I'm a former Jailer current Reserve Cop (i'm back in college, finishin' up b4 I get a real job <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ) - we used to have an occaisonal safety razor not get turned back in, later found w/ the head snapped off, and the blade melted to the handle to be used as a slashing tool. We also had jailers who would give out the actual soda cans during commissary instead of dumping them in cups, and not get them all back. You can imagine how easy that would be to fashion in to a blade. But, since most of the fine citizens in the jail hadn't been sentenced, they were fairly well behaved. I'd imagine that its not that way in a prison. Our only real problems came from the "shuttle" inmates who were being extradited - just staying w/ us for a few days between shuttles - we had one guy that took apart a faucet and was going to club ME with it. Luckily for me, since I treated all of my inmates w/ respect, and one of them SNITCHED on the A-HOLE that was going to knock me out when I was bringing dinner chow around. Our jail was over 100 years old, and wouldn't be too hard to get out of if you had the jail keys - I'm sure that is what motivated him. I haven't found anything on the street other than actual knives. But, I'll always remember that inmate that saved my @ss, just because I was the only guard that ever treated him like a "person." My biggest fear is needles though - I'd rather get shot or cut than get AIDS or Hep.