Doors

Languages: The content of this page is based on Prison Architect Version 1.1.

Doors control the flow of Prisoners and Staff. Doors are one of the ways to define Sectors within your prison to allow the Deployment of Guards, Security Zones, and Prison Labour.

Doors open at different speeds. A normal wood door is the fastest; the large road gate is the slowest.

Permissions

The Permission setting is used to restrict who will be able to pass through a door.

• "Door Mode: Locked Open" - This keeps the door open unless closed by a Lockdown.
• "Door Mode: Normal" - Standard mode, jail and staff doors will need to be unlocked for entry.
• "Door Mode: Locked Shut" - This closes the door permanently, no one except who you authorise will be able to open or go through a door.

The Permission menu is accessed by left-clicking the door. From the Permissions interface you can also choose to open the door yourself, in case there are no guards nearby.

Door types

Door Type	Cost	Toughness	Size	Used in	Description
Door	$50	20 HP	1x1	Every Room	A regular wooden door. Best used to seal off a room, while retaining access for all. Doors are accessible by anyone; except when Door is manually set to "Locked Shut" or during a Lockdown.
Jail Door	$350	100 HP	2x1	Example	Doors consisting of vertical iron bars. Jail doors have two versions that both function identically. Jail doors require a guard to unlock them each time someone wishes to pass through. You can also right click to manually open them. The only exception to this is the doors on cells themselves which open automatically depending on what is scheduled on the Regime. These are usually placed as the main door into a cell, as all cells require doors, to secure the cell. Guards are able to shoot through with a tazer or shotgun or hit prisoners with a baton. • Striped Jail Door function exactly the same.
Large Jail Door	$350	100 HP	1x1	Every Room	Same as Jail Door, but the large jail door opens slower than the normal jail door. It also is the only large door available. However, all other doors may simply be put adjacent to each other, simulating a large door of any size. For jail doors, this would not work, as guards would have to open each part of the door separately. • Striped Large Jail Door function exactly the same.
Remote Door	$500	300 HP	1x1	Every Room	This object must be researched before it can be purchased. (Remote Access) Requires a Servo with a remote connection to operate.
Road Barrier	$10 000	500 HP	7x1	On Main Road but can be used elsewhere too.	The Road Barrier can be placed on the road as an additional security option (and not replacement for a road gate) to stop the stolen vehicles. Prisoners can hijack the Supply Trucks and easily drive away if Escape Plans are enabled. The Road Barrier remains open and closes only during the lockdown.
Road Gate	$1 000	100 HP	7x1	On Main Road but can be used elsewhere too.	The Road Gate functions as a way to expand your prison to the other side of the road if Land Expansion has been researched. It allows the player to escort prisoners across the road without worrying about them trying to escape. The Road Gate stops all vehicles (except those hijacked) and visitors until a Guard opens the gate either physically or using the Door Control System and a Servo attached to the Road Gate. You can use this to span your prison across the road, or build a totally contained drop off zone.
Secret Door	$100	40 HP	1x1	Every Room	Secret Door function exactly the same as Staff Door.
Secure Door	$600	300 HP	1x1	Every Room	Heavy door with a small flap to deliver Food Trays to prisoners inside a Cell. These should be a perfect solution for dangerous inmates.
Solitary Door	$500	300 HP	1x1	Every Room	A big, thick iron door. Solitary cells do not currently require the use of Solitary doors. Solitary Doors are very difficult for prisoners to destroy. Like jail doors, they can only be opened by guards.
Staff Door	$100	40 HP	1x1	Every Room	The Staff Door behaves the same as a jail door, except members of the Staff can also open it. Take notice that guards will open a staff door for a requesting prisoner, unless the zone behind the door is set to "Staff Only" via Deployment.
Visitor Door	$100	40 HP	1x1	Every Room	Very similar to Staff Door but can also be opened by Visitors.

Tips & other information

• All doors can be opened remotely using a Servo and either the Door Control System operated by a guard or some custom logic using e.g. a Door Timer. The Remote Door can only be opened that way.
• Because Solitary Doors appear to be immune to damage, they can be useful to tighten security.
  • However, they are not a good replacement for jail doors when used on normal Cells, dormitories and Holding Cells, as there the jail doors will be opened and closed automatically and without the need of a servo according to the regime, while solitary doors always will have to be opened by guards or using servos, except when used in a solitary cell and solitary punishment is over.
• Be careful during riots, because unconscious guards drop jail keys that can be used by prisoners to open any door except if it has been set to "Locked Shut".
  • However, there is no real object like a staff key. Unconscious staff won't drop any keys, so prisoners will need jail keys for staff doors, too.
• Foundations require at least one door to be placed on their border before they can be completed.
• While a door is open, regardless of the permission setting, anyone can pass through it and can be used by prisoners to escape.
• Doors that are blocked when closing will no longer push the blocking object aside. - They won't close fully until unblocked.
• A staff door can be made into a staff-only door by setting the zone behind it to "staff only" via deployment. The way zones are currently drawn, it's possible that a prisoner will request a staff-only door be opened. This is because the door itself is in a zone that the prisoner can go in, but the room behind is not. The situation usually presents itself with prisoners who are cleaning indoor areas. They will still not be able to proceed into the room, but they will clean the floor beneath the door.
• If you want to make it so that it's impossible to escape your prison by force, use Remote Doors to seal off all exits, then connect them to a Door Control System inside a security office that is also secured with Remote Doors. Even if your prisoners manage to beat up guards and steal their keys, they will neither be able to open the doors to the outside world, nor will they be able to get to the consoles controlling those doors.
• As normal doors can be opened by anyone, they only actually serve a purpose when manually "Locked Shut" or during a Lockdown. Their low toughness makes them a rather insecure measure in cases of riots, though. Consider replacing them by jail or solitary doors which usually are "Locked Open" (or the sectors behind them being "Unlocked") and only closed in emergency cases.
• Servos need electricity. Be aware that in the case of a power failure, e.g. because of a fire, certain areas of your prison might become inaccessible or guards will again be required to open the doors. This may as well include the road gates, which are often far away from the prison, but needed to be passed by the firemen in case of a fire.