[Suggestion] High-security toilet

[Gikgik]

Prison toilets are a security risk, in real life, just as in Prison Architect.

Real-life prisons have solved some of these problems with high-security toilets, which consist of concrete cast onto a concrete floor.

A high-security toilet in Prison Architect would neither allow tunnels nor hiding of contraband.

The drawback would be a rather high cost; around $500, less comfort for the prisoner, and occasional breakdowns.

[Admiral Hackbar]

I found a dog patrol solved these problems. During meals a dog is wandering the canteen, at night they all sniff the perimeter. When the dig at the same spot often, or dig at the ground several meters in a row, you found a tunnel.

[Gikgik]

The point is to make a one-time investment to avoid the need of constant dog patrols.

[balfro]

In real life, Prisoners just don´t dig escape tunnels from their cells. They dig from outside their cells where there is either simply dirt that they take up. Or smash trough a weak spot on a wall/floor. But from my searches, there have been no escapes from tunnels in their cells. Also. A wast majority of escapes go trough the vents or other ways. In prison architect they added the tunnel from a cell escape as a gameplay feature. Because it´s a game not a simulator. (Plus it is easier to model than other ways since they can often be just random security holes.) And the toilets are always fastened to the floor in irl prisons. So they don´t take them up. And either hide contraband or enter the pipe shaft or smash the next guys teeth in. But they still hide contraband in their toilets. Because there are still hiding places in the toilets.

In my opinion the system is fine as it is. They should add some way of cutting through fences. Like smashing trough their cell wall without the guards knowing and then cutting the fence/smashing the wall to freedom.

[czar mohab]

In real life, Prisoners just don´t dig escape tunnels from their cells. They dig from outside their cells where there is either simply dirt that they take up. Or smash trough a weak spot on a wall/floor.

While I didn't find anything specific to "tunnel started under toilet" I did find these, and others:

ISLAND FARM PRISONER OF WAR CAMP: 198 / Special Camp: XI Bridgend, South Wales.
Alcatraz, San Francisco, California
Burail Model Jail, Punjab
Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I don't want to take away from the soft dirt open field tunneling concept - any properly motivated individual with ample time and resources can indeed start a tunnel in any location deemed suitable for both security (e.g. not getting caught, tunnel not being found, etc.) and ease of use (e.g. accessibility, closeness to desired exit point, etc.) will start a dig. The thing to look at regarding prison escape tunnels is that they are not limited to just a cell. These guys literally have nothing better to do so why not start one in the unguarded laundry room, shower, or even near the back gate?

I agree with the contraband bit (not quoted) - if the hidey-hole is big enough to hide a thing, a thing is getting hidden. I honestly think that to make a prison hidey-hole proof would require some (former) prisoners working specifically on figuring out where they are and how to close them up. These guys are intimately familiar with every nook and cranny in their cells, with plenty of idle time to ponder "how can I hide that doohickey once I get my hands on it?". I highly doubt that even a concrete toilet is immune to having things hidden within.

When (going back to PA instead of the real world) prisoners smuggled in rakes and garden shears I always wondered how they hid them. That's the beauty of PA, though. It doesn't have to make sense at every turn (maybe eventually). It is a game.

And the toilets are always fastened to the floor in irl prisons. So they don´t take them up. And either hide contraband or enter the pipe shaft or smash the next guys teeth in. But they still hide contraband in their toilets. Because there are still hiding places in the toilets.

Not always. This unit is a wall mount, similar to the style depicted in-game (which honestly feels like a floor mounted version but I could be wrong). Also, the picture of the cell in the Alcatraz link, above, shows a wall mounted toilet. Arguably, the first could rest on the floor, and the second is a tad old; however, the point here is that they (wall mount toilets) do exist in the prison world.

In my opinion the system is fine as it is. They should add some way of cutting through fences. Like smashing trough their cell wall without the guards knowing and then cutting the fence/smashing the wall to freedom.

I agree here. It is fine the way that it is (although it seems a bit too often at times) and if the Devs so choose to add another method of escaping, all the better.

The Czar

[balfro]

Even though they are wall mounted. That still makes my point. They are fastened to a wall so that they can´t use any of the plumbing to their advantage. And in it´s current form. Prison architect only has straight down into the ground tunnels. The alcatraz escape was a tunnel trough a wall into a service shaft where they climbed up and onto the roof (If i remember rightly). Because the wall had a spot where it was weak enough so that they could dig it with a spoon. Now the cells are made out of a material that you would need some heavy tools to get trough. And can´t form that sort of weak spot.

But also. If you install a High security toilet. Then according to the games logic, they should just smash trough the floor of their cells under the bed for example.
Since the game does not model the fact that spoon vs metal toilet = metal toilet wins. Then why not spoon vs floor = floor win.
Chris would have to have some other way for the prisoners that have high security toilets to escape because otherwise they are OP. Any other ideas?