Just last week, the South West Detention Centre (SWDC) got an upgrade to their body scanner.
The information was revealed Thursday during an inquest into the death of an inmate in 2021.
Nathaniel Krug, 21, died in hospital after consuming a lethal amount of fentanyl and a drug used to treat insomnia in his cell at SWDC.
Krug was incarcerated just nine days earlier, in connection with a non-fatal drive-by shooting in Windsor.
A jury of five people are hearing evidence about Krug’s death, and about how jails operate with the ultimate goal of preventing similar overdose deaths in the future.
Michael Pernal, Manager of Special Projects, told the jury the Ministry of the Solicitor General recently concluded a pilot project in four jails.
The province purchased a software upgrade for their body scanners that would enhance the quality of imaging with the hardware already installed in Ontario jails.
Pernal explained the inmate stands on a platform that slides from left to right.
The inmate holds onto to two raised arms to remain steady during the scan.
The machine, according to Pernal, can detect “anomalies” in the inmates body, which could be contraband.
The jury has previously learned the contraband coming into the jail can be as small as grains of salt.
Through the pilot project, Pernal told the jury the software upgrade gave Corrections Officers “advanced manipulation” to use different colour tones and a zoom feature.
The result he said is “greater clarity on the imaging” so the Ministry is now rolling the upgrade out to all jails in Ontario.
The scanner at SWDC was upgraded just last week and qualified officers are now getting additional training, according to Pernal.
The inquest is expected to conclude on Monday September 22nd.