Why prisons (and other custodial applications) need high-security CCTV cameras
Security audits show that 24 prisons in the UK are currently a concern or serious concern, meaning there’s a clear and urgent need to strengthen surveillance and monitoring across these sites.
High-security CCTV cameras and integrated security systems are a key lever for improving oversight, evidencing adherence to procedures and reducing the risk of serious incidents.
The CCTV security challenges inside and around custodial facilities
Prison populations have remained close to capacity for years across the UK, with government projections suggesting the prison population in England and Wales will rise to between 98,000 and 103,600 by March 2030.
Despite highly controlled environments, security challenges are escalating.
Perimeter protection and escape risk
For prison and detention perimeters, a single missed incident can have national implications. In 2024-25, there were 12 escapes from prison establishments and escorts, alongside 57 absconds.
On the fence line, rugged PTZ cameras with long-range optical zoom and powerful IR/white-light illumination allow operators to track suspicious movement along walls, exercise yards, vehicle gates and sterile zones. When integrated with fence-mounted perimeter intrusion detection systems (PIDS), the CCTV feed becomes a verification and evidence tool rather than a passive view.
By combining wide-area PTZ cameras with fixed viewpoints from a static camera overlooking key choke points, control rooms can:
- Detect and verify escape attempts at a distance.
- Monitor approach routes to vehicle sally ports and pedestrian gates.
- Capture audit-grade footage of every entry and exit.
This layered approach using high-security CCTV cameras is now standard practice in many custodial, prison and secure facility applications.
Internal security, contraband and staff safety
The internal threat is just as demanding as perimeter protection.
Violence remains a major concern: there were 237 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults and 122 assaults on staff per 1,000 prisoners in 2024-25.
As such, control rooms must be able to see, record and review incidents in real time and retrospectively.
Inside the wire, high-security CCTV cameras support:
- Close monitoring of wings, landings and association areas.
- Oversight of visits, workshops and healthcare units.
- Rapid triage of alarms from cell-call systems, body-worn video and radio traffic.
A static camera with the correct lens can provide continuous, identification-grade coverage of high-risk locations (such as serveries or segregation-unit corridors), while PTZ cameras deliver follow-up coverage for moving incidents like fights, barricades or hostage situations.
Rising contraband smuggling is another critical driver. In the 12 months to March 2025, there were 74,746 incidents where illicit items (such as drugs, mobile phones, SIM cards and weapons) were found in prisons, up from 66,189 during the previous period.
Here, overlapping views from fixed IP camera deployments, coupled with analytics and recording from enterprise-grade CCTV systems, help detect patterns of behaviour like repeated drop-offs in exercise yards or hand-offs in visits.
Why prison CCTV has to meet stringent 24/7/365 requirements
Custodial environments don’t tolerate downtime. Any security camera system covering a prison, immigration removal centre or high-security hospital must operate continuously, with minimal hands-on engineering once commissioned.
That expectation has several implications for high-security CCTV cameras.
1. Rugged hardware and low total cost of ownership
External cameras on prison perimeters face constant rain, wind, temperature swings and, often, deliberate attack.
In practice, that means pairing rugged PTZs on masts and towers with static cameras and dome units in more protected positions, building a resilient network of coverage that keeps working in bad weather, during disturbances and through power/network events.
2. Networked, intelligent IP camera architectures
Custodial sites increasingly rely on IP camera architectures rather than legacy analogue-only systems. An IP camera encodes and transmits video over the network, making it easier to scale across large estates, support remote monitoring and apply video analytics at the edge.
For prisons and other high-security custodial facilities, a well-designed IP-based security system supports:
- Centralised control room operations across multiple wings or even multiple establishments.
- Faster incident searching and evidence export for investigations and audits.
- Flexible integration with access control, PIDS and other subsystems into a unified security and CCTV management platform.
Using the right mix of IP cameras, including PTZ camera and static positions, helps avoid blind spots while keeping infrastructure, bandwidth and maintenance demand manageable.
3. ONVIF and NDAA: non-negotiables for compliance and interoperability
For high-security and government-funded sites, ONVIF and NDAA compliance are essential.
ONVIF and interoperability
ONVIF is a manufacturer-neutral standard that defines how IP cameras, recorders and VMS platforms communicate. Specifying an ONVIF-compliant camera in the tender:
- Protects against vendor lock-in and forced ‘rip-and-replace’ cycles.
- Allows integrators to mix high-security CCTV cameras from different vendors where appropriate.
- Makes phased upgrades possible without swapping every device at once.
For prison estates that evolve over many years, ONVIF support is essential to keep CCTV systems flexible, interoperable and competitively sourced.
NDAA-approved security cameras
NDAA compliance is increasingly required in public-sector, transport and defence-related projects worldwide, not just in the US. Using non-compliant equipment can:
- Disqualify bids or restrict future funding.
- Trigger costly remedial works and equipment replacement.
- Introduce avoidable cyber and supply-chain risk for operators and contractors.
When you combine ONVIF conformance with NDAA-approved security cameras from a reputable CCTV camera manufacturer, you reduce integration risk, satisfy procurement and assurance teams, and simplify future upgrades across the custodial estate.
Why Redvision is the right CCTV camera manufacturer for high-security custodial sites
Redvision is a UK-based CCTV camera manufacturer with over 25 years of industry experience and a unique heritage in CCTV manufacturing. We have consistently set the benchmark in designing and manufacturing quality security camera solutions.
Our CCTV cameras have been deployed to detect escape attempts and contraband smuggling, delivering perimeter protection and internal security in many high-security custodial, prison and secure facility applications. Paired with partners such as Harper Chalice (perimeter detection) and Cortech Developments (enterprise security management), we’ve helped deliver fully integrated solutions for HM Prisons that bring fence sensors, CCTV cameras and control software into one centrally managed operation.
If you’re looking to upgrade your CCTV systems for prisons, immigration removal centres or other high-security custodial facilities, Redvision’s rugged PTZ cameras and flexible static IP camera options are backed by a UK-based CCTV camera manufacturer with a proven track record in high-security applications.
Not sure which CCTV camera is best for your facility? We can talk you through your options and help you find the right solution for your application. All Redvision cameras are ONVIF and NDAA compliant, so you can specify your CCTV system with confidence.
Contact our team today for pricing and technical information.