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Encyclopedia > Maximum security prison

Supermax is the name used to describe "control-unit" prisons or units within prisons, representing the most secure and austere levels of custody in the prison systems of the United States and other countries.


There are only two "purely" Supermax prisons in the United States federal system. However, many states now have created supermax prisons; either as stand alone facilities, or as secure units within lower security prisons. The federal supermax prisons are currently USP in Marion, Illinois, and ADX Florence in Florence, Colorado. State supermax prisons include Pelican Bay in California and Tamms in Illinois. The United States Penitentiary is a supermax classified prison located in Marion, Illinois. ... The ADX Florence facility from the outside The United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX) in Florence is a supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. ... Aerial view of Pelican Bay State Prison. ... Tamms is a village in Alexander County, Illinois, United States. ...

Contents

History

An early form of supermax-style prison unit appeared in Australia in 1975, when "Katingal" was built inside the Long Bay Correctional Centre in Sydney. Dubbed the "electronic zoo" by inmates, "Katingal" was a super-maximum prison block designed for sensory deprivation, with its 40 prison cells having electronically-operated doors, surveillance cameras, and no windows. It was closed down two years later over human rights concerns, and was finally demolished in early 2006. Long Bay Correctional Complex is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... This article is about the metropolitan area in Australia. ... A prisoner at the United States Camp X-ray facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba being subjected to sensory deprivation, through the use of ear muffs, visor, breathing mask and heavy mittens. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ...


The term "supermax", however, originated in the United States as a contraction of "super-maximum," and the concept developed from the permanent lockdown of the Federal penitentiary in Marion, Illinois dating from 1983 when two corrections officers at that prison were murdered by inmates in two separate incidents on the same day. Since then, some maximum security prisons have gone to full lockdown as well, while others have been built and dedicated to the Supermax standard. Supermax prisons are also known as SHU prisons (Security Housing Unit). The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a subdivision of the United States Department of Justice, and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. ... Marion is a city in Williamson County, Illinois, United States. ... A prison officer is a person charged with the responsibility of the supervision of prisoners in a prison. ...


There is a nationwide trend to downgrade Supermax prisons, as has been done with the infamous Wallens Ridge State Prison, a former-supermax prison in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Other Supermax prisons that have gained notoriety for their cruel conditions and attendant litigation by inmates and advocates are the former Boscobel (in Wisconsin), now named the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility, Red Onion (in Western Virginia, the twin to Wallens Ridge), Tamms (in Illinois), and the Ohio State Penitentiary. Placement policies at the Ohio facility were recently the subject of a U.S. Supreme Court case (Wilkinson v. Austin) [1] where the Court decided that there had to be some, but only very limited, due process involved in Supermax placement. Big Stone Gap is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States...


Recently, Australia has opened a facility in the Goulburn Correctional Centre to the supermax standard. While its condition is an improvement over that of "Katingal" of the 1970s, this new facility is nonetheless designed on the same principle of sensory deprivation. Its been set up for 'AA' prisoners who are deemed a risk to national security, who, if allowed to mix with the general population would be at risk of inciting terrorism. The Goulburn Correctional Centre is an Australian maximum security male prison located in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. ...


Prisoner life

In Supermax prisons, prisoners are generally allowed out of their cells for only an hour a day; often they are kept in solitary confinement. They receive their meals through "food ports" ("bean holes") in the doors of their cells. Prisoners are given no work and very little access to leisure activities, though some categories of prisoner are allowed to have a television. When Supermax inmates are allowed to exercise, this may take place in a small, enclosed area where the prisoner will exercise alone. Solitary confinement, colloquially referred to as the hole (or in British English the block), is a punishment in which a prisoner is denied contact with any other persons, excluding guards, chaplains and doctors. ...


Prisoners are under constant surveillance, usually with closed-circuit television cameras. Cell doors are usually opaque, while the cells may be windowless. Conditions are spartan, with poured concrete or metal furniture common. Cell walls, and sometimes plumbing, are often soundproofed to prevent communication between the inmates. Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior. ... Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, in the Columbine High School Massacre. ...


Controversy

Supermax and Special Housing United (SHU) prisons are somewhat controversial in some quarters, as some claim[2] that they violate the United States Constitution (though courts disagree), and in 1996, a United Nations team assigned to investigate torture described SHU conditions as "inhuman and degrading".[3] The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. ... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, and social equity. ...


