Suicide Prevention Windows:

Windows are a main component to consider when designing a suicide resistant prison cell.

FEATURES to CONSIDER:

Regarding windows, all outward facing junctions should be rounded and all exposed to inmate edges are deburred. One small way to reduce inmate suicide by slashing their wrist or gashing their foreheads is by eliminating sharp corners and deburring components.

Glass selection should be considered. Specify a glass which can not be broken into shards. An inmate can slash themselves or others with this “knife blade”. Even though tempered glass is inexpensive, if broken, it breaks into dangerous tiny pop corn kernel sized pieces and can be ingested, therefore laminating the glass reduces this risk.

Another suicide risk is hanging. An inmate will try to wrap a bed sheet around a window muntin (the bars that exist in most prison windows). In order to reduce this risk a window must utilize “through” muntins which eliminated the possibility of threading a sheet between the glass and a muntin. Recently introduced to the industry is a “floating” gap filler which is added to the standard “non-through” muntins in an effort to reduce / dissuade suicide by hanging and maintain an economical window.

Slot windows ( no muntin ) can also be used as an economical way to reduce suicide risk by hanging.

If windows are operable the use of conical knobs or removable crank handles reduces the risk. A detention grade mesh on the security screen will help discourage the idea of wrapping something around a muntin as well as threading something through the mesh – i.e. shoelace . For technical information go to: www.cmsecurity.com

Working together to reduce the risk of suicide

Oldcastle Precast Modular Group's forte is the manufacturing of precast concrete prison cells. We are continually working closely with the industry leaders of prison cell furniture and fixtures to offer the prison industry the most secure suicide prevention prison cell possible.