Terms "Cell Block" vs "Pod"?

[King of the 109ers]

Any actual diff like Clip VS Mag?

Or is it just PC NewSpeak like its gonna cause mental stress to inmates if they call it a Cell Block?

I have noticed newer prisons have "pods" around a central core.

Or is it so you can hit the intercom and say "Open the pod door, Hal" like in "2001"?

[gorn5150]

Many jails in the 1980's started being build in a module layout. Outbuildings being blocks or wings. They started calling them pods then because each was a self contained area. Why the name change? I really don't know but pod and cell block are the same thing. They refer to one area of a jail/prison.

[9mmepiphany]

I guess it depends on how the jail is laid out

When I worked in custody, a block and a pod had completely different meanings.

Pods were small housing units contained in a wing/block. So on any given wing, you could segregate different groups in the different pods

[King of the 109ers]

Modern prison designs, particularly those of high-security prisons, have sought to increasingly restrict and control the movement of prisoners throughout the facility while minimizing the corrections staffing needed to monitor and control the population. As compared to the traditional landing-cellblock-hall designs, many newer prisons are designed in a decentralized "podular" layout with individual self-contained housing units, known as "pods" or "modules", arranged around centralized outdoor yards in a "campus". The pods contain tiers of cells laid out in an open pattern arranged around a central control station from which a single corrections officer can monitor all of the cells and the entire pod. Control of cell doors, communications and CCTV monitoring is conducted from the control station as well. Movement out of the pod to the exercise yard or work assignments can be restricted to individual pods at designated times, or else prisoners may be kept almost always within their pod or even their individual cells depending upon the level of security. Goods and services, such as meals, laundry, commisary, educational materials, religious services and medical care can increasingly be brought to individual pods or cells as well.

I've been inside new SF main jail and new Mule Creek prison.

Maybe they could call them "Recuperation Suites" since its all about Rehab etc.

The layout of Mule Creek pods and monitoring station seemed problematic since the COs sit in the center so their backs would be turned on lots of inmates with nothing but a low counter between them. Some guards from next door active prison were all WTF about the design but not sure it that was what they were grousing about.

And WTF with the cathedral height ceilings over and above even the 2nd row of cells especially on the side of the "pods" AWAY from the central core with the Gun Deck? And the whole building is of course solid concrete walls. Makes no sense. Just Tax Dollars at play? I guess it would be great for indoor drone dogfights or something. Any fool can tell you a soaring ceiling only increases heating and cooling bills, and this is the soaring-est ceiling I've ever seen.