NUMEROUS PRESS ARTICLES CAST SUSPICION ON PRISON AUTHORITIES BECAUSE THE BAADER-MEINHOF PRISONERS ACQUIRED CAMERAS, MESSAGES, AND THE GUNS USED FOR SUICIDES DESPITE METAL DETECTORS, AND REGULAR SEARCHES OF CELLS, VISITORS, AND PRISONERS. IT IS ARGUED IN DEFENSE OF PRISONS THAT SIMILAR LESS PUBLICIZED PRISON SUICIDES ARE COMMON AS A FORM OF AGGRESSION, ARE OFTEN COMMITTED IN SUCH A WAY AS TO SUGGEST MURDER, AND THAT NO MEASURES CAN PREVENT A DETERMINED PRISONER FORM INFLICTING HARM ON HIMSELF. THE STORY OF A WAR-TIME PRISONER WHO MANAGED TO HIDE A GUN FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD, PROBABLY IN SOME BODY OPENING, EVEN THOUGH HE WAS CONSTANTLY BATHED, SEARCHED, AND TRANSFERRED TO DIFFERENT CELLS IN NEW CLOTHING ILLUSTRATES THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF DETERRING A PRISONER FROM OBTAINING NEEDED MATERIALS. FURTHERMORE, THE SPECIFIC SITUATION OF TERRORISTS IN STAMMHEIM WAS AGGRAVATED BY THE RESENTMENTS OF THE UNDERPAID, STATUS-POOR GUARDS WHO WERE FORCED TO TOLERATE INSULTS AND THREATS AND TO WATCH THE PRIVILEGED, FREE-SPENDING PRISONERS ENJOY LUXURIES WHICH THE GUARDS COULD NOT AFFORD FOR THEIR OWN FAMILIES. IN GENERAL, PRISON INCIDENTS INVOLVING SMUGGLED WEAPONS CANNOT BE AVOIDED BECAUSE OF THE DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THEORY AND PRACTICE IN MODERN PENAL INSTITUTIONS, THE AMBIVALENCE BETWEEN MAXIMUM FREEDOM AND TIGHT SECURITY, AND THE LACK OF INFORMATION ABOUT CLEVER PRISONERS' METHODS OF DIRECTING CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES FROM WITHIN THE PRISON. AWARENESS OF THESE PROBLEMS COULD PREVENT FUTURE INCIDENTS. --IN GERMAN. (KMD)