Modernisation of locking system
Goldlauter Correctional Facility
by Andreas Laudy
Goldlauter Prison
With a sustainable conversion concept to the latest lock technology
Situated on the southern slopes of the Thuringian Forest, Suhl Prison has been in operation since 1991. The four- to five-storey facility has a total of 282 places for male prisoners in closed and open custody. All prisoners are held in solitary confinement. Goldlauter Prison is also the central Thuringian transport facility responsible for the Thuringian Circuit, through which prisoners are transported between prisons in the state and beyond.
Goldlauter is one of five prisons in Thuringia. The others are Hohenleuben, Tonna, Untermaßfeld and Arnstadt. All facilities are equipped with high security locks from STUV Prison Solutions.
In 2022, it was decided to replace the prison room and passage door locks that had been in use for decades with new HSL-C system locks as part of a maintenance programme. The new lock series, based on the latest HSL double-bit technology, offers the Thuringian prison several advantages at the same time. Thanks to the uniform retrofit lock case dimensions, the replacement can be carried out largely without any conversion work on the doors. Thanks to the HSL-C retrofit concept, the doors can continue to be used, eliminating the need for time-consuming and costly replacement of frames and door leaves. As a result, the high-security locking system can be upgraded while the prison remains in operation.
The new HSL-C double bit system is an upgrade in security, reliability and user-friendliness for the Suhl plant. Forend, striking plate, lock case and all functional parts are made of corrosion-resistant, torsion-resistant stainless steel. Solid stainless steel locking components such as deadbolts, latchbolts and shootbolts with high resistance to lateral load forces and bolt counter-pressure prevent doors and access panels from being forced open. The manufacturer's exclusive tumblers are guided inside the lock case so they cannot be picked and are springless. The combination of individual tumblers, made from a special bronze alloy, allows 35,000,000 different locking combinations. In combination with the standard nine-way codeable lock, the HSL-C locks are perfectly suited to the needs of the correctional system.
In Suhl, the locks are changed directly by the staff, providing modern security without the need for door replacement and time-consuming conversions.