Designing for Safer Cells: The Role of Anti-ligature Heating Solutions

Safer cells are among the most carefully designed spaces in the entire custodial estate. Every element from doors and windows to lighting and furniture is selected with one goal in mind: reducing the risk of self-harm and suicide.

Heating, often overlooked in everyday design, becomes a critical safety factor in these environments. A standard prison cell radiator is not suitable for safer cells. Instead, heating must be provided through anti-ligature solutions that combine comfort with the highest standards of security and durability.

What Makes Safer Cells Different?

Unlike standard cells, safer cells are specifically designed for individuals considered at high risk of suicide or self-harm. These cells:

Use smooth surfaces and rounded details to eliminate potential ligature points.
Incorporate fixtures and fittings that cannot be dismantled or misused.
Require materials that are strong enough to resist tampering but also safe enough to reduce injury risk.

Heating is particularly sensitive. A radiator may appear routine, but in safer cells, it must meet strict requirements laid out in the MoJ’s STD/X/SPEC/063 specification for fixed furniture.

The Role of Anti-ligature Radiators

Anti-ligature heating solutions are specifically designed to meet these requirements. The DeepClean Extra+ radiator, the first of its kind to achieve MoJ approval for safer cells, shows how anti-ligature design principles can be applied effectively.

Key features include:

Sloping top design to discourage climbing or concealment.
Robust 2mm Zintec or Magnelis steel construction for strength and durability.
10mm radius corners to help reduce the risk of injury.
IP3X compliant grilles designed to limit insertion of objects.
Contour Secure cam locks with Pin Torx screws to help deter tampering.
Internal strengthening strut for additional resistance to distortion.
BioCote® anti-microbial protection to support hygiene.

These features work together to ensure heating is delivered safely, without introducing new risks.

Why MoJ Approval Matters

The MoJ’s approval of the DeepClean Extra+ radiator confirms that it meets the strictest custodial testing requirements. To achieve this, the product underwent destruction testing, tamper trials, and hygiene assessments, proving it could withstand the most demanding conditions in safer cells.

This approval gives architects, specifiers, and estates teams confidence that they are selecting a solution tested to the highest custodial standards.

(Approved for safer cells up to 1200mm x 960mm x 260mm. Larger units are available but must be signed off at local level.)

Wider Custodial Applications

Although safer cells represent the toughest challenge, the same principles apply to other high-risk environments. Anti-ligature radiators like the DeepClean Extra+ can also support safety in: