U.S. Court Facilities
system will comprise prisoner sallyports, prisoner corridors, prisoner elevators, and prisoner
stairwells. Evacuations from the building will be under USMS custody through the secure
detention vehicle sallyport.
Where the building egress requires more than two building stairwell systems, which may be
the case for an alternate egress from a place of assembly such as a courtroom, locate the
additional stair in the secure corridor by the courtroom. If this stair can be located by the
secure area between courtrooms and the floor-to-floor height is sufficient, it can be made a
scissors stair with a divided area for prisoners and U.S. Marshals without any increase in
gross floor area.
Secure Perimeter Around Prisoner-Occupied Areas. A secure perimeter system should
surround the USMS central detention cellblock area and the courtroom holding cell areas. All
egress points through the secure perimeter should be controlled by sallyports with interlocked
doors and monitored by USMS staff. All horizontal plans comprising the perimeter,
including partitions, floors, ceiling systems, and fenestration points, must be designed to
thwart unauthorized egress. Construction should consist of core-filled CMU glazed block or
equivalent construction extending from floor to structural deck above, barriers in all chases,
vents and fenestration openings, and detention-grade hardware and bullet- or break-resistant
glazing. All hardware within the secure perimeter will be on a special detention key system.
Bullet- and Break-Resistant Glazing and Shielding. Bullet- and break-resistant glazing
and shielding are required at specific points throughout the facility to enhance security. For
areas exposed to attack from outside the weapons screened area, bullet-resistant glazing
should be utilized. For control within the facility, break-resistant glazing should be utilized.
The following are specific areas where protective glazing and shielding are required:
Bullet-resistant glazing is required for exterior windows into all courtroom and judges'
chambers located on the ground floor or directly adjacent (within 7 m) to parking or
walkways.
Bullet-resistant shielding is required on vertical surfaces of judicial benches.
Bullet-resistant glazing may be required in high-risk trials within the courtroom between
the well and the public seating area.
Page 30
April 5, 1996
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