History

Brief History
A few decades ago there were really only two things required from a security air grille.  One was the supply of air to and the exhaust of air from the cell.  The other was sufficient structural strength to assure inmate containment.  Today, however, the needs of the corrections industry have changed.

Changing Needs
As our society has become more violence-tolerant, there is a growing realization that merely containing the inmate and providing air exchange does not address significant new needs.  Inmate violence often involves lethal weapons concealed for months or even years.  This violence is often fuelled by illicit drugs that are in virtually every institution today.  Costs involved in inmate suicides are far more significant than they were even just a few years ago. The security air grille is impacted by these changes.  The grilles of yesterday were an invitation for suicides, an invitation for concealment of weapons and drugs and an invitation for numerous other undesirable activities.  Inmates of today have more rights than their predecessors.  Facilities today are more attuned to health needs of inmates.  A direct result of this is the ever-increasing design requirement of air changes per hour in cells.

Changing Security Air Grilles
While it is a fact that some recently constructed institutions have installed bar type grilles (e.g. a death-row section of a facility in the South built in the last decade) this, indeed, is a rare exception. Bars evolved into flat plates with holes in them. Initially the holes were generally squares, a few inches across. Two trends grew from this change. One trend was to make the holes smaller. (Today many security air grilles being installed are a plate with 5/16-inch diameter holes.) The other significant trend was to retain the larger square holes but to incorporate a coarse wire mesh on the back side of the grille

faceplate. Both of these types of grilles meet the basic requirements of inmate containment and air exchange. Both make it somewhat more difficult to use the grille to commit suicide. Both make it more difficult to conceal drugs or weapons behind the grille face. While progress has been made, problems remain.

As the grille designs have become more sophisticated, the creative juices of the inmates have been and are being tapped.  Inmates are still hiding weapons and drugs behind grille faces because these grilles do not block direct passage; they simply restrict the size of the object. Inmates are still using these air grilles as the anchoring point for committing suicides. In fact, air grilles in recently constructed facilities are still the number one physical item in inmate suicides. Further to ongoing contraband concealment and suicides is the rising problem of plugging of the air grilles. This can be tracked to the increase of air changes required in the newer designs, which are a direct result of seeking to make the cell a healthier environment. Because of increased volumes of air there are increased velocities of air, in fact, objectionable velocities as far as the inmates are concerned. Consequently inmates are plugging supply air grilles. This compounds into several other problems: system air balance is destroyed which increases the practice of plugging; health issues escalate especially if feces are the plugging medium.

Also attendant to drugs and weapons in facilities are dangers and stress to correctional staff. Suicides by inmates also impact the stress level of staff. Studies in some institutions reveal a doubling of suicides among staff following inmate suicides.  Also part of the package of inmate suicides is civil litigation. Approximately 65% of inmate suicides result in payouts, with court awards in the 3 million dollar range. It is evident that problems remain and more have recently been projected onto the scene. The big question that remains is …. what is the answer?  Read on!

What's New
A new company, Safety Concepts, has secured the rights to manufacture and market a unique security air grille for the corrections marketplace.  Is the word 'unique' accurate in describing this air grille?  An examination of the design and function will prove the answer is yes. The air grille is designated as the S-Vent and is being supplied to the market in three styles.  All are patented by the U.S. Patent Office.  The flagship product is the SV2.

How The SV2 Addresses The Problems
Drugs and Weapon Concealment It is not possible to weave a wire or thread through the SV2 because of its unique zigzag air passageway that is 1/8-inch square.  The largest physical item that could be partially concealed would measure 1/8 inch by 1/2 inch.  Virtually all weapons and drug caches are much larger.
Suicide Prevention Since it is not possible to weave anything through the SV2 it is also not possible to make a direct attachment.  This eliminates the number one physical item in inmate suicides.
Objectionable Air Flows Smoke tests conducted on SV2 grilles reveal that a wall installed grille confines high velocity air (air exceeding 50 feet per minute) to a downward channel that is one foot off the wall and no wider than the grille width plus one foot.  This continues to the floor where velocities of less than 50 fpm are immediately achieved.  Facilities where supply air grille plugging was a serious problem have reported that the problem was virtually eliminated after SV2 grilles were installed.

What's new in security air grilles?  The S-Vent is!  Not only does the S-Vent resolve the issues of contraband concealment, air grille related suicides and objectionable air flow; it also has a very practical and cost effective installation system for new installations.  For retrofit applications Safety Concepts has a patented plenum box which, when used in conjunction with the S-Vent, eliminates the need for any HVAC changes and any changes to the opening size of the grille.  Yes, the S-Vent is a truly unique and welcome solution..