Proponents say that Supermax prisons offer a way to contain prisoners that could otherwise harm or be harmed by the general prison population, especially more infamous individuals who wouldn't function well in a general prison population.[citation needed] A Supermax prison intended to fulfill such a role is the Federal ADMAX, or administrative maximum security, prison in Florence, Colorado, west of Pueblo. There, the U.S. government houses a number of convicted terrorists, gang leaders and similar prisoners; September 11th terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui was sentenced to life without parole at Florence upon his conviction on May 4, 2006. Also resident are Ted Kaczynski, a terrorist otherwise known as the Unabomber who once attacked via mail bombs, and Richard Reid, an Islamic fundamentalist jailed for life for attempting to detonate explosive materials in his shoes whilst onboard an aircraft. The ADX Florence facility from the outside The United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX) in Florence is a supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. ... Florence is a city located in Fremont County, Colorado, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 3,653. ... Pueblo is a city located in Pueblo County in southern Colorado. ... The World Trade Center on fire The September 11, 2001 attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. ... Zacarias Moussaoui (Arabic: زكريا موسوي) (born May 30, 1968) is a French citizen of Moroccan descent, and was convicted of conspiring to kill Americans as part of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. ... May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Theodore Kaczynski Theodore John Kaczynski, Ph. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Unabomber is a nickname applied to three people: Theodore Kaczynski, an American terrorist. ... Richard Colvin Reid (born August 12, 1973), also known as the shoe bomber, is an individual convicted on charges of terrorism currently serving a life sentence in the United States. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ( â–¶ (help· info)), the submission to God) is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions and the worlds second-largest religion. ... Fundamentalism is a movement to maintain strict adherence to founding principles. ... This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ... shoe for right foot A shoe is a piece of footwear for humans, less than a boot and more than a slipper. ...


Prisons with supermax facilities

United States

Most of these facilities only contain supermax wings or sections, with other parts of the facility under lesser security measures.

