Hi all,
I just want to bring to everyone’s attention an issue about the bunk beds in correctional centres. It may not apply to all correctional centres but some of the inmates have complained or brought to attention that there are no handles or guards to help while climbing up and down from the top bunk.
It’s a huge safety issue. The steps are metal with no grip tape on the step, so if you slip you could injure yourself. The bottom step, which is level with the bed base of the lower bunk, is more than 400 millimetres in height from the floor.
It’s easy to misjudge the height. We are not allowed to use boxes as steps to stand on.
Another issue that I would like to point out is that the side railing isn’t high enough. What happens if an inmate rolls over in the middle of the night, rolls too far and falls off the top bunk? It’s a long way down to fall.
Why can’t the jail put grab handles for the stairs so we can climb up to the top bunk? An extra step for the bottom step when we climb up and down could also prevent an accident.
A way to solve the problem of rolling off the bunk is to weld something up to make the side of the bunk bed higher – with the mattress and blankets there’s only about an inch or two of height off the frame.
I think that bunk beds should be abolished unless they can rectify the issue.
