If you have not checked out Prison Architect yet, you are in for a special treat upon firing it up for the first time. Every now and then one of those games comes along that has the ability to hook you for hours upon hours, and Prison Architect is the latest in this category. The premise of this one is pretty simple, build and then manage your very own prison. But actually building and then managing a prison can be difficult and has some very specific issues you will need to deal with to be successful. Use these Prison Architect tips to take your prison builds to the next level! These were written for the 2.0 release of the game.
Don’t Go Big Your First Couple Of Builds
When you first start off in Prison Architect, you don’t have much working capital to work with. That’s why I recommend to keep your first couple of prison builds on the smaller side. Just aim to build a minimum security facility that can house maybe up to 100 prisoners. Then, when you are able to, sell off that prison and start a new one. This time, you’ll have whatever dollar amount you made in your sale along with all of the beginning grants to work with. Do this a couple of times and before you know it you will be able to start off a prison with over half a million dollars in working capital. This is when you can start working on the big facilities of your dreams with the special supermax ward and death row!
Plan, Plan and then Plan Some More
The game gives you a planning tool to use and by not using it, you are most likely going to waste a ton of money trying to get things “just right”. I like to plan out pretty much my entire prison before I build a single thing. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I like to build offices straight off the bat and start researching things so that when I am finally ready to build all of the tech is available to me for use. But besides that, I will spend upwards of an hour or so just using the planning tool mapping everything out. I have found that by doing that, everything goes really smooth once I start spending cash and building everything out. I’ll even plan out my paths and where objects are going to go. Luckily the game give you planning tools to do those as well.
Keep Things Close To Each Other
You don’t want your prisoners having to walk clear across your map every morning just to take a shower. This is inefficient, and depending on the size of the map you are playing could lead to your inmate not having enough time to make the journey before the next activity starts. This can lead to unrest say for example your inmates are unable to shower and their hygiene needs skyrocket. Next thing you know your calling in the riot police to squash a massive riot. Keep cellblocks small and compact with all of the prisoner needs being met in their immediate building or area. It’s better to have 5 smaller canteens than 2 massive ones.
Keep Different Security Types Of Inmates Separate
This may go without saying, but I see a ton of prison builds in this game where people are mixing up the minimum security prisoners with the maximum security prisoners. They have the different security levels for a reason. Also, be sure to edit your policies so bad behavior is punished with a bump in security level. This will help you control your prisoners much easier once you have a massive population. You can then allocate your guards and patrols where they need to be… On the higher security levels.
When First Beginning Any Prison Build Focus On Minimum Security Prisoners
Always start off all of your prisons with a minimum security wing, and get it filled up to start making some immediate money. Also, get a probation office built as soon as you can because the minimum security inmates don’t have super long sentences and will be eligible for parole pretty soon upon entering your prison. If you can get them out on probation, not only will you free up a cell for a new inmate and that sweet intake money, but you’ll also get a nice $3k bonus for paroling the prisoner. This is where you will get the big money you need to expand and build the maximum security wards and ever popular death row.
Take Advantage Of The Small Strip Of Land To The Right Of The Road
Before you have a chance to buy the expanded chunks of land later in the game you are not making good use of the land if you don’t use that small strip on the right hand side of the road. This is the perfect spot for garbage or even storage. I’ve seen some clever builds using this and it always boggles my mind when i see people on YouTube leaving it empty.
Women’s And Men’s Prisons Are Very Different
When you first start the game, you have to decide if you want to house either women or men in your new prison. This choice will lead you in very different directions as each have much different needs. Women can sometimes have children that you need to deal with and are much more likely to try and escape from your prison. You need to keep this in mind when designing your cell blocks. Men on the other hand tend to be much more violent and prone to fighting each other and attacking your guards. Again, you will need to take this into consideration when laying things out.
I hope these tips help you out a little bit as your take on this game. Have fun and good gaming!
Questions?
Got questions or other remarks? Feel free to post in the comments below!
Be sure to check out all of my Prison Architect coverage here.