Sussex 1, Sussex County VA The ADX Florence facility from the outside The United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX) in Florence is a supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. ... Florence is a city located in Fremont County, Colorado, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 3,653. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... The United States Penitentiary is a supermax classified prison located in Marion, Illinois. ... Marion is a city in Williamson County, Illinois, United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... Ionia is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... Maryland Correctional Adjustment Center (MCAC) is a maximum level II (supermax) prison located at 401 East Madison Street in Baltimore City. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Monument City, Charm City, Mob Town, B-more Motto: Get In On It (formerly The City That Reads and The Greatest City in America; BELIEVE is not the official motto but rather a specific campaign) Location Location of Baltimore in Maryland Coordinates , Government Country State County United... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Mt. ... Fayette County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Location within the state of Ohio Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio Counties Mahoning Mayor Jay Williams (I) Area    - City 34. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... Aerial view of Pelican Bay State Prison. ... Crescent City is the county seat, and the only incorporated city, of Del Norte County, California, USA. It is named after the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the city. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Pound is a town located in Wise County, Virginia. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ... Alternative meaning: Sing Sing (band) Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a prison in Ossining, New York. ... Ossining is a town located in Westchester County, New York. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center is a maximum security prison located at the Shirley Correctional Complex in Shirley, Mass. ... Settled: 1720 â€“ Incorporated: 1775 Zip Code(s): 01464 â€“ Area Code(s): 351 / 978 Official website: http://www. ... Official language(s) English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Area  Ranked 44th  - Total 10,555 sq mi (27,360 km²)  - Width 183 miles (295 km)  - Length 113 miles (182 km)  - % water 13. ... Tamms is a village located in Alexander County, Illinois. ... Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... Grady is a city located in Lincoln County, Arkansas. ... Official language(s) English Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Area  Ranked 29th  - Total 53,179 sq mi (137,732 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 261 miles (420 km)  - % water 2. ... Big Stone Gap is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ... This page refers to the city of Boscobel. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Constructed in 1982, the Minnesota Correctional Facility - Oak Park Heights (MCF-OPH) is located in the city of Bayport, Minnesota. ... A Stillwater city limit sign Stillwater is a city located in Washington County, Minnesota (coordinates, 45. ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... McAlester is a city located in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. ... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  Ranked 20th  - Total 69,960 sq mi (181,196 km²)  - Width 230 miles (370 km)  - Length 298 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... The United States Penitentiary (USP), Leavenworth is located in Leavenworth, Kansas on 1,583 acres (6. ... Leavenworth is the largest city and county seat of Leavenworth County, in the U.S. state of Kansas. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Livingston is a town located in Polk County, Texas. ... Official language(s) See: Languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 268,581 sq mi (695,622 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... Carlisle is a town located in Sullivan County, Indiana. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Florence is a town located in Pinal County, Arizona. ... Official language(s) English Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area  Ranked 6th  - Total 113,998 sq mi (295,254 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 0. ... A view of the United States Disciplinary Barracks. ... In 1827, Colonel Henry Leavenworth established a post on the bluffs overlooking the western bank of the Missouri River to protect the fur trade, safeguard commerce on the Santa Fe Trail and maintain the peace among the inhabitants. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Allenwood is a census-designated place located in Monmouth County, New Jersey. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... United States Penitentiary, Atlanta. ... Nickname: Hotlanta, The Big Peach, The ATL, A-Town Location in Fulton County in the state of Georgia Coordinates: Country United States State Georgia Counties Fulton, Dekalb Mayor Shirley Franklin (D) Area    - City 343. ... United States Penitentiary, Atwater (USP Atwater) is a federal prison in the United States. ... Atwater is a city located in Merced County, California. ... Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Counties Jefferson County Mayor Guy Goodson Area    - City 222. ... Coleman is a city located in Sumter County, Florida. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Lewisburg is a borough located in Union County, Pennsylvania, 30 miles (48 km) south by east of Williamsport and 60 miles (97 km) north of Harrisburg. ... UNITED STATES PENITENTIARY, TERRE HAUTE ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Warren is a town located in Knox County, Maine. ... Official language(s) None (English de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... Mississippi State Penitentiary, also known as Parchman Farm, is the oldest prison and the only maximum security prison in the state of Mississippi, USA. It is located on 18,000 acres (73 km²) in Parchman, Mississippi, and was built in 1901. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Holman Correctional Facility is a state prison located near the city of Atmore, Alabama, USA. Opened during December 1969, with a basic capacity for 520 medium-custody inmates including a death row cellblock with a capacity of 20. ... Atmore is a city located in Escambia County, Alabama. ... Official language(s) English Capital Montgomery Largest city Birmingham Area  Ranked 30th  - Total 52,419 sq mi (135,765 km²)  - Width 190 miles (306 km)  - Length 330 miles (531 km)  - % water 3. ...


Maximum security prisons in other countries

Al Hayer Prison (Arabic: سجن الحاير) is a very infamous maximum-security prison in southeastern Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. ... Riyadh (Arabic: ar-Riyāḍ) is the capital of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, located in Ar Riyad Province in the Najd region. ... The Goulburn Correctional Centre is an Australian maximum security male prison located in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. ... A landmark in Goulburn, the Big Merino Sheep Goulburn () is a provincial cathedral city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council. ... Presidente Bernardes is a municipality/county in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. ... HM Prison Belmarsh is a high security prison in Thamesmead, Eastern London, England. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... According to British and American authorities, the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot was a terrorist plot to detonate liquid explosives carried on board several airliners travelling from the United Kingdom to the United States. ... The Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 or ATCSA is a British Act of Parliament introduced as emergency legislation after the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York. ... C Max is a maximum security prison located in Pretoria, South Africa. ... City motto: Praestantia Praevaleat Pretoria (May Pretoria Be Pre-eminent In Excellence) Province Gauteng Area  - % water 1,644 km² 0. ...

