Guard

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  Guard
Date of the last article update. Content based on The Sneezer
4/2023 | The Sneezer
Type: Staff
Cost: $500
Daily Wage: $100
Toughness 20 HP
Other Information:
  • nothing required - always available
  • can be recruited by warden for 500$ a day

Perhaps the most important staff member of your prison, the guard ensures that the prisoners are kept in line, ensures that the prisoners have no Contraband on them and keeps the prisoners where they are supposed to be.

Their presence does make prisoners behave better, however they do not, on their own, act to prevent anything. They might be in the kitchen and see an inmate steal a knife and will do nothing about it. It is up to the player to use the guards to search the inmate and confiscate the contraband, through the Search Prisoner function (found on the prisoner's personal file accessible via left clicking the prisoner). Guards are triggered to search prisoners automatically if they have passed through a Metal Detector while in possession of metallic contraband.

Guards can be equipped with tazers and stab vests for additional cost via research in the Bureaucracy tab. (This also applies to armed guards and dog handlers.) They need to pass the Tazer Certification before using tazers, though.

One of the things that guards do on their own is to escort inmates to their cells or the dormitories or holding cell(s) as they arrive. Also, when you build new cells, they will transfer inmates from the holding cell to the individual cells. Guards will also take prisoners and other guards to the infirmary or morgue if they are injured/dead and an infirmary/morgue is available. Escorting prisoners to solitary confinement, and back to a normal cell (or a dormitory or the holding cell) when their time is served, is also automatically done by guards. Note: guards often take injured prisoners who have recently been involved in violent misconduct to solitary confinement meaning the player has to manually dispatch a doctor to heal said prisoner (by left-clicking on the doctor, then right-clicking on the prisoner). Unknown if this guard behavior is a bug or not.

Guards will try and detain any inmates that are in fights or breaking things (which requires them to use their batons. They will use their tazers if they have one or will use fists if they don't have either). Once an inmate has been detained they will punish them and if necessary, see that they get medical treatment.

When a guard is knocked unconscious, their baton, jail keys and tazer (if they have one) will be dropped to the ground, becoming obtainable by prisoners.

Combat[edit | edit source]

  • When prisoners incapacitate all guards in an area during riots, the guards will not enter that area, since it's "above their pay grade" (They will not enter areas controlled by rioting prisoners).
  • Guards use batons, which gives them good odds against an unarmed inmate. However, since the baton is not meant to kill, it does not give them an edge against inmates with weapons such as knives and shanks (or if they've picked up an unconscious armed guard's shotgun).
  • Unlike prisoners and guard dogs, guards will not kill those that they fight. They stop when the prisoner in question has either been cuffed or knocked unconscious and then cuffed.
    • However, guards may still kill prisoners if they have "Cop Killer" reputation.
  • If guards lost their equipment, they will return back to armoury if there is one available or use their fist to stop fights.

Hints and Tips[edit | edit source]

  • Be sure to leave some of your guards un-deployed so that if any unforeseen job or incident happens outside your established zones, those guards can rush over and handle the crisis. This also helps when new Prisoners arrive and must be escorted in by a free guard.
  • Having built a security room near areas which are common for prisoners to go, such as Kitchen, Canteen, Laundry, Yard, Workshop or Shower, is a good addition, since guards will respond to nearby incidents.
  • Hire cost will increase as body armour is unlocked ($100 per guard) and when tazer rollout has been researched ($400 once the guard passes the Tazer Certification program).
  • A popup marker of the guard will show up only when he is being attacked by a prisoner.
  • Guards are not friendly to prisoners who have "Cop Killer" reputation. Make sure to order him to move when he stops a prisoner with that reputation to avoid unnecessary death of the prisoner.
  • Every time a guard spots an incident, they will always alert the Player about it using an in-game alarm sound.
  • It is possible to 'recruit' a guard for $500 per day in Warden Mode. To do this, simply navigate to your inventory and right-click over the guard. The guard will stop whatever they are doing and turn to walk towards you. A bar will appear underneath you and when it becomes full, the guard will follow you everywhere and help protect you in case of violent prisoners. Removal of the guard is simply done by pressing the large red 'X' on their portrait next to the Warden's. This can also be done with the armed guard for $1750 per day, riot guard for $1500 per day and sniper for $2500 per day.
  • Guards, armed guards and dog handlers are normally unauthorized to attack criminally insane inmates, requiring the need to hire orderlies for that. They will, however, attack in
    • self defence.
    • if the criminally insane inmate is escaping (escaping being out of the "prison bounds").
    • if there are no orderlies hired or closest orderly presence is too far to notice.
  • Idle guards will scatter around the prison by themselves, in rooms such as security, yard, canteen, reception or deliveries.

