Contraband: Waste paper basket liner weapon
Waste can liners are used to maintain safety and health standards, but they can also become dangerous weapons
“What can this hurt?”
This is one of the questions that we hear from those who either cannot imagine the dangerous ingenuity of inmates or those who roll the dice of safety with reckless abandon. Yet, when a prisoner, a colleague, or a member of the public is hurt with ‘harmless’ contraband, we cannot turn back the clock and remove the seemingly innocuous item.
Trash can liners exist in almost all levels of confinement. They help keep the facility clean and are a tool of personal responsibility. Waste can liners are used to maintain safety and health standards.
The dark side to this is in the utility as a weapon. They can easily be used to smother an adversary. By placing a trash bag over the mouth and nose, one can subdue an unsuspecting person. Also, it is easy to use a trash bag as a choking mechanism.