The Influence of SEC & DEC Innovations on Correctional Projects
By Charlie Lange
When Correctional News assessed the security electronics and detention equipment landscape in 2025, innovation drove the conversation. Many key players touted smarter, adaptable solutions that increased efficiency and helped address emerging mental health challenges within correctional populations.
While innovation hasn’t slowed, security electronics contractors (SEC) and detention equipment contractors (DEC) are now applying those innovations both on new facilities that address secure treatment needs and renovation and retrofit projects that bring existing facilities up to modern standards.
During a recent convening of the Correctional News Industry Knowledge Council, SEC and DEC experts shared their insights on the state of the market and the critical collaborations between providers, operators and facility designers that will be necessary to ensure continued progress and accomplish shared goals.
‘Unprecedented’ Demand and Staffing Strategies
According to Mitch Claborn, President of Cornerstone Detention Products, a boom in project demand means many DECs are struggling to spread staff across jobsites and manage tight timelines.
“There is a tremendous amount of work in the marketplace — maybe unprecedented in our industry,” said Claborn. “Staffing is becoming an issue, especially with a lot of the government work that is transpiring and the timeframe for some of these projects. We’re constantly looking for additional people and resources and having to use more subcontractors than we’ve ever used — including a temporary workforce.”
TJ Rogers, President and CEO of security electronics company Accurate Controls, agrees — and warns of unqualified suppliers entering the market to pick up work that more seasoned providers are unable to fulfill.
“Because of the demand, there are a lot of companies that are entering the market that really don’t have the long-term commitment or understand why we do certain things in our industry,” said Rogers. “We’re seeing a lot of primarily retrofit projects that are being marketed by regional companies that are, frankly, not doing a very good job. We get multiple calls a month from owners that bought something, didn’t realize what they were getting, and then it doesn’t work and they have to rebuy. It’s a real problem.”
Rogers also points to the volume of long-time consultants exiting the industry as a cause for concern, as many owners lack proper guidance on their security electronics and detention equipment projects. As a result, critical infrastructure funds are being misspent.
“We have a lot of owners that are struggling with their facilities and spending a lot of money they don’t need to,” Rogers said.
Brett Noecker, Vice President of Preconstruction with CML Security, adds that qualifications matter, and on the procurement side, the desire to encourage extensive competition on projects to achieve lower prices sets the stage for potentially unqualified entrants into the market.
“There are entities bidding on work that probably are missing a lot of the scope or even functions and features of what the design intent is, and that’s only realized well into the project when it’s too late to change course,” said Noecker.
New Building is Booming
When asked to gauge the balance of new construction versus renovation and retrofit projects, most Industry Knowledge Council members shared that new builds are driving much of their business.
“On the new construction side … we’re at a very high point. An uptick has definitely occurred over the last three years,” said Noecker, citing an increase in new state-based facilities.
“What we’re seeing is that the existing facilities are really aging out,” added Tamara Clarke, Senior Vice President and Director of Design Services with CGL Companies. “They no longer align with what agencies are trying to accomplish with … programs, behavioral health and substance-use disorder treatment. So, we’re seeing clients looking for replacement and new construction.”
Rogers agreed that mental health and other secure treatment needs are driving the push for new facilities.
“The shift to secure treatment or treatment-based programming has created a need for facilities to be new. Almost every one of these new projects has a secure treatment or mental health element to it, which is great — I think our industry absolutely needs that,” said Rogers.
Russell Roberts, President and Chief Executive Officer of Willo Products Company, added that the juvenile justice space is also a major growth sector, with similar treatment and programming goals — even in existing spaces.
“When I joined the company, I was looking at some of the more recent projects that we had, including retrofit opportunities. We had done probably 10 juvenile justice projects where the existing facility conditions were in really bad shape and not aligning with some of the complexities of managing the juvenile population,” said Roberts, pointing specifically to locking mechanism issues, which he notes are likely systemic throughout other facilities.
“There seems to be a growing concern that the existing infrastructure in that market needs to be repaired and improved to facilitate better behavioral health, better programming and overall operations,” Roberts added. “I know there are some new construction opportunities, but in my view, those aren’t going to outpace the work needed at existing facilities across the country to make them safer environments.”
To read more perspectives on SEC and DEC trends from Editorial Advisory Board and Industry Knowledge Council members, including those from owners and operators. Read the full article in the Security Electronics & Detention Equipment editon of Correctional News.