Weapons and Tools made by Prisoners. photography by Marc Steinmetz

Original Post at MarcSteinmetz.com

SHOTGUN

made from iron bedposts; charge made of pieces of lead from curtain tape and match-heads,

to be ignited by AA batteries and a broken light bulb. On May 21, 1984 two inmates of

a prison in Celle, Germany, took a jailer as a hostage, showed off their fire power by letting go at

a pane of bullet-proof glass, and escaped by car.

THE CLASSIC

Makeshift rope in the classic style, made from bedsheets and

dish towels; length: 16 meters. On May 2, 1998 two inmates

used it in a failed attempt to escape from the 6th floor of

‘Santa Fu’ jail in Hamburg, Germany.

One of the men fell, the other made it to the roof of the main

gate where he was spotted by a surveillance camera.

IMMERSION HEATER

made from razor blades; found in a cell in ‘Santa Fu’ jail in Hamburg, Germany. Jailbirdsuse these tools to distil alcoholic

beverages forbidden in prisons. Your typical inmate’s moonshine still includes a plastic can containing fermented fruit mash

or juice, an immersion coil of some sort, a rubber hose, and a plastic receptacle for the booze.

LADDER

made of steel rails frombookshelves. On October 10, 1994, inmates

Gerhard Polak and Raimund Albert used this ladder during

their successful escape from ‘Santa Fu’ prison in Hamburg, Germany.

KNUCKLEDUSTER

with padded handle, made from a rasp that

was presumably stolen from a prison workshop.

The weapon was found in a cell in the prison of

Wolfenbüttel, Germany, sometime around 1993.

RADIO TRANSMITTER / BUG

made of radio recorder parts by an inmate of Wolfenbüttel prison, Germany (battery is missing).

Prisoners occasionally manage to install gizmos like this one in guard-rooms to be prepared for

upcoming cell searches. Also suitable as a means of cell-to-cell communication among

inmates. A standard radio serves as a receiver.

STOVE / GRILL / TOASTER

An inmate of Ludwigsburg prison, Germany, botched together this multi-purpose tool from wire,

a broken heating rod and sometin foil. It was found in his cell and confiscated sometime in the mid-eighties.

DAGGER

disguised as a wooden crucifix; found in an inmate’s cell in Wolfenbüttel prison, Germany,

sometime around 1994; intended for use in an escape or as a general weapon. At that

time a lot of crucifixes were fashioned in prison woodshops until jailers finally dug their

true purpose.

HASH PIPE

fashioned from an empty

horseradish tube; confiscated in ‘Santa Fu’ prison in Hamburg, Germany. Bongs are the most

common of all forbidden items in prisons. The range of materials they are made of mirrors the

inmates’ great imagination. And their prior needs.

TATTOOING NEEDLE

made from a toothbrush handle, a ball pen and an electric motor; confiscated in ‘Santa Fu’ prison

in Hamburg, Germany.Tattooing instruments are a popular and common source of

income among inmates but are banned as ‘illegal objects’ due to the danger of infection

(Aids, Hepatitis, etc.).

DOUBLE-BARRELED PISTOL

This gun was found along with other homemade firearms in the cell of two Celle prison inmates

on November 15, 1984. The weapons had been made in the prison’s metal workshop.

They were loaded with pieces of steel and match-heads.