Thomas Silverstein, is an American murderer who has been incarcerated since 1975. His reputation as a vicious killer is asserted by his murder of three inmates and one federal corrections officer while incarcerated at various locations, and he has been used as a case study for prison systems to analyze the handling of violent prisoners. Murder is both a legal and a moral term, that are not always coincident. ...

In 1977, he was jailed for armed robbery. During this sentence, Silverstein killed an inmate, and received a life sentence for the murder. He was transferred, in 1980, to USP Marion, At Marion, Silverstein was housed in the H-Unit, a top security area consisting of solitary confinement regime reserved for prisoners prone to assaultive and disruptive behavior. It was here were Silverstein killed a second inmate, and received a second life sentence.^[1]. Following, this, Silverstein then killed a third inmate, and received another life sentence. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The United States Penitentiary is a supermax classified prison located in Marion, Illinois. ...

Due to the dangerous nature of Silverstein, officials determined they would keep him locked in handcuffs anytime he was outside his cell. Guards escorted while handcuffed him to the library, rec room, and shower. The guards were not armed, with the notion prisoners would seize weapons given the opportunity. On October 22, 1983 at 10:15 am, Silverstein was removed from his solitary cell to be escorted to the shower. Three guards were assigned to this task. During this process, Silverstein slipped his cuffs into the cell adjacent to his, where inmate Randy Gometz unlocked his handcuffs and passed him a shank fashioned from one of the cell beds. Silverstein stabbed 51-year-old corrections officer Merle Eugene Clutts 29 times. Both Gometz and Silverstein were tried together, and both received an additional 50 to 150 year sentence (killing of a federal official was not a capital offense at the time.) October 22 is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 70 days remaining. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Shank can refer to: A major scaffold protein that interacts indirectly with both NMDA receptors and metabotropic receptors. ... Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty, is the judicially ordered execution of a prisoner as a crime, often called a capital offense or a capital crime. ...

Following this incident, (along with another corrections officer, Robert L. Hoffman, being murdered the same day), USP Marion went into a permanent lockdown, which remains in effect today. A lockdown is an emergency protocol to prevent people or information escaping, which usually can only be ordered by someone in command. ...

Silverstein was subsequently moved to USP Leavenworth in Leavenworth, Kansas, with his security recorded as "no human contact." Silverstein was placed in a cell located underground. 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. ...

In 2005, when USP Leavenworth was designated to become a medium security facility, Silverstein was moved to the ADX in Florence, a supermax facility in Colorado. 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The ADX Florence facility from the outside The United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX) in Florence is a supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. ... 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. ...

References

1. ^ "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. CLAYTON FOUNTAIN, THOMAS E. SILVERSTEIN, and RANDY K. GOMETZ, Defendants-Appellants". Project Posner. Retrieved on 2006-10-28.