An anti-suicide smock, Ferguson, turtle suit, pickle suit, Bam Bam suit,[1] or suicide gown, is a tear-resistant single-piece outer garment that is generally used to prevent a hospitalized, incarcerated, or otherwise detained individual from forming a noose with the garment to commit suicide.
The smock is typically a simple, sturdily quilted, collarless, sleeveless gown with adjustable openings at the shoulders and down the front that are closed with nylon hook-and-loop or similar fasteners.
These items are formally known as Safety Smocks and were designed and developed by Lonna Speer in 1989 while she was a nurse working in the Santa Cruz, California, county jail.
[2] Safety Smocks are now standard issue throughout jails and prisons in the United States.
Demand for Safety Smocks to meet this ACA Standard led to multiple clothing makers creating similar garments of varying strength and of various materials.