40d:Jail

A jail is a special room used in dwarven justice. It is designated from a chain or rope, or from a metal cage. If non-metal ropes are used, prisoners are able to break free from time to time.

Your fort's sheriff or captain of the guard will request chains, ropes or metal cages to be designated as jails. The current number of ropes or chains needed is indicated on the z Status menu, under the Justice submenu. The number of them required is one-tenth the current population, rounded down to the nearest integer.

Dwarves who are chained in a jail will be unable to sleep unless a bed is placed adjacent to the chain. Due to an oversight as of v0.27.169.33a, dwarves without bedrooms will happily sleep on the beds in the jail, tying up the beds and preventing them from being used by the prisoner.

Happy prisoners

Prison is a great place for dwarves to become terminally upset. Generally inmates are still suffering from the bad thoughts that caused them to tantrum and become imprisoned in the first place. Just being in prison makes dwarves very unhappy, and since your other dwarves will only bring them water to drink, the lack of alcohol makes it worse. To prevent an infinite string of tantrums and ever-lengthening prison sentences, it is a good idea to make your prison a very nice place. Engraved walls and placing high-quality statues for the prisoner to admire are a good start. Dwarves will also admire their own chains, if they are high quality or made of expensive metal. If you place a tiny alcohol stockpile next to the chain, the prisoner can help himself to alcohol, avoiding both the unhappy thoughts from alcohol deprivation, and the need for your other dwarves to supply him with water.

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