Ratio between guards to prisoners

[JackTsunami]

What is a healthy ratio between the amount of prisoners per guard?

[AkaiSora]

i think it depends on what kind of prisoners they are, I think max sec inmates might be more volatile. So for normal sec inmates I've deployed 2 guards to each cell block of 20 inmates, 2 per workshop, 1 each in the shower and canteen. And I've got 2-3 spare guards. Once u get a workshop running, you could increase the amount of guards as earning money from the license plates can help you off set the wages.

[Kapitän KampfPanda]

i think it depends on your kind of prisoners and how you build your prison. i have 12 guards for a prison for 90 inmates. 1 guard for each cell block, 3 dogs for central places, 1 at the cctv monitor and the rest is roaming the place. Metal detectors at the canteen, workshop etc. can easily save you guards.I have 20 high risk, 50 medium risk and 20 low risk prisoners and no riot.

[Buntkreuz]

Originally posted by Kampfpanda:

i think it depends on your kind of prisoners and how you build your prison. i have 12 guards for a prison for 90 inmates. 1 guard for each cell block, 3 dogs for central places, 1 at the cctv monitor and the rest is roaming the place. Metal detectors at the canteen, workshop etc. can easily save you guards.I have 20 high risk, 50 medium risk and 20 low risk prisoners and no riot.

but metal detectors also can produce more work than needed. They have a high failure chance and give alarm while a prisoner didnt have a metal thing in his backpack and so cause a search by a guard=wasted time and workload. I also build a metal detector at the canteen, but i think, one is enough. All prisoners have to pass the detector to get into the canteen twice per day, no need for 2.

[Kapitän KampfPanda]

thats true not every metal detector alarm is a right alarm. I have 2 detectors at the canteen, because it has 2 entrances so that every prisoner is able to quickly enter the building. In my opinion 1 guard is enough to cover 2-3 detectors. So instead of placing 1 guard in the canteen and 1 guard at the workshop you need only 1 because of the metal detecors.
I haven't got a guard in every single Workroom and no problems at all.

[Meeeps]

with a ratio of 1:4, you should also be able to handle riots...

[mikeydsc]

Originally posted by NemesisZidar:

Originally posted by Kampfpanda:

i think it depends on your kind of prisoners and how you build your prison. i have 12 guards for a prison for 90 inmates. 1 guard for each cell block, 3 dogs for central places, 1 at the cctv monitor and the rest is roaming the place. Metal detectors at the canteen, workshop etc. can easily save you guards.I have 20 high risk, 50 medium risk and 20 low risk prisoners and no riot.

but metal detectors also can produce more work than needed. They have a high failure chance and give alarm while a prisoner didnt have a metal thing in his backpack and so cause a search by a guard=wasted time and workload. I also build a metal detector at the canteen, but i think, one is enough. All prisoners have to pass the detector to get into the canteen twice per day, no need for 2.

The reason the guards dont find it because once the metal detector goes off the prisoner drops the item he was carrying.

[mikeydsc]

i use 7 guards per 100 with 2 dogs and several metal detectors...the better regime you have cuts down the need for more guards

[Kapitän KampfPanda]

Originally posted by mikeydsc:

i use 7 guards per 100 with 2 dogs and several metal detectors...the better regime you have cuts down the need for more guards

yep this is very important too. If you satisfy the needs you need less Guards.

[Shenji]

In a smoothly running prison, you don't need to lock most doors, except the door(s) to free-world.
But I still want a torture chamber...

[Maverick]

Originally posted by Kampfpanda:

Originally posted by mikeydsc:

i use 7 guards per 100 with 2 dogs and several metal detectors...the better regime you have cuts down the need for more guards

yep this is very important too. If you satisfy the needs you need less Guards.

THIS. The minimum.

If I could find a different way to let visitors in I could almost have no guards at all once prison is running right.

[xoxxxoooxo]

To echo some of the other commenters, if you're being good about monitoring prisoner's desires and maintaining a healthy level of content, then you don't need a lot of guards. I have a few extra on hand just to be safe, but they have yet to really get put to major use.

My guards are mainly running around between their patrols, and all of them get used when I order Shakedowns to round up contraband and prevent escapes.

[JackTsunami]

Sorry if this sounds creepy, but can you post a screenshot of your prison so i can see how it operates? Maybe with your regime, prisoner, and staff info?

Originally posted by Kampfpanda:

i think it depends on your kind of prisoners and how you build your prison. i have 12 guards for a prison for 90 inmates. 1 guard for each cell block, 3 dogs for central places, 1 at the cctv monitor and the rest is roaming the place. Metal detectors at the canteen, workshop etc. can easily save you guards.I have 20 high risk, 50 medium risk and 20 low risk prisoners and no riot.

[Kapitän KampfPanda]

sure. I uploadet them to my profile - hope you can see them. Iam no expert with the steam-community thing and don't know how to post them here :/

I have to say that the prison is far away from being finished or being the perfect prison, but it works very fine at this point.

[JackTsunami]

Thanks a bunch

Originally posted by Kampfpanda:

sure. I uploadet them to my profile - hope you can see them. Iam no expert with the steam-community thing and don't know how to post them here :/

I have to say that the prison is far away from being finished or being the perfect prison, but it works very fine at this point.

[skybellrock]

WARNING! please read everything before commenting or hating.

I have played prison architect a while and i have a prison whit 70 high security prisoners. I also have around 30-45 guards (not sure) and 5 armed guard and 3 patrol dogs which is almost 1 guard each prisoner. I have security cameras everywhere and everything they need to be happy. I have small halls and patrols everywhere. I also have metal detectors everywhere its good. Like whit kitchen work rooms the door to the prisons the door outside and door to yard.

What I meant whit this is every advice you give is actual (bull). Sorry for saying it but it wont work. they started a rebel at the cells which is farest down my big prison and it is only 1 door out of the cell area. All the guards were patrolling. There was no way they could have smuggled any knifes through all the metal detectors and dog patrols. They even started the rebel when the warning thing for how much chance it is for rebel was at zero. and still they managed to kill all my guards and destroyed the auto locked doors.

This says that if you are trying to have a high security prison your going to fail any freaking way, even if you go off budget. and 2 guards is not enough for each prisoner. I know I am talking about high security but if 1 high security prisoner can take around 1,3 guard themselves, 2 guards cant be close to enough for 8 medium prisoners. My base got destroyed and I had to go to an older safe around 50 in-game days back.

I am thinking more about these scales:

EACH PRISONER:

High security: 1,5 guards each prisoner can be rolled down to 1 if you have a good system and everyone's happy.
You can take 0,7 to but that would be dangerous this is only if you are the one person only going for the profit.

Medium security: around 0,5 guards each prisoner.
This is because the Medium security has little chance of starting a rebel.

Low security: around 0,3 guards each prisoner.
These guards has so little chance making a rebel that you almost can have a prison without guards :D.

EACH 10TH PRISONER:

High security: 15 guards each 10th prisoner can be rolled down to 10 if you have a good system and everyone's happy.
You can take 7 to but that would be dangerous this is only if you are the one person only going for the profit.

Medium security: around 5 guards each 10th prisoner.
This is because the Medium security has little chance of starting a rebel.

Low security: around 3 guards each 10th prisoner.
These guards has so little chance making a rebel that you almost can have a prison without guards :D.


PLEASE COMMENT: please comment if I am completely wrong I have experimented a little to come to these number. I can check again it if anyone comment it wrong.

NOTE: The first numbers are the numbers that makes your prison COMPLETELY safe you can role them down a little and check the limits.