Thurston County jail to use biomedical surveillance system for high-risk cells 

Editor's note: This news report includes references to suicide and self-harm. For immediate support, individuals in crisis can dial or text 988 or go to 988lifeline.org. For local assistance in Thurston County, contact the 24/7 Thurston-Mason Crisis Line at 800-270-0041. 

 Joining jails across the country that have adopted contactless tracking of vitals for high-liability populations, Thurston County Corrections Facility secured board approval for a pilot deployment of biomedical sensors inside detox and suicide cells. 

“Almost all” individuals in custody, county officials confirmed, fall under psychiatric or withdrawal watch standards. 

The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) authorized seven ceiling-mounted units from Reassurance Solutions, LLC, under a single-source procurement valued at $48,268 during an agenda setting meeting on Tuesday, May 13. 

The new jail technology is expected to detect physiological changes, including irregularities in respiration, pulse rate and motion in detainees undergoing psychiatric or medical crises. 

“These are sensors that will be installed in the ceiling of a couple of our jail cells where we have high risk inmates with medical issues, or you could say mental health issues that needed to be monitored,” Undersheriff Ruben Mancillas explained. 

Sheriff Derek Sanders said the deployment prioritizes suicide watch and “booking-area holding cells, where it houses inmates often under the influence, in withdrawal, or in psychiatric distress. 

He then recounted a recent near-suicide case where a detainee attempted self-harm just minutes after a routine observation. 

“One of our CDs (corrections deputies) did a cell check, saw (the) person, walked away. They knew that they had 15 minutes, and they tried to kill themselves. And it just so happened that someone was like, ‘Oh, I forgot something,’ and walked back by and was like, ‘Whoa,'” Sanders shared. 

He said the incident revealed a gap between “timed checks” and the need for “continuous monitoring,” which the new sensors are intended to close. 

Selection, application, and expansion 

Mancillas said two equipment types were considered. 

One model was “wall or ceiling-mounted,” while the other involved a “wristband-mounted” design. He said the wearable type worried the custody officials and warned it could be unworn, damaged or removed during detention. 

The ceiling-mounted version was assessed as more secure and capable of long-term monitoring without requiring the person to wear any device. It also reduces interference in detainee behavior. 

“The ceiling mounted is a little bit better protected and can monitor without having to wear anything,” he said. 

TCSO officials said the sensors provide “constant monitoring” and run without waiting for routine cell checks, and streams live information to the main monitoring station so jail officers can respond right away during a medical event. 

When Commissioner Rachel Grant inquired whether the system could monitor more than one person per room, Mancillas said each sensor will track only one person per room. 

If the system performs as expected, the TCSO may pursue additional resources for an expanded jail deployment. 

“Hopefully, if this seems to be a proven and well working item, we would try to get them in more of the single cells that we have people that are high risk in,” he said. 

Sanders said double-monitoring capacity might be explored later. He added that some versions of the technology have the ability to track two people in one cell, as most jail cells are shared.  

Grant said the system would be especially helpful for individuals entering the facility under the influence or in drug withdrawal, which she identified as a common condition among new arrivals. 

County Manager Leonard Hernandez commended the TCSO for bringing the project forward and also through risk collaboration channels. 

“I’m excited to hear that risk is being proactive and sending you ideas, and that you're collaborating. What a great partnership,” he said. 

The TCSO holds responsibility for system deployment, real-time application, and any contract revisions that stay within the 10% ceiling.  

The technology will be integrated into internal “risk assessment and emergency response review,” which are protocols under the jail’s existing safety strategy. 

Reassurance Solutions, the sole-source vendor, announced in April that its contactless biometric monitoring technology has been implemented in moer than 100 correctional institutions across the United States. 

The company is the exclusive U.S. distributor of the XK300, a contactless physiological sensor developed by Xandar Kardian. It is designed to continuously transmit respiratory and cardiac data.