What the heck is an ionic scanner?(That may be a hard one.)
What does it pick up?(Besides false positives.)
What security level institutions are they used at?
What are the procedures for use? hands, mouth? Can you just wash your hands?
How sensitive are they to the last use? Same day? Same week?

Just trying to avoid a potential problem. Sorry to overwhelm whomever with all these questions.

Take care.:confused:

I tested 'positive' the first two times that I went through this scan! It was the person in front of me that was on perscription drugs and they did not clean the scanner properly between scans...

I have had no problem since but it is always a concern. I just wash my hands well before leaving and leave it at that.

I have seen people come into the waiting room in gloves - tell you that you should not handle money before being scanned - never fill your car with gas before entering the prison... I don't know what is right and what is wrong other than my experience and I just wash my hands...

In my experience I have seen many people demoted to non-contact visits because of a 'positive' and even some people turned away from a visit.

My Partner is in a level 5 max security - don't know if it is a security level thing as much as a decision by the prison to try to curtail the drugs coming in...

Two words.. Alcohol Wipes...
:)

Rubbing alcohol, that is.. :p

I know someone who trigger the scanner b/c the money she was carrying in [actually they were tokens that are obtained right at the prison] had drug residue. Lesson learned....whenever the prison had the scanner we all went into the bathroom and washed all our tokens!!!
In NJ they rotate prisons, days, and also include drug-sniffing dogs along with the scanner.

I also tested positive due to prescription drugs. They ran it over my hands my pockets and my hair. Best advice, wash your haands and do not handle any money afterwards.

What the heck is an ionic scanner? A machine that tests for illegal (legal for some) drugs. A small wand like vacumm that sucks up tiny particals (ions) into a filter is waved over front/back of hands, pockets, cuffs, and shoe string area. Th
What does it pick up? I'm thinking the basic drug group; pot, controlled substance, etc.
What security level institutions are they used at? I hear all levels very soon, 1st hand experience is med. security.
Can you just wash your hands? You could, but remeber ions are very tiny and get into your clothing.
How sensitive are they to the last use? Wash clothing in unexposed enviroment, take a shower, then get dressed. Don't contaminate yourself and follow the other folks that replied advice.

Wonder if staff have to be scanned coming in to work? If not, they probably should be. Then they might instill some reasonable safeguards to those false positive readings for prescriptions and such. It's a shame to have visitors sanctioned and/or turned away for readings that are false.

It is a shame to have visitors turned away for testing positive when they are legally prescribed drugs. The system just doesnt care. When I tested positive a FEMALE guard grabbed me so hard she put a huge bruise on me. Matter of fact, I am going to dig for the picture and post it. It is disgusting how some feel that they can treat you as if you are an inmate and have not rights. Wonder if this is how they treat their children at home?

Well I did some research on this machine. There are different models though. I will find the web sites to the articles and such that I have on it. But you won't believe how ridiculous this thing is.

Apparently it grabs ions from the paper you have to rub on your hands and clothing. Then these ions are forced through a magnetic field. The time it takes for the ion to travel through this field determines what the substance is. One article I found said this was scientific foolishness. I agree. Think about it like this. If I timed how long it took you to walk across the room and then compared it to the average amount of time it takes a person at various ages to walk across the room, could I tell exactly how old you are? Same thing here. The owner of the company, GE that makes this machine said it is being used improperly and not calibrated correctly by untrained guards. He says the equipment used at the prison I go to was intended for luggage at airports not people. This man claims that he would refuse to be subjected to using it on anything other than his hands. Let me find my articles and I will post them for you.

After I came back with a positive the one and only time I have I was ready to fight them on this all the way. I did some research and called people at Jefferson City in the DOC about it. They have always been nice to me and return my calls within an hour or so. Someone told me that my persistance was legendary. I don't know about all of that, but I'm not going to go away and I do think they have come to realize that. Well I found out that our facility they do not impose the consequences that are posted on the web site. I suggested to the folks at the Zone Director's office that someone might want to change that. They agreed. Where we are they do not turn anyone away. You are offered a no contact visit. You may choose to accept it or deny it and leave.

This same machine now being used at a level 5 camp used to be next door at a level 3 camp at the time. But oh joy, we have the new contraption that you get to walk through. I've not gotten to experience it yet. So I imagine someone else will get out hand-me-down piece of junk. Won't they be thrilled.

