The following article published yesterday (Oct 15) on Foxnews regarding the progress (or lack thereof) of Y2K remediation in the prisons, contains lots of interesting info:

http://www.foxnews.com/js_index.sml?content=/scitech/wires2/1015/t_rt_1015_24.sml

Among the more notable/strange quotes:

• "I'm confident that we've got a good handle on things," said Larry Wagner, chief technology officer for the state's prison system. "The comfort level is reasonably high."
• "I really don't think the bureau of prisons is extremely sensitive to Y2K," said Buford Goff, who runs Buford Goff and Associates, an engineering firm that specializes in the planning and construction of security systems for correctional facilities.
• "I don't believe there has been a significant level of testing of embedded systems in prison," said Harden. "The few tests that I have seen are not reassuring."
• Wagner said that hardware and software vendors such as Microsoft and Oracle have been reluctant to guarantee the compliance of their products. In other cases, statements made by vendors have proven false or inaccurate, though he declined to give specifics.
• "You couldn't build a modern prison today without computers.... It makes them very vulnerable to Y2K," said Harden. "The more modern the prison, the more likely it is to be reliant on computer chips or computer systems for control of all their security functions."
• Nevertheless, Ayscue admits that the bureau will not be able to test every embedded computer chip.

  "That's impossible," he said. "We rely on manufacturers to give us credible information."

• "The desktop problem has frankly shocked even me as to the degree of problems we're discovering," said Wagner. He said he found Y2K problems in computers purchased as recently as this year.
• ...one expert floated the surreal forecast that free citizens, bereft of life's necessities, could end up racing to the well-stocked coffers of their local prison.

  "You're probably going to end up with a mob at the prison gate," predicts O'Farrell.

  "You've got a year's supply of food, you've got heating, electricity, a hospital, and a gymnasium," he said. "Everything you need is there."

Arnie

-- Arnie Rimmer (arnie_rimmer@usa.net), October 16, 1998

Answers

Arnie:

Thanks for the link. Good stuff about prisons.

BTW, this is another schizophrenic news article! It starts out:

"Among the more outlandish scenarios envisioned by Year 2000 doomsayers is that the millennium bug will crash prison security systems and open the razor-wire gates, setting loose untold numbers of violent and dangerous offenders.".

Then it goes on to explain that it's NOT an "outlandish" scenario!

-- Mike (gartner@execpc.com), October 16, 1998.

Well, a friend of mine who is in a Prison says that they wont make it and that all the gates open and basically there free because would you wanna be working on that day that 1000 prisonors go for that open gate to ''the outside world'' i know i wouldnt want to work id be home keeping my family safe. Morgan

-- Morgan (Y2KFever@aol.com), October 16, 1998.

Unless there is total meltdown, I suspect a tight lock down and added security to be the more likely scenario in the weeks surrounding Y2K.

Prison officials are not idiots and while they make not have Y2K experience, I think it's logical to assume that a reasonable contingency plan could be put in place. The have generators and water and food. There are lots of ways to lock down a cell block even if door locks fail, which in and of itself is certainly not assured.

I guess at this point, I'm not especially worried about most prisons. Most prisoners would be much safer to just sit it out. There certainly be no welcoming committee waiting on the outside to feed and shelter them. Of course the elevator doesn't always go to the top floor with the average inmate. I suspect that as long as most prison officials are aware of the risks, this will not be a big problem. If I live next door to a prison however, I might not be willing to take the risk but I'm not going to lose a lot of sleep over this.

Arnie

-- Arnie Rimmer (arnie_rimmer@usa.net), October 16, 1998.

Reference to Article mentioned above:

Wired News (10-15-1998) Prisoners Await Y2K Day http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/15627.html

-- Jon (jonmiles@pacbell.net), October 17, 1998.