Duties covered by the guard[edit | edit source]

Guards currently perform the largest amount of duties in the game.

  • patrolling and stationed guards as well as idling guards will open doors for staff members or inmates. If no guard is stationed in the room then a guard from another room will come to cover this duty
  • escort inmates to holding cells, cells, dormitories, solitary confinement; will assist orderlies in escorting criminally insane to padded holding cells, padded solitaries and padded cells; will move unconscious and dead inmates to the infirmary, morgue or hearse depending on the situation
  • escort confidential informants to security for interogation
  • will assist janitors in moving prisoner uniforms to tables and laundry baskets
  • will strip search new inmates in reception
  • will search inmates and objects marked to have contraband by a metal detector or scanner machine or simply ordered by the player
  • participate in shakedowns and tunnel searches
  • operate CCTV monitors, phone taps, door remote control systems and scanner machines
  • will deliver food to inmates in lockdown or solitary; will bring those food trays back to canteen
  • will sometimes assist the cooks in stacking dirty trays together and moving them to sinks
  • will deliver mail to sectors that inmates aren't allowed to enter; if the mail room is staff only and/or no inmates are assigned to it then they will themselves sort the mail and deliver all of it

Trivia[edit | edit source]

  • A lesser known behaviour of the guards is that their combat technique changes depending on an inmate's misconduct. If an inmate's last misconduct was a major one such as attacking a staff member or escaping then guards will fight more actively, taking minimal time between their baton hits. If the inmate's misconduct was a minor one (such as destroying or spoiling miconduct targeted against an inmate) then the guard's attack will be more sporadic, with the guard taking short "breaks" inbetween the baton hits for the purpose of shouting warnings to the inmate, similar to the armed guards. The guards might also shout some of these warnings before attacking. Unlike an armed guards', the guards warnings do not have associated sounds, nor are they as effective as an armed guard's.
    • Unlike the armed guards, the guards are not guaranteed to start with the warnings, more likely to shout them randomly shouting them inbetween attacks. Because of the fact and the fact that the inmate will usually respond to the guards engaging them by either surrendering or attacking back that means seeing standard guards shouting warnings is not a common scenario.
    • The only other staff members capable of shouting warnings and that can do sporadic attacks are the Armed Guards (audible warnings) and the Snipers. These two will however will consistently shout them before attacking. They will also shout warnings inbetween attacks if the inmate has not retaliated by attacking back.

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Karl[edit | edit source]

Karl and a standard guard in a staffroom

Karl is a special entity exclusive to Console Edition's Escape Mode DLC who aids the player in specific situations. He can be identified by the yellow name tag he wears on his slightly darker guard uniform as well as the "Karl" subtext below his sprite.

If the player attempts to enter an area and there are no guards close enough to open the door for them then Karl will be dispatched to do so. However, he will not open the doors that lead to restricted areas, unless the player is wearing a stolen uniform (can be obtained from a guard locker). He will also not be dispatched to open doors while the player is in combat. Karl might also be dispatched to escort the player to the infirmary if no other guard can do the job.

Karl will then move out of sight towards the nearest staff room. Unlike normal guards, Karl cannot be fought and will never engage in combat. As such he won't be upgraded with body armour or tazers alongside the normal guards.