The Warden is the senior administrator and head of your prison, thus making him/her the most important staff member in Prison Architect. Warden requires an office, and will only leave it for executions. You can only hire one warden.
The warden is required to unlock the Bureaucracy tree altogether. All other administrators and their respective research trees will branch off of the warden. He/She also unlocks the tab of the regime of the prison so it can be changed.
Like all administrative staff, the warden carries a clipboard which they will drop if they are knocked unconscious or killed.
If the warden is killed, you will lose access to all researched upgrades and access to the regime and policy pages. This will remain the case until you hire a new warden. If failure conditions are enabled, then too many warden deaths will result in failure. The warden is often a target, especially during riots. It is therefore wise to ramp up security in and around your administration offices.
Wardens (PC Edition)[]
You can choose from eleven wardens in the game, however, four of them require DLCs.
| Picture | Name | Description | Perks |
|---|---|---|---|
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The Warden | "The most balanced individual on the planet, he does his job and nothing else. People just call him The Warden." | N/A |
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The Lobbyist | "The Lobbyist has friends in high places, and makes sure the more easily controlled prisoners end up coming his way." | Halves the likelihood of receiving prisoners who are: violent, lethal, volatile, deadly, skilled or expert fighter. |
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Rita | "Ruthless and terrifying, Rita has a reputation for running her facilities through judicial application of fear. Rumors of her carrying a whip may be exaggerated." | Halves likelihood of prisoners being stoical or fearless.
Prisoners are suppressed twice as quickly. |
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J.W. Periwinkle | "Warden Periwinkle says he was a sapper in the war. He never says which war, specifically, but he certainly knows everything about digging tunnels." | Guard Dogs have a 50% chance of fully uncovering any tunnels they detect. |
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The Pacifier | "The Pacifier has an unusual talent for being able to calm even the most violent individuals. Even being in the same room as him is enough to make people docile and compliant." | Reduces the overall temperature of your prison, making your inmates less likely to cause trouble. |
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Saphara Acknova | "Saphara Acknova has a spotless reputation and a squeaky clean record. But behind the scenes, shady deals and under the table offerings are nothing uncommon for her." | Gets a small cut of the re-sale value of each piece of contraband found. |
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Hawk Hartman | "As a former bailsman, Hartman passes down valuable training techniques to his security staff members." | All guards drop jail keys less often.
Guards stamina replenishes on intake. |
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Dr Slugworth | "When all other prisons deny them, Slugworth opens the doors to the worst Criminally Insane inmates out there, believing he can help." | Psychiatrist treatments are 20% more positive.
Increases chances of receiving the psychopathic Criminally Insane. |
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Dr Hudson | "Doctor Hudson is prepared to do what no other warden can." | Emergency services work 20% faster and arrive earlier.
Costs for repairs are reduced by 10%. |
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The Botanist | "As someone who has vast amount of experience within the Farming Industry, The Botanist can have a very positive effect on prison farming." | Doubles export price of each crop.
Increases seed drop chance. Extends weltering and spoiling time for crops and harvested ingredients. |
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The Ecologist | "As someone who has vast amount of experience working with Green Energy, The Ecologist can have a very positive effect on these power sources." | Increases power output of all green energy sources.
Doubles the value of both exported energy and recycling. |
Wardens (Console Edition)[]
On the console version of Prison Architect, activating DoubleID allows two extra warden options to be selected. Furthermore, the 'All Day & Night' console DLC allows the choice of eight extra wardens.
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| Picture | Name | Description | Perks |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | Leanne Johnston
DoubleID |
"'Miss Johnston knows how to turn these dangerous criminals into reformed, productive members of society." | Increases the pass rate across all educational reform programs. |
| N/A | Bryan Hatley
DoubleID |
"'Former Security Chief Bryan Hatley picks his security staff very carefully and only employs the toughest guards." | Prison Guards receive a 15% health boost. |
| N/A | Hunter McGreevy | "'Champion of prison labour' or 'slave driver'? Regardless of their competence, McGreevy puts his inmates to work." | Inmates can use the Workshop immediately and the prison is paid more for all exports. |
| N/A | Rick Beresh, MD. | "A disgraced doctor, Beresh uses the prison’s water supply to conduct his experiments." | Showers have random calming effects on the prisoners, suppressing some of their needs by a small amount. |
| N/A | Tom Dunwright | "Good ol' Tom can’t help but be a nice guy, even when he’s surrounded by cold-blooded criminals." | Recreational objects such as TVs and Pool Tables have greater Need fulfillment. |
| N/A | Warden W-800 | "A prototype robo-warden. The W-800 applies swift retaliation to prisoners using upgraded Armed Guards." | Armed guards are faster and those with Tasers have a greater accuracy when using them. |
| N/A | Walt "The Wolf" Wilson | "A former inmate, Wilson prioritizes inmate comfort over the needs of his staff." | Lowers staff wages, Office, and Staff Room requirements. Attracts legendary inmates and those with reputations. |
| N/A | Shaun Fernandez | "Known for being an 'affordable' builder due to his use of cheap materials." | Reduces construction and workmen costs, but increases the speed at which prisoners can dig tunnels. |
| N/A | Nero | "Previously a 'negotiator' between local gangs, he's still happy to accommodate his former patrons." | Guarantees all three gang leaders arrive among the first batch of new prisoners. |
| N/A | El Cocinero | "A 5-star chef, El Cocinero decided he could turn prisoner’s lives around using food." | Adds a 'Fine dining' meal option and halves the cost of hiring prison cooks.
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| N/A | Captain J. Locks
Kite Update |
"Warden Locks runs a tight ship and she'll make a good soldier out of you, whether you like it or not." | Staff have 30% more stamina (but need 10% more rest). Prisoner re-offending chance reduced by 10%.
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| N/A | Dylan Cook
Kite Update |
"This gentleman will smooth talk anyone, he will manage to get the best prices for your prison. You better believe he uses coupons at the supermarket!" | Food costs are 25% lower. Programs led by external staff cost 20% less.
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| N/A | Margaret | Increase the training and education program success rate but doubles the programs cost. |
| N/A | El General | New inmates provide higher payment on intake, but have a higher chance to arrive with a reputation. |
Tips & Tricks[]
- Prisoners will only save money when you build a shop in your prison, along with places to work (e.g. workshop, cleaning cupboard, kitchen).
- Under Saphara Acknova, Guards can be bribed for keys by prisoners for $25. Of course, these keys count as contraband when they are searched.
Warden Mode[]
As of Update 13, the player is now able to control and play as the Warden themselves in a similar spin-off version of Escape Mode. This playing mode is almost identical to standard play, but the Warden's line of sight is restricted and fog of war will limit vision unless CCTV cameras are built.
The Warden also has the ability to equip themselves with weaponry such as a taser or gun from the Armoury, along with body armour if they wish. Authorization to use firearms or weapons of any kind is only granted if the Warden is acting in self defense (is attacked/injured by a prisoner) or if a riot is occurring within their prison - they cannot use weaponry otherwise.
As aforementioned, the Warden is a target in your prison. In this mode, the player has the ability to hire a "Warden Protection Squad" of guards, armed guards, dog handlers and even snipers. This will cost a certain wage per day depending on the guard type.
Permadeath is an additional option which can be activated from the "Create New Prison" menu. If the Warden is killed when this option is active, it will be "game over".
Trivia[]
- In early alpha testing custom warden editions of the game were sold at a cost of $1,000 each. The 5 people who bought this version of the game were able to influence the development of the game and customize the wardens along with their special abilities. After launch, these custom wardens can be selected for sandbox play by everyone.
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