For most people, "packing a toothbrush"
evokes thoughts of vacation. But for
Paul Biermann of APL, the words trigger
images of prison—specifically, inmate
violence.
It all began two years ago at a Johns
Hopkins School of Public Health injury
prevention lecture, where current research
projects at the National Institute of Justice
were being discussed. A common theme was
inmate and correctional officer safety in an
environment where violence is common.
Much of the current information on violent
incidents was anecdotal, so Biermann
proposed a joint project with the School of
Public Health to survey detention centers,
jails and prisons across the country. "We had
to define the problem before we could come
up with a plan to make it better," he says.
With development funds from the National
Institute of Justice, a committee of Johns
Hopkins and correctional facility representatives
created a survey that was completed by
corrections officials from 72 facilities including
jails, medium- and maximum-security
prisons and federal penitentiaries.
"This was the most focused study of prison
assaults ever done," said Emily Ward, an
APL mechanical engineer who joined Biermann
at the project's start. "Previous reports
tabulated injuries or deaths but didn't identify
what the weapons were made from, but
we asked more detailed questions to get to
the source."
The researchers found that about 90
percent of all prison violence was inmate
to inmate, and 10 percent targeted prison
officers. The most common weapons were
a lock concealed in a sock, sharp objects
fashioned from toothbrushes and disposable
razors, and metal strips used to secure chain
link fence to its poles.
Prisoners shaped toothbrush handles into
weapons by filing them down on concrete
floors, or inserted disposable razor
blades into them. "That was a problem
our Advanced Composites Development
Laboratory could do something about," said
Biermann, who has been instrumental in
developing the Composites Lab over the
past two decades.
Biermann and Ward toured several facilities
to get a better feel for the environment
before starting to develop new products.
"We had to take into account the reality
that there are very bright people sitting
behind bars who can be very creative," Biermann
said.
The team soon expanded to include
Gary Peck, also from APL, who had 30
years' experience making polymer molds.
His expertise in developing polyurethane
(more commonly referred to as urethane)
systems led them to use a triple-layer design:
an epoxy core encased in a hard urethane
layer that was covered with a softer urethane
shell. Such a complex design is rare
for the Composites Lab, but, Peck said, "It
achieved the goal we had of an instrument
that couldn't be sharpened or re-formed by
heating."
The team brainstormed possible designs,
rejecting a pressurized handle that deflated
when compromised and a hollow handle
filled with tiny plastic balls before settling
on urethane rubber, the material found in
the wheels of in-line skates. It's a material
the Composites Lab has worked with
extensively for products such as submarine
components, shock mitigation research and
biomedical applications such as human torso
protection.
The toothbrush and disposable razor prototypes
are now finished and have been
shown to prison officials for "the sniff test."
Initial reviews were good, and the Lab has
briefed the federal prison manufacturing
company UNICOR. It also will look for a
commercial manufacturer or possibly a stateuse
(prison-based) industry to mass-produce
them.
Meanwhile, the development team hasn't
left prison life behind. They're already
thinking about designing a plastic lock and
a safer way to secure chain link fence to its
poles.
This story first appeared in The APL News.
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