The primary focus of the research program dealt with the threat from readily available knives that may be purchased from sports equipment retailers. These weapons are typically of high quality and feature very sharp machine-ground cutting edges and fine points. In comparison, weapons used in a corrections environment are less refined due to limited access to materials, manufacturing capabilities, and need for concealment. As a result, it has been speculated that a lower level of performance would be exhibited by these improvised weapons placing less demand on body armour.

Recently, Biokinetics participated in a study to characterize weapons found in correctional environments to help assess armour performance developed for this application. This study was motivated by the current efforts of the Special Technical Committee (STC) operating under the NIJ to re-address stab and slash threats in the US and revise the NIJ 0115.00 standard accordingly. The present study describes the characterization of threats obtained from a large survey of correctional institutions in the United States and their simplification into exemplars for use in performance standards. The study identified bladed and spiked threat classes found in a corrections environment and led to the development of similar exemplar classes. Findings from the study are being considered for revision of the NIJ 0115 standard for assessing the stab resistance of body armour.

Paper published(*link): 2014, Shewchenko, N., Rowley, N., Baines, D., Bir, C., “Development of Stab Weapon Exemplars from a Survey of Threats in a Corrections Environment” , Personal Armour Safety Symposium 2014, Cambridge, UK, September 2014.