Well-known supermax inmates

Kaczynskis 1996 mug shot. ... Charles Harrelson mug shot, May 1960 Charles Voyde Harrelson (born July 23, 1938) is an organized crime-connected freelance hitman. ... Impromptu shot of Woody Harrelson in Eugene, Oregon, 2004 Woodrow Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961), better known as Woody Harrelson, is an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winner American actor. ... Dandeny Munoz-Mosquera was the cheif assasin for the Medellin Cartel of Colombia He was responsible for the deaths of an unknown amount of people although estimates range in the hundreds. ... Jack Ruby murdered the assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, in a very public manner. ... The Medellín Cartel was a well-organized network of drug smugglers originating in the city of Medellín in Colombia and operating through the 1970s and 1980s. ... Lee Boyd Malvo (left) Lee Boyd Malvo (alias John Lee Malvo or Malik Malvo) (born February 18, 1985), along with John Allen Muhammad, was arrested on October 24, 2002 in connection with the Beltway sniper attacks. ... Locations of the 15 sniper attacks numbered chronologically. ... Terry Nichols (born April 1, 1955) was convicted of being an accomplice of Timothy McVeigh, the man convicted of murder in the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, April 19, 1995), which claimed 168 lives. ... Damage to the Murrah building before cleanup began. ... Richard Reid, in a prison photograph Richard Colvin Reid (born August 12, 1973), also known as the shoe bomber, is a British citizen born in Bromley, South London and a Muslim allegedly working for Al-Qaeda. ... Eric Rudolphs FBI photo Eric Robert Rudolph, also known as the Olympic Park Bomber (born September 19, 1966) is an American domestic terrorist who committed a series of bombings across the southern United States, which killed three people and injured at least 150 others. ... An abortion clinic is a medical facility providing certain kinds of outpatient medical care, including abortions, to women. ... Shrapnel mark on Olympic Park sculpture. ... Carlos Lehder Rivas, co-founder of the Medellín Cartel and one of the most important operators therein, is considered to be the most important Colombian drug kingpin to be successfully prosecuted in the United States. ... The Medellín Cartel was a well-organized network of drug smugglers originating in the city of Medellín in Colombia and operating through the 1970s and 1980s. ... Christopher William Smith (Rizler) (born 1980) was a prolific e-mail spammer, advertising drugs from his Xpress Pharmacy Direct in Burnsville, Minnesota, United States. ... Zacarias Moussaoui (Arabic: زكريا موسوي) (born May 30, 1968) is a French citizen of Moroccan descent, and was convicted of conspiring to kill Americans as part of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. ... A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... Ivan Robert Marko Milat (born December 27, 1944 in Newcastle) is a serial killer who murdered several tourists and hitchhikers in the 1990s in New South Wales, Australia. ... The Backpacker Murders is a name given to a serial killing case that occurred in New South Wales, Australia during the 1990s. ... Ramzi Ahmed Yousef or Ramzi Mohammed Yousef (also transliterated as Ramzi Yusuf, Ramzi Youssef, and other ways), birth name possibly Abdul Basit Karim. ... 1 World Trade Center redirects here. ...

Books and movies at maximum security units

Ghosts. ... Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in 2005. ... Dave Mason (born May 10, 1946) is a musician from Birmingham, England who found fame with rock band Traffic. ... The Chamber (1994) is a legal/suspense novel by noted American author John Grisham. ... John Ray Grisham Jr. ... Gene Hackman Eugene Alden Hackman (born January 30, 1930) is an Academy Award-winning American actor. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Dead Man Walking is a work of non-fiction by Sister Helen Prejean, a Roman Catholic nun and one of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille. ... Sister Helen Prejean Sister Helen Prejean (b. ... Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ... Susan Sarandon (born October 4, 1946) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ... Cover of the single volume version of The Green Mile The Green Mile (1996) is a serial novel by Stephen King, later republished with all six volumes in a trade paperback. ... For other persons named Stephen King, see Stephen King (disambiguation). ... Thomas Tom Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actor, voice-over artist and movie producer who starred in family-friendly and screwball comedies before achieving notable success as a dramatic actor. ... The Life of David Gale is a 2003 motion picture that tells the fictional story of a philosophy professor, David Gale, who was dedicated to the abolition of the death penalty and who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a colleague and fellow abolitionist. ... Kate Elizabeth Winslet (born October 5, 1975) is a BAFTA Award-winning English actress. ... Kevin Spacey (born Kevin Spacey Fowler[1] on July 26, 1959) is an American film and stage actor, as well as London-based theatre director. ... Linney in The Exorcism of Emily Rose, 2005 Laura Linney (born February 5, 1964) is an Oscar-nominated American actress. ...

See also

This page provides a list of prisons by country. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Panopticon blueprint by Jeremy Bentham, 1791 The Panopticon is a type of prison building designed by English philosopher Jeremy Bentham. ...

References

  1. ^ Wilkinson v. Austin 04-495 (2005), Link to case text
  2. ^ PrisonActivist.org – California's Security Housing Units
  3. ^ Paglen.com – Security Housing Unit

External links


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