STeRn - Secure Technologies for Reintegration
Digital technologies, such as videotelephony and controlled internet access, have expanded inmates’ opportunities to maintain social ties, access educational resources, and prepare for reintegration. Monitoring these interactions is resource-intensive, particularly for multilingual communication that often requires interpreters, and staff shortages make supervision challenging. The STeRn project addresses these challenges by implementing AI-based monitoring that intervenes only in case of violations, ensuring secure, efficient, and legally compliant communication while supporting rehabilitation and reducing staff workload.
To achieve this, the project develops a multifunctional system combining advanced AI technologies with social-scientific evaluation. It provides real-time multilingual speech interpretation with automatic transcription, facial recognition for secure identity verification, and content control through symbol/logo and explicit content detection. The system is designed to preserve privacy, intervene selectively, and enable iterative testing in prison settings to ensure usability, acceptance, and operational effectiveness.
The Department of Applied Sociology of Law and Criminology is responsible for the legal, ethical, and social evaluation of the project.
The project is funded by the Austrian Security Research Programme KIRAS of the Federal Ministry of Finance.
Project Partner
Project Period
Oktober 2025 bis September 2027
Project Manager
Veronika Hofinger (IRKS)
Project Team