM subcontract includes RF designs and system hardware, including 22,000 TSI PRISM wrist transmitters, as well as staff training and system integration services for the nineteen facilities. The final size of the RFID systems, and any potential expansion of the contract, will be determined by the parties involved during the commencement phase of the project scheduled for January 5, 2009.

TSI Prism officials emphasize the significant size and scope of the deal for the company, which already supplies inmate and staff tracking systems for corrections systems in several states and Australia. “The 22,000 detainee, 19 facility size of this project will represent the largest deployment of RFID inmate tracking technology anywhere and is TSI’s first opportunity to work in the federal system, which through its several agencies houses more inmates than any other corrections department in the U.S.,” says Greg M. Oester, President of Alanco/TSI PRISM.

The task order of Northrop Grumman’s contract consists of a one year, $14 million base period with three of one year options for a total potential value of $44.35 million. The value of TSI Prism’s portion of the deal can not be disclosed currently under the terms of the contract.