A "Break-A-Way" from the ordinary

On July 25th of 2007, Safety and Justice.org reported the Salem Statesman Journal ran a series of investigative stories about suicide in Oregon's prisons. To encourage the Oregon Department of Corrections to protect its prisoners, the paper also ran an editorial: More changes needed to curb prison suicides.

The S & J also reported that the week before, twenty-one year Nathan Bashaw killed himself at Snake River Correctional Institution. He was the fourth person to commit suicide in Oregon's prisons that year. In the past ten years, twenty-six people have killed themselves in Oregon’s prisons.

About eight years ago, Imperial Fastener Company had creatively fabricated a "Break-A-Way" cubicle curtain system, geared towards the safety of psychiatric patients who had a tendency to harm themselves, or commit suicide. The purpose of this curtain was to prevent the patients from trying to hang themselves. It eliminated the use of pins or hooks that tend to hold the curtains securely in place. The system instead uses "Safety Tabs" that allows the curtain to safely break away from the track under pressure.

The "Break-A-Way" system became a success in the psychiatric hospitals, and about a year later, the same system was introduced to the correctional facilities. Today, several state correctional institutes have implemented the use of Imperial's "Break-A-Way" shower curtains and tracks in their facilities as the system has become a well-known suicide prevention material.

As usual, Imperial Fastener Company's ability to custom make their curtains to suit any situation is applied to each individual facility's requirements regarding security and safety. The "Break-A-Way" shower curtains can be made with or without mesh tops for ventilation, and with or without a clear top or bottom panel for security/accountability of prisoners. The fabric used is anti-bacterial and mildew resistant, flame retardant, and is very durable.

I recommend that all correctional facilities, who have not yet taken to this product, to give it a second look, especially if safety in the prisons is a concern.