By Joe Bouchard
There is a temptation during the holiday season to share small gifts with colleagues. Sometimes we might bring what seems like a totally innocent item on the facility grounds. Unfortunately, in the wrong hands, these gifts can be crafted into an effective weapon.
Most corrections staff are vigilant about such lapses, but it only takes one careless staff member or one unaware volunteer to inadvertently give an illicit advantage to an enterprising offender.
Exhibit 1: The candy cane
Consider the longstanding confection staple of the holidays – the candy cane. They are small, delicious, and universally recognized as a sweet tradition. Candy canes in a jar on a desk are festive and serve as a small gesture of good will. What is dangerous about a candy cane?
Exhibit 2: The altered candy cane
In less than five short minutes, anyone can use saliva and their mouth to sharpen this to a deadly point.
Before voicing your doubts about the peril posed by the purloined candy, consider the following:
• Diversions elsewhere can draw staff away from the candy canes and, quicker than you can utter a verbal warning, the candy is on its way to the weapons shop.
• Soft, vulnerable areas such as the neck and eyes can be unexpectedly struck.
• If the candy is found unaltered on a prisoner, it may not be considered dangerous contraband.
On July, 20, 2010, Corrections1 featured the article Making a deadly shiv from a tin of mints. Since that article was published, I noticed that manufactures produce a much smaller versions of the container – measuring no more than three inches at its longest dimension. Inevitably, that variety would included a larger metal candy box, like the one below.
Exhibit 3: The metal candy box
I noticed a proliferation of these containers during the holidays. What consumers (including myself) see as a clever and enticing sales campaign, corrections staff should regard with caution. Many of us behind the walls get in the habit of playing a mental game of “What if…” with the weapons stock.
Exhibit 4: The altered metal candy box
In ten short minutes, an inmate can convert it into a shank consisting of a sturdy seven-inch handle with a five-inch blade. It does not take much time, patience or ability to make a sharp point.
This article isn’t meant to inspire unwarranted fear or paranoia, nor is it intended as some sort of rallying cry against manufacturers who might produce items that are sometimes unsafe in facilities. This is simply meant as a reminder of something that we already know: Common items can be transformed into dangerous weapons.
Defeating the post-holiday contrabandist depends on our watchfulness.
