Correctional Facility & Prison Lighting Solutions

Commercial lighting works to ensure the visibility and safety of public spaces, from restaurants to warehouses and factories – even correctional facilities. Proper procedures and precautions must take place within jails and prisons to protect employees and inmates. Interior and exterior lighting plays a huge role in a facility’s operations, industry security measures, efficiency, and general sight at night.

LightMart Product Suggestions for Prison Lights

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do Jails and Correctional Facilities Have Lights?

Yes, light poles, pole mounts, and light fixtures are installed throughout a prison’s exterior to monitor the outside grounds at night, and provide surveillance that shines a light on any possible escape attempts. Prison exterior lights, such as parking lot light posts, also work to help safeguard jail employees and prison guards during night shift changes.

Although some federal prisons do have small windows in each cell, providing natural lighting during the day, lighting is still needed inside correctional facilities in areas such as restroom lighting, cafeteria lighting, day rooms, and other public spaces inside a prison. Washrooms use canopy lights that are flush mounted to the ceiling, while cells typically have low bay lights, and bigger areas like cafeterias and day rooms use high bay lights to accommodate the high ceiling rooms. 

What are the Most Common Types of Lighting Used in Correctional Facilities?

Prison lights are installed outdoors, typically surrounding the fenced-in facility, and often include LED flood lights and light poles with security cameras mounted to the top for surveillance. Inside of a correctional facility, cell lighting, industrial catwalk lighting, and lights lining the hallways typically require 10-20 footcandles. It’s common that these areas of a prison usually have low or high bay lights installed or mounted to the ceiling. 

What is the Proper Lighting Design for a Prison?

Prisons usually require a lot of lighting, both inside and outside the facility, especially larger correctional facilities that each house over a thousand inmates. Sufficient lighting is important to ensure the facility is operating safely and efficiently. In terms of lighting types, a suggested low maintenance lighting option to consider is LED lighting, which is long lasting, energy efficient, cost efficient, durable against shattering, and low heat emitting.

In terms of best practices for a prison’s lighting design, we recommend products such as flood lighting, sports lighting, and wall packs – all of which provide powerful brightness to the exterior surrounding correctional facilities. As for interior lighting, we suggest installing low and high bay lights in areas that require 10-30 footcandles, along with emergency exit lights stationed at entry and exit doors. 

What are the IES Recommended Lighting Levels for Correctional Facilities?

IES footcandle recommendations vary for prisons, and depends on factors such as ceiling height, room size, and light bulb type such as fluorescent or LED. For example, IES suggests that hallways within prisons use 10 to 20 footcandles. Correctional facilities also often have a sally port, which is a secure entry way used to transfer detainees – IES recommends a minimum of 20 footcandles in sally ports and 5 footcandles on the outside of sally port entrance doors. 

What Lights are the Most Resistant to Damage?

No matter the correctional facility security level – whether it is a minimum or low security facility or a federal max prison – it is important to invest in damage resistant windows, lighting, and doors, as these are essential to protecting the safety and security of inmates and prison employees. We recommend installing LED lights, as these bulbs are highly durable and more resistant to damage.

 

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