Prison design
Prisons are normally surrounded by fencing, walls, earthworks, geographical features, or other barriers
to prevent escape. Multiple barriers, concertina wire, electrified fencing, secured and defensible main
gates, armed guard towers, lighting, motion sensors, dogs and roving patrols may all also be present
depending on the level of security. Remotely controlled doors, CCTV monitoring, alarms, cages,
restraints, nonlethal and lethal weapons, riot-control gear and physical segregation of units and
prisoners may all also be present within a prison to monitor and control the movement and activity of
prisoners within the facility.
Modern prison designs have sought to increasingly restrict and control the movement of prisoners
throughout the facility while permitting a maximal degree of direct monitoring by a smaller prison staff.
As compared to traditional large landing-cellblock designs which were inherited from the 19th century
and which permitted only intermittent observation of prisoners, many newer prisons are designed in a
decentralized "podular" layout.
Smaller, separate and self-contained housing units known as "pods" or "modules" are designed to hold
between sixteen and fifty prisoners each and are arranged around exercise yards or support facilities in a
decentralized "campus" pattern. A small number of prison officers, sometimes a single officer, is
assigned to supervise each pod. The pods contain tiers of cells arranged around a central control station
or desk from which a single officer can monitor all of the cells and the entire pod, control cell doors and
communicate with the rest of the prison. Pods may be designed for high-security "indirect-supervision",
in which officers in segregated and sealed control booths monitor smaller numbers of prisoners confined
to their cells.
An alternative is "direct-supervision", in which officers work within the pod and directly interact with
and supervise prisoners, who may spend the day outside their cells in a central "dayroom" on the floor
of the pod. Movement in or out of the pod to and from exercise yards, work assignments or medical
appointments can be restricted to individual pods at designated times and is generally centrally
controlled. Goods and services, such as meals, laundry, commissary, educational materials, religious
services and medical care can increasingly be brought to individual pods or cells as well.
Despite these design innovations, overcrowding at many prisons, particularly in the U.S., has resulted in
a contrary trend, as many prisons are forced to house large numbers of prisoners, often hundreds at a
time, in gymnasiums or other large buildings that have been converted into massive open dormitories.
Lower-security prisons are often designed with less restrictive features, confining prisoners at night in
smaller
locked dormitories or even cottage or cabin-like housing while permitting them freer movement
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison#History
around the grounds to work or activities during the day.
Male and female prisoners are typically kept in separate locations or separate prisons altogether. [4] Prison
accommodation, especially modern prisons in the developed world, are often divided into wings. A
building holding more than one wing is known as a "hall". Many prisons are divided into two sections, one
containing prisoners before trial and the other containing convicted prisoners.
Facilities
Amongst the facilities that prisons may have are:
A main entrance, which may be known as the 'sally port' or 'gatelodge' (stemming from old castle
nomenclature)
A religious facility, which will often house chaplaincy offices and facilities for counselling of individuals or
groups
An 'education facility', often including a library, providing adult education or continuing education
opportunities
A gym or an exercise yard, a fenced, usually open-air-area which prisoners may use for recreational and
exercise purposes
A healthcare facility or hospital
A segregation unit (also called a 'block' or 'isolation cell'), used to separate unruly, dangerous, or
vulnerable prisoners from the general population, also sometimes used as punishment (see solitary
confinement)
A section of vulnerable prisoners (VPs), or protective custody (PC) units, used to accommodate prisoners
classified as vulnerable, such as sex offenders, former police officers, informants and those that have
gotten into debt or trouble with other prisoners
A section of safe cells, used to keep prisoners under constant visual observation, for example when
considered at risk of suicide
 A visiting area, where prisoners may be allowed restricted contact with relatives, friends, lawyers, or
other people
 A death row in some prisons, a section for criminals awaiting execution
 A staff accommodation area, where staff and prison officers live in the prison, typical of historical
prisons
A service/facilities area housing support facilities like kitchens
 Industrial or agricultural plants operated with convict labour
 A recreational area containing items such as a TV and pool table
A prison (from Old French prisoun) is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually,
deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be
imposed by the state for the commission of a crime. Other terms are penitentiary, penalty school,
correctional facility, remand centre, detention centre, gaol, and jail.
A criminal suspect who has been charged with or is likely to be charged with criminal offense may be held
on remand in prison if he is denied or unable to meet conditions of bail, or is unable or unwilling to post
bail. A criminal defendant may also be held in prison while awaiting trial or a trial verdict. If found guilty, a
defendant will be convicted and may receive a custodial sentence requiring imprisonment.
As well as convicted or suspected criminals, prisons may be used for internment of those not charged
with a crime. Prisons may also be used as a tool of political repression to detain political prisoners,
prisoners of conscience, and "enemies of the state", particularly by authoritarian regimes. In times of war
or conflict, prisoners of war may also be detained in prisons. A prison system is the organizational
arrangement of the provision and operation of prisons.
