Statistics indicate the total custody population has risen by more than 577,100 inmates since 1990, the equivalent of 1,708 inmates per week. State prisons operate on average at 3 percent above capacity, while Federal prisons are overextended by an average of 24 percent. More violent inmates are being incarcerated, and correctional officers must be able to defend themselves against attacks by weapons and other objects that inmates may use to inflict blunt trauma. Institutional security measures focus on helping correctional officers maintain control over the prison population. This includes such technical developments as advanced surveillance cameras, metal detectors, and other sophisticated devices. Hand-held weapons encountered by correctional officers normally have small tips that are designed to penetrate the body and are wielded with aggressive force. Counteracting this threat with soft body armor calls for tightly woven construction of a flexible fabric so that fibers are less likely to spread apart upon puncture or penetration by a weapon. Kevlar fiber has been specifically developed to allow correctional officers to wear concealable body armor comfortably under their uniforms for an entire shift. The need for all correctional officers to wear puncture-resistant vests and the cost-effectiveness of the vests are discussed. 4 photographs