PRISON SHANK 023

Private collection
PRISON SHANK 023
Private collection

Collection

  • American Prison System
  • Weapons

Origin

Weade Correctional Facility
Alden, New York, USA

Medium

Plastic, laminated paper, and tape

Association

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

Description

Improvised prison weapon consisting of a sharpened plastic blade concealed within a laminated paper handle constructed from magazine pages and reinforced with multiple layers of clear and tan tape. A portion of a printed image of a woman's face remains visible beneath the transparent outer wrapping. The rectangular handle encloses the blade while providing a compact, functional grip. The laminated construction demonstrates deliberate fabrication using readily available materials to produce a lightweight, concealable stabbing weapon.

PRISON SHANK 023

1/2

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California Peckerwood Prison Paño 005 Private collection / American Gang Culture

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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