Prison Design and Technology Conference

Thank you for visiting Unilink at the ICPA Prison Design & Technology Conference.

Discover how Unilink’s proven, digital, AI-enabled solutions can support the design of modern, humane and resilient custodial environments to enable end-to-end efficient and safe operations, focused on rehabilitative outcomes.

For over 25 years, we’ve worked with justice organisations worldwide to improve safety, efficiency, and rehabilitation outcomes, supporting over 200 establishments across 10+ countries.

Today, we help shape environments where design, data, and day-to-day operations work together to create safer, engaging custodial environments and deliver measurable improvements for staff and offenders.

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Explore our solutions

Read our Company Brochure

Rethinking Prisons for a New Era

Creating humane and resilient custodial environments requires more than physical infrastructure alone.

It requires integrated digital systems that:

Encourage prisoners to proactively manage aspects of their lives in custody
Provide prisoners with easy access to a range of services and digital content
Create engaging, safe and more stable environments
Reduce administration and pressure on staff
Enhance operational visibility and support better-informed decision-making
Improve rehabilitation outcomes and support successful reintegration

Unilink’s platforms are designed to sit at the heart of modern prison design, ensuring technology enhances both daily operations and long-term outcomes.

Where Infrastructure Meets Digital Capability

As prisons evolve, technology must be embedded from the outset.

Unilink supports this through:

Digital Prisoner self-service automates administrative processes, reduces operational friction and unlocks staff time
Staff Platform provides real-time oversight and efficient daily management
Secure communications strengthen family connections
Offender Management supports continuity across custody and community corrections

Together, these create a connected custodial environment that is safer, efficient, engaging and more humane.

From Data to Insight: Intelligent, Safer Environments

Building resilient prisons also means anticipating risk and responding early.

Unilink’s AI Research Centre advances innovation in the justice sector, collaborating with leading academic institutions to design and develop responsible, explainable AI solutions that support real-world operations.

Innovations such as VisitSense AI:

Identify unusual behaviours and hidden relationships
Detect emerging risk patterns
Support dynamic security and safeguarding

TextSense AI:

Transcription (speech to text),
Text-to-speech (support accessibility),
Translations
Advanced search functions and a help chatbot

All with full transparency, governance and human oversight.

AIM: Early Intervention That Saves Lives and Improves Outcomes

At the centre of humane and resilient prison design is the ability to identify risk early and act before issues escalate.

AIM (Alert, Intervene, Monitor) is Unilink’s intelligent risk-detection capability, designed to help staff recognise subtle changes in behaviour that may indicate vulnerability, disengagement, or emerging risk.

By analysing patterns across everyday custodial activity, including visits, communications, spending, and engagement, AIM provides a clear, structured view of individual behaviour, enabling staff to:

Identify early signs of isolation, distress or behavioural change
Support timely, targeted intervention
Improve consistency in decision-making and safeguarding
Build a more holistic understanding of individuals in custody

Independent evaluation has shown that AIM can contribute to significant reductions in self-harm, while also supporting better engagement between staff and prisoners.

Crucially, AIM does not replace professional judgement; it supports it, helping staff ask the right questions at the right time.

As part of PDTC, we are sharing more on how AIM connects safety, wellbeing and rehabilitation, and how early intervention can play a critical role in creating safer, more effective custodial environments.

Download the AIM Case Study

Studies and Sources

Unilink’s solutions are delivering measurable outcomes globally:

Reduced administrative burden for staff
Improved safety and well-being
Enhanced engagement and rehabilitation
Lower reoffending rates (e.g. South Australia case study)

These outcomes are reinforced by insights from our latest research, including “The Future of Custodial Management: Unlocking 100+ Hours of Efficiency per Week”, which highlights how digital platforms can significantly reduce administrative workload and free up staff time for higher-value, rehabilitative activity.

Technology is not just enabling operations; it is improving outcomes at scale.

Designed for Humane and Resilient Futures

Our approach is built on:

Human-centred design - supporting dignity, wellbeing and rehabilitation
Operational resilience - systems that perform efficiently in complex environments
Security by design - fully governed, auditable and compliant
Scalability - adaptable across estates, jurisdictions and models

Continue the Conversation Beyond PDTC

If you're exploring how to design or operate safer, more resilient custodial environments, we’d be pleased to share our experience.

Whether you're:
• Planning new facilities
• Modernising existing estates
• Exploring earlier intervention models

We can offer:

A tailored overview of our platforms
Insight into AI-enabled operational models
Case studies from comparable jurisdictions
A demo aligned to your priorities