PRISON SHANK 020

Private collection
PRISON SHANK 020
Private collection

Collection

  • American Prison System
  • Weapons

Origin

Weade Correctional Facility
Alden, New York, USA

Medium

Ceramic and plastic

Association

Manufactured by an incarcerated individual for close-quarters combat within a correctional facility.

Description

Compact improvised prison weapon consisting of a white ceramic blade inserted into a translucent plastic handle. The handle appears to have been fabricated or modified to securely retain the blade, with no external wrapping or tape visible. The ceramic blade has a single angled point and bears partial printed markings on one side, consistent with a commercially manufactured ceramic utility blade that has been repurposed. The compact size and smooth, rounded handle distinguish this example from larger improvised metal shanks.

The item is housed in a sealed evidence container labeled "EVIDENCE – DO NOT TAMPER." The handwritten information on the evidence label is only partially legible. It appears to read:

Date: 5-21-2020
Collected By: A. S... (surname illegible)
Description: "2 in ceramic blade with sheath" (the wording "2 in ceramic" and "blade with sheath" are the most legible portions, though the handwriting is difficult to decipher and cannot be confirmed with certainty).

PRISON SHANK 020

1/4

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PRISON SHANK 023 Private collection / American Prison System
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PRISON SHANK 006 Private collection / American Prison System
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550BC is an independent publishing house based in Amsterdam, founded in 2018. Specializing in the complex realities of organized crime and conflict, we explore these subjects through the lens of visual anthropology. Our photo books provide rare, first-person perspectives from within otherwise inaccessible worlds, often created in direct collaboration with those involved. 550BC is also home to a private collection of over 2,000 unique physical items, preserved artifacts from the worlds we document. A selection is presented in our online archive.

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