Correctional institutions and mental health facilities are faced with a myriad of daily issues, the least of which is protecting inmates and patients from themselves and others.

Every item placed into use must be designed in a preventative fashion -- from toothbrushes to chairs.

But there's nothing much that can be done with flat screen television monitors that are bound to be found throughout these facilities for multiple uses.

The only way to protect this equipment is to enclose it, and companies such as TV Armor (www.tv-armor.com), developers and manufacturers of some of the most advanced TV flat screen protectors on the market, have taken extra measures to do just that.

"These are special needs that require a special design," said Tom Marker, Vice President of TV Armor(www.tv-armor.com), which has won many awards for its innovative approach. "This has a life or death outcome, and we're thrilled we've designed a unit that is 100 percent harm-proof."

The majority of enclosure units on the market today are designed for outdoor applications and provide a weather tight installation. But for indoor applications, it's not necessary to provide climate control and weather tight seals. The added expense of hinged doors, surge protectors, and a mount that may already exists simply drives up the installed cost of the unit.

With regard to TV Armor's(www.tv-armor.com) enclosure unit for correctional institutions and mental health facilities, the enclosure is bolted to a wall and the monitor/TV is completely encased it in -- electrical cord, outlet and all. In addition, the design can feature a sloped top to prevent anything or anyone hanging on it. This anti-ligature attribute combines with polycarbonate panels to prevent breakage from acts of violence.

As for other correctional applications, even video arraignment systems require an enclosure on the accused side of the proceeding, while inmate transfer buses sometimes contain monitors to begin the correctional institution indoctrination process -- in short, all these monitors need protection.

As they pertain to mental health facilities, in order to reduce the risk to patients, monitors should not be mounted on walls with off-the-shelf mounts, unless covered. And all cords and cables should be as short as possible. Consideration should be given to providing built-in TV or media centers with an isolation power switch which the staff can control. Manufactured indoor covers are now available to fit virtually any TV, and the enclosures can be customized for each situation. For maximum safety, the electrical outlet and cable TV outlet should be located inside the cover to keep wires and cables away from the patients. Additionally, enclosures that do not have sharp corners and edges provide a safer alternative to the basic sheet metal box of weather tight enclosures.

TV Armor's(www.tv-armor.com) enclosure units have been tested by time at several correctional institutions and mental health facilities through the nation, much to the pleasure of Marker.

"We have never had a single complaint about the design of these enclosure units," added Marker. "It means they're doing their job."