Guards can't find tunnels

[Tzimiskes]

My Dogs keep finding tunnels in the exact same place over and over again and yet no matter how many times I order a shakedown the Guards can't find the tunnels. Two Inmates even escaped and until I ordered the destruction of the tunnel they used the Guards couldn't find it by directly searching toilets. Also how do inmates sneak metal objects out of the Workshop past metal detectors?

[Steve Freng]

Same issue

[MekaDovah]

Are you sure it's metal items? They can dig with ropes from the laundry and wooden pickaxes from the workshop. Both don't count as metal and are undetectable.

Best two methods I can think of to guarentee find a tunnel:

1) Disassemble the toilet you suspect. If it's the right one the tunnel will be revealed. Though this won't catch the digger themselves necessarily.

2) Check needs when they go to bed. See who isn't sleeping. The chart will show some people just not getting any sleep and they are your diggers. Then you gotta check them individually to see who still has a full sleep need even though they look asleep. Then search that guy directly. The dummy and tunnel should all be exposed immediately since you catch him in the act. Wait about an hour or two in game after the last prisoners go to bed before conducting any searches to ensure they think it's safe enough to dig.


You can also call a roll call at night and diggers will show up late. If they're spotted turning up late they'll be exposed immediately as well, but I find this method less reliable since you have to hope a guard sees it or you manage to catch them yourself and can then do method 1 to expose the tunnel. This method also upsets everybody in the prison and disrupts the sleep cycle.

Using the "search toilets" option itself is a waste of time as it has a low chance to find anything. Don't bother using that method. You'd be better off ordering a full shakedown of the entire cell.

If you use the warden Periwinkle, dogs have a 50 percent chance to reveal any tunnel they pass over and if they have a tight patrol path around a cell block, it makes it almost impossible to tunnel past them. This is a more cheese way to do it if you're really fed up. Combining Periwinkle, Dogs, good patrol routes and layout of perimeter walls and you can be virtually tunnel proof. Just remember the dogs have to be outdoors for this to work.

[Dincher]

I had same issue. You need to click toilet and choose search individually. It is more accurate than shakedown.

[White Chocolate]

Anotehr thing you could do is use the warden that allows give dogs a higher chance of dogs detecting tunnels and allow them to patrol in the cell blocks when they are sleeping. You can also place drains underneath the toliets which makes it so the prisoners cant dig out.

The design of your prison also can make a difference, for an example I have never had prison escape from any of my prisons because the amount of gauds and the patrol paths. If you keep the prisoners happy and you have good security you shouldnt have any issues.

[Forever_Lona]

This aspect of the game is what usually makes me stop playing it. Its a high level of micro and theres very little you can do to permanently shut it down. Dogs often dont find tunnels, shakedowns almost never do, and if you have a big prison you have to remember to click on dozens of toilets every few days.