When it comes to fashioning weapons, inmates get creative. Some of the most interesting weapons ever recovered from Texas prisons are on display at the Texas Prison Museum in Huntsville. Here are some examples of how everyday items are used as weapons in prison.
Toothbrushes, combs, plastic forks, bedsprings: These everyday items can be sharpened or made into a point and used as makeshift knives, which are commonly referred to as “shanks” or “shivs.”
Socks: Inmates fill socks with hard objects and use them as weapons.
Sewing thread, dental floss: Long string can be used to choke someone or as an escape tool.
Toothpaste tubes: Inmates sometimes fill toothpaste tubes with feces and urine and use it to slime passing guards or inmates.