By C1 Staff
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — New bunks being installed in the Lancaster County Prison are a new method that prison officials hope will prevent inmate suicide.
The Lancaster Online reports that hundreds of bunks made of solid steel and fastened tightly to the wall in each cell are being installed in phases in the prison to keep inmates from hanging themselves.
Two inmates have already killed themselves at the facility this year.
The old bunks had holes in them, according to Deputy Warden Michael Billy, which allowed inmates to tie objects like bed sheets or other material in order to hang themselves.
The new bunks are tight to the wall and have no holes, preventing inmates from tying anything to them.
The G-1 intake unit got the first wave of new bunks over the past several weeks. The ones installed so far, totaling at 245, cost $145,125, which is paid from the Inmate Welfare Fund that comes from commissary sales and other inmate accounts.
Eventually all bunks will be replaced.
In addition to the new bunks, the prison is also seeking assistance from the group Mental Health America, which will offer a six-week pilot program to strengthen the mental health of inmates.