MOSCOW, Februry 28 - RAPSI. A new program which allows inmates to be monitored, the temperature in prison cells to be measured and the number of cell beds to be counted is currently being tested at investigation wards in 20 Russian regions, Gennady Kornienko, Chief of the Federal Penitentiary Service, announced at a board meeting on Thursday.

Korniyenko said the department's research and development institute had created a new program which assesses the sanitary and technical state of prison cells and calculates the number of beds daily.

The software can also monitor suspects and defendants' movements, check the lighting, measure the temperature and assess prison cells' sanitary condition.

He added that pilot tests of the program have been underway since November 2012.

The Federal Penitentiary Service's R&D institute is currently upgrading the program according to the test results. Korniyenko said 'the program is due to be rolled out to all penitentiaries from July 2013.