By the way at our facility they don't test the employees. Isn't that interesting. Also found an article that claims 3 guards were fired at the last camp this equipment resided at for smuggling in drugs but they didn't think that had anything to do with the decline in drugs in that prison. It was all due to the Ionic Scanner that this decrease occured. How dumb do we look. When you fire 3 source of drugs coming into a camp that might affect how much they find on inmates.

It's drives me nuts when people don't use the latest technology correctly. And I really go crazy over so called technological advances that is down right quackery.

The walk-thru one that I went through here in Oregon was cool. That ionic thing just sets people up for failure, in my opinion. And since it's a well known fact that some guards do bring in drugs, that would mean to me that the guards should have to go through it before coming in to work, too.

The ION Scan machine...or the Itemiser.
My own personal hell. I have hit that thing for every illegal drug known to mankind. During my "sweeps month" as i now fondly call it, the thing was removed to be calibrated shortly after. Everyone who came in for a social came up positive for Meth that day. Everyone. The preachers, the grannys, the kids in diapers.Everyone. Do not use chlorine wipes, they cause false positive readings. Do not use OTC allergy meds, they cause false positives, too.
They apparently have a list of fragrances, body lotions, and prescription meds that cause false positives, but refuse to let anyone know what they are. I would use alcohol wipes if they were just scanning our hands, but now that hardly no one gets"hits", they have started scanning every part of us.
Buttons, sleeves, pockets, waistbands of pants, socks shoes and laces, hair accessories, keys, ID; basically keep on scannin' until you find something that makes the machine beep. This is the worst part of this whole nightmare for me.
Not the driving to visit, not the worrying my piece of crap car will die on me on the highway, not the being apart from my man,not the phone bills, not the poverty involved in this whole shebang either.
The ION scan machine is the worst thing I have had to face during his incarceration, without a doubt. The being wrongly accused when i have done nothing wrong.
I love their stats saying that drug use in down in prisons since the installation of these crappy machines.
Drug use isnt down, visits are down...who wants to be put thru that crap every weekend?
And the time it takes?..For God's sakes, give us all lie detector tests or let me walk thru an Xray machine...I would gladly do all of it not to be wrongly accused anymore.

Sorry...you hit my button..lol

The following are articles I found on the internet describing the Itemiser and the new walk through scanner.

http://www.geindustrial.com/ge-interlogix/iontrack/prod_itemiser.html


http://www.geindustrial.com/ge-interlogix/iontrack/prod_entryscan.html


http://www.hannibal.net/stories/101299/com_1012990021.html


http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b63199f61fd.htm


http://www.pitch.com/issues/2000-09-07/news.html


http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11642


http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/top/features/documents/01730790.htm


I have more documentation filed away somewhere. If anyone needs more info I can try to dig it up.

I would really appreciate anything you have on this machine.
My documentation is growing daily and will be put to good use soon.

Thanks,
S

I HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS SCANNER NIGHTMARE @ USP TERRE HAUTE. I EVEN WENT SO FAR AS TO FILE A CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLAINT AGAINST THE BUREAU. THE ACLU APPOINTED AN ATTORNEY TO MY CASE, BUT ALAS, IN THE END HE WAS AFRAID OF THE FEDS. ALL MY COMPLAINING NEARLY GOT MY HUSBAND SHIPPED, IT DID GET HIM PUT IN THE HOLE, AND I HAD TO WRITE THE OPR AND MANY OTHERS ABOUT THE SITUATION TO GET HIM OUT OF SEG. WE ARE NOW IN KY AND THOUGH I HAVE FEWER VISITS HERE, AT LEAST HE GETS MORE TIME OUTSIDE. TERRE HAUTE GO A LITTLE WIERD AFTER MCVIEGH ARRIVED. WE GOT OUT BEFORE HIS EXECUTION. 5 YRS THERE THOUGH. AND I WAS THE FIRST ONE TO BE TESTED ON THE MACHINE. ALSO OF NOTE, THE BOP HAS A POLICY THAT SPECIFICALLY EXCLUDES STAFF FROM BEING TESTED WITH THE MACHINE. THEY KNOW IT IS OFF, AND THE CO'S UNION WON'T PLAY THAT GAME.

There is a good article about the BOP's use of the Iontrack scanner, their "research project" results, and other information in an article in the FedCURE newsletter which is in the file center of their website at www.fedcure.com I'm not endorsing this organization by any means - just directing you to the article. Zelda