History
For most of history, imprisoning has not been a punishment in itself, but rather a way to confine criminals
until corporal or capital punishment was administered. There were prisons used for detention in
Jerusalem in Old Testament times, and the Bible details the imprisonment of Joseph in Egypt. [2] Dungeons
were used to hold prisoners; those who were not killed or left to die there often became galley slaves or
faced penal transportations. In other cases debtors were often thrown into debtor's prisons, until they
paid their jailers enough money in exchange for a limited degree of freedom.
Only in the 19th century, beginning in Britain, did prisons as known today become commonplace. The
modern prisons system was born in London, influenced by the utilitarianism of Jeremy Bentham.
Bentham's panopticon introduced the principle of observation and control that underpins the design of
the modern prison. The notion of prisoners being incarcerated as part of their punishment and not simply
as a holding state until trial or hanging, was at the time revolutionary. This is when prisons had begun to
be used as criminal rehabilitation centers.
Britain practiced penal transportation of convicted criminals to penal colony in the British colonies in the
Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s and to penal colonies in Australia
between 1788 and 1868. France sent criminals to tropical penal colonies including Louisiana in the early
18th century. Penal colonies in French Guiana operated until 1951 (in particular, infamous Île du Diable
(Devil's Island)). Katorga prisons were established in the 17th century in Tsardom of Russia in
underpopulated areas of Siberia and the Russian Far East that had few towns or food sources. Since these
times, Siberia gained its fearful connotation of punishment.
Conception
The original concept of Prison Break—a man deliberately getting himself sent to prison in order to help
his brother escape—was suggested to Paul Scheuring by producer Dawn Parouse, who wanted to
produce an action-oriented series. Although Scheuring thought it was a good idea, he was initially
stumped as to why someone would embark on such a mission or how he could develop it into a viable
television show. He came up with the story of the wrongfully accused brother, and began working on the
plot outline and devising the characters. In 2003, he pitched the idea to the Fox Broadcasting Company
but was turned down as Fox felt nervous about the long-term possibilities of such a series. He
subsequently showed the concept to other channels but was also turned down as it was thought to be
more suited for a film project than a television series. Prison Break was later considered as a possible 14part miniseries, which drew the interest of Steven Spielberg before his departure due to his involvement
with War of the Worlds. Thus, the miniseries never materialized. Following the huge popularity of
serialized prime time television series such as Lost and 24, Fox decided to back the production in 2004.
The pilot episode was filmed a year after Scheuring wrote the script.
Prison Break the conspiracy
Prison Break: The Conspiracy is an action-adventure video game based on the first season of the Fox
television series Prison Break, released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
It was released on March 19, 2010 in Germany, March 26, 2010 in the United Kingdom and Europe [1], and
March 30, 2010 in North America The game had been in development for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for
release in February 2009, but was canceled when Brash Entertainment closed down. However, ZootFly
continued the development and self-funded the project for 13 months. Once the game was polished and
nearly finished, it was picked up by new publisher Deep Silver
Prison Break: The Conspiracy is based around the events of the first season of Fox's convict drama.
However rather than play as main character Michael Scofield, you instead take control of Tom Paxton, an
agent with covert organization 'The Company', who must go undercover as a prisoner within Fox River
State Penitentiary in order to ensure that the falsely incarcerated Lincoln Burrows rides the lightning in
the electric chair. The game is split into 9 chapters, all of which represent a part of the real story that the
TV series followed.
Prison Break Research
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison_Break
Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the
Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two
brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an
elaborate plan to help his brother escape prison. The series was produced by Adelstein-Parouse
Productions, in association with Original Television and 20th Century Fox Television. Along with creator
Paul Scheuring, the series is executive produced by Matt Olmstead, Kevin Hooks, Marty Adelstein, Dawn
Parouse, Neal H. Moritz, and Brett Ratner who directed the pilot episode. The series' theme music,
composed by Ramin Djawadi, was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2006.[
The series was originally turned down by Fox in 2003, which was concerned about the long-term
prospects of such a series. Following the popularity of serialized prime time television series Lost and 24,
Fox decided to back production in 2004. The first season received generally positive reviews,and
performed well in the ratings. The first season was originally planned for a 13-episode run, but was
extended to include an extra nine episodes due to its popularity. Prison Break was nominated for several
industry awards, and won the 2006 People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama and was
nominated for the 2005 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series Drama. All four seasons have
been released on DVD, while the first and third seasons and The Final Break have also been released on
Blu-ray Disc. The series has been aired internationally.
The success of the series has inspired short videos for mobile phones, several official tie-ins in print and
on the Internet, as well as a video game. A spin-off series, Prison Break: Proof of Innocence, was
produced exclusively for mobile phones. The series has spawned an official magazine and a tie-in novel.
The fourth season of Prison Break returned from its mid-season break in a new timeslot on April 17, 2009
for the series' last six episodes.Two additional episodes, titled "The Old Ball and Chain" and "Free" were
produced, and were later transformed into a standalone feature, titled The Final Break. The events of
this feature take place before the last scene of the series finale, and are intended to wrap up unfinished
plotlines. The feature was released on DVD and Blu-ray July 21, 2009.