A question recently posted on Quora asked, “Is activity in the showers monitored (even occasionally) against violence? Are guards and wardens less likely to intervene there, or if the prisoners are naked?” Retired police officer and criminal justice professor Tim Dees gave his opinion on the topic, below. Add your own in the comments.
No. Inmates are observed at all times, although for purely aesthetic reasons a correctional officer might be less likely to fix his focus on a prisoner sitting on a toilet.
Inmates are forever trying to conceal contraband and manufacture weapons, and anyplace or time they can do so without being observed is a prime opportunity. Prisons are designed to minimize covert spaces, but some institutions are very old and most of them are overcrowded, so there is always someplace where an inmate can steal a moment of private time.
A naked inmate poses less of a threat than a clothed one, but not by much. Inmates can “kiester” (hide in the rectum) weapons and other contraband. Most people are astonished at the size, shape and quantity of material an inmate can pack inside his or her body.
Inmates are also highly cooperative with each other, if not with the staff. A weapon can be passed from one inmate to another to another very quickly, so it can be passed into a shower room or other place one might think is relatively safe, used against someone, and passed back out before a corrections officer knows anything has happened.
