The UK Home Office has announced the first major sub-contract to be awarded under its House Home Office Unix Systems Environment initiative. The project, which involves computerisation within the Prison Service, is known as LIDS II – Local Inmates Database System, and involves the installation of up to 130 mid-range multi-user Unix systems in every prison in England and Wales. The system will aim to provide comprehensive details on all inmates, and individual computers must be capable of supporting between seven and 24 users, according to the tender document. The DataFlex fourth generation language package, developed by Data Access Inc, has been chosen as the basis for applications development. The project is likely to take up to three years to implement following final selection.
