You might think the threat of gun violence in corrections facilities would be low compared to more public settings, but every prison, jail, or other detention facility in the U.S. are just as vulnerable as any other place. This is especially true for corrections facilities that include on-site pharmacies for the storage and dispensing of a wide range of medications. In the same way a bank needs bulletproof windows to protect its assets and employees, the design of a prison pharmacy should also include windows made of ballistic glass for added security.
Pharmacies in Prisons are Busy Places
Pharmaceutical services in the corrections industry are critical because of the population being served. According to a Pew Charitable Trusts 2016 study, “Adults who are incarcerated have a higher-than-average prevalence of infectious diseases, hypertension, asthma, arthritis, mental illness, and substance use disorders, often in combination.” This means on-site pharmacies in detention centers are handling a lot of different drugs and medications the prison population needs.
A 2019 article in Pharmacy Today notes “The U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) pharmacy program includes more than 160 U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and civilian pharmacists serving a population of 180,000 across 122 institutions.” But that’s just federal prisons. There are also more than 1,800 state prisons and more than 3,000 county jails. But not every correctional facility has an on-site pharmacy. Some states don’t allow on-site pharmacies in prisons or jails. For states that do have on-site pharmacies in prisons, security systems should include windows with ballistic glass and glazing designed to withstand the most likely caliber of bullet that might be fired at them.
Prison Bulletproof Pharmacy Windows and More by Creative Industries
Protecting the drugs and medications in a prison pharmacy as well as the employees working there requires more than just bulletproof glass windows. The drugs and medications must also be dispensed from the pharmacy to the corrections staff who will administer the medications throughout the facility. Our manufacturing expertise at Creative Industries includes not only a variety of bullet-resistant windows, but also related bulletproof products to facilitate passing items back-and-forth as well as communication through barriers, including the following:
- Bullet Resistant Windows: Our standard bulletproof windows come in more than a dozen different configurations but can also be custom manufactured to provide protection in any specific location.
- Deal Trays: When prison pharmacists need to pass small items such as individual doses of medications directly to inmates being served at the pharmacy, we have a dozen different deal trays to make such transactions as safe as possible.
- Drawers: If larger quantities of medications need to be distributed from the prison pharmacy to staff who will administer them, we make nine different styles of drawer products like the ones you’ve used at the drive-thru window of a bank.
- Pass Thrus: When larger packages or other items need to be handed off through bulletproof windows, we make eleven different products that are larger than drawers.
- Talk Thrus: When prison pharmacy staff need to communicate through one of our bulletproof windows, we offer seven different kinds of talk thrus to facilitate verbal communication.
While many of our standard products will work well in most prison pharmacies, Creative Industries stands ready to custom build any of our products to fit the unique specifications needed at any correctional facility.
Creative Industries: A Trusted Partner for Bulletproof Protection
Here at Creative Industries, we’ve been helping clients across a wide range of industries meet their safety and security needs as a manufacturer of bullet-resistant glass and related products for many decades. Regardless of the type of client, our goal is always the same, which is pinpointing what you need and providing it as cost-effectively as possible. Any corrections facility needing prison bulletproof pharmacy windows or related products can get in touch with us through the Contact Us page of our website or by calling us directly at 800-776-2068. We look forward to discussing your needs and how Creative Industries can meet them.