Explain and describe the four zones of courthouse to control human activity:

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Modern courthouses segment human activities into four zones based on function: (1) public; (2)
private; (3) prisoner; and (4) interface. Using the defense in depth approach, access into each
sphere should be through a controlled area. The public sphere includes a secure perimeter and
parking areas separated from court staff, and separate entrances and screening of all individuals
with the use of magnetometers (metal detectors) that use electronic fields to detect metal objects.
Waiting areas should be easy to surveil and protected from vandalism, and there should be
separate elevators for the public. A well-designed system will also ensure that the courthouse is
closed after normal business hours. The private circulation zone is the area reserved for court
staff, judges, jurors, and authorized visitors. These areas should also have separate elevators,
and policies and procedures related to escorting visitors. The prisoner zone, meanwhile, should

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include a dedicated vehicular entrance for prisoners (a sally port), and secure holding areas that
are separated “sight and sound” from the public and private zones. This secure area should also
have separate corridors for transporting defendants to courtrooms. Finally, the interface zone
can be considered that area where all of the three other zones intersect. These common interface
areas include the courtroom, where effective physical security measures related to transport,
policies and procedures, design (bulletproof barriers), panic/duress alarms, and nonmovable
furniture should be incorporated