Jeremy Ly CRJU 2300
Paper on Supermax Prisons Supermax correctional facilities are considered “extended control” facilities by correctional specialists and are the most secure prison type in the correctional system. This is mainly because supermax prisons specialize in solitary confinement, otherwise known as “time in the hole.” Inmates are not directly sentenced to serve time in the supermax, but rather are transferred there as a result of their extremely violent/deviant acts committed in other maximum-security prisons. Also, an inmate may be sent to supermax because of their high escape risks based on their past history. The conditions inside a supermax prison are very harsh and may subject the inmate to extreme physical and psychological stress and trauma. Inmates are to spend 23 hours alone in their cell and are allowed only one hour per day to leave their cell for recreation and exercise. No contact is permitted between inmates and very few educational treatment programs are offered. This is mainly because of the extremely dangerous character of the inmates who reside in supermax. There are also strict limitations as to what items inmates are permitted to hold with them, as there is often times when illegal drugs or items that can be made into a weapon are transported to the cell. The cell is mainly composed of irremovable items, as inmates often search for anything to create a weapon to harm either themselves or others. A National Institution of Corrections law article titled “Supermax Prisons: Overview and General Considerations” by Chase Riveland further discusses how supermax prisons operate. The article explains that the way supermax prisons operate is mainly because of the potential risks for inmate violence and/or escape. Supermax prisons opened mainly after there were high rates of violence at other maximum-security prisons, especially high rates of assaults by inmates against correctional staff. The most secure prison in America opened in 1994 in Florence, Colorado. On the inside of any high security prison, inmates tend to have a mindset to use anything to harm themselves or others, or are plotting strategic plans to escape. A main idea conveyed is that although a prisoner is sent to prison, it will not necessarily deter them from committing other crimes on the inside. Thus, only inmates who have exhibited violence in other prisons are sent to solitary confinement in a supermax prison. Some correctional theorists believe that solitary confinement violate an individual’s eighth amendment rights, which guarantees the public freedom from cruel and unusual punishment, as isolation assures maximum control over the inmate if the inmate is to be isolated for an extended period of time. Often times, inmates view the prison experience as a “we” (the inmates) versus “them” (the correctional officers) battle. Under normal circumstances, it is usually the last option for inmates to be transferred to supermax. Often, inmates at supermax are subjected to pressure that is highly detrimental to physical and psychological health. Inmates are subjected to strip searches whenever they are to leave their cells and usually multiple correctional officers are required to escort the inmate. Limited human contact, if any, is allowed for inmates. At times, human contact may be limited to medical staff, correctional staff and clergy. Although humans have a basic need of interacting with others, the chances of supermax inmates committing another crime, such as illegal drug trafficking or violent crimes, are too high if they are allowed contact with another human being. As a result, some inmates at supermax are isolated extensively during their time in prison. Religious services are often administered through closed-circuit television and food is usually distributed through a cell, or through a tray slid underneath the cell bars. Visits from an inmate’s friends or family members are seldom allowed, usually limited to at most a few hours per month. All of the aforementioned points addressed support the idea that inmates are never directly sentenced to serve time in a supermax prison, and is only transferred to supermax if they have exhibited a propensity to commit very heinous crimes if they are allowed even the minimal opportunity to interact with another human. Thus, for these reasons, supermax prisons are considered the most secure type of correctional facilities in the system.