Supermax
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2008-07-15T21:39:31Z
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/* Prisoner life */
{{For|the band Supermax|Supermax (band)}}
{{For|the third book of the CHERUB series|CHERUB}}
{{globalize}}
<!--This article is in US English-->
'''Supermax''' is the name used to describe "control-unit" [[prison]]s, or units within prisons, which represent the most secure levels of custody in some countries' prison systems.
== 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 with 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 late 2006.
The term "supermax", however, originated in the United States as a contraction of "super-maximum," and the concept developed from the 23-hour [[lockdown]] of the [[United States Penitentiary, Marion|U.S. Penitentiary]] in [[Marion, Illinois]]. The lockdown, which began in 1983 and lasted until September 2006, was initiated when two [[Prison officer|corrections officer]]s 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.
The [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]] solitary confinement units are known as Special Housing Units (SHU).<ref>"USP McCreary, Visiting Regulations" accessed May 1, 2008 http://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/mcr/MCR_visit_hours.pdf</ref>
There is a nationwide trend in the [[United States]] 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 harsh 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]]) <ref>''[[Wilkinson v. Austin]]'' 04-495 (2005), [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=000&invol=04-495 Link to case text]</ref> where the Court decided that there had to be some, but only very limited, due process involved in Supermax placement.
There is only one supermax prison in the [[United States]] federal system, [[ADX Florence]] in Florence, Colorado. However, many states now have created supermax prisons; either as stand alone facilities, or as secure units within lower security prisons. State supermax prisons include [[Pelican Bay State Prison|Pelican Bay]] in California and [[Tamms Correctional Center|Tamms]] in Illinois. The [[U.S. Penitentiary|USP]] in Marion, Illinois, was recently downgraded to a medium security facility.
In September 2001, [[Australia]] 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. It has been set up for 'AA' prisoners who are deemed a risk to public safety or believed to be beyond rehabilitation.
== Prisoner life ==
In SHU, 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 ports also known as "chuck holes" in the doors of their cells. When Supermax inmates are allowed to exercise, this may take place in a small, enclosed area where the prisoner will exercise alone.
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. Often cell walls, and sometimes plumbing, are soundproofed to prevent communication between the inmates.
==Controversy==
Supermax and Security Housing Unit (SHU) prisons generate controversy, as some claim<ref>[http://www.prisonactivist.org/cpf/CPFshu.html PrisonActivist.org] – California's Security Housing Units</ref> that the living conditions in such facilities violate the [[United States Constitution]], specifically, the Eighth Amendment's proscription against "cruel and unusual" punishments. In 1996, a [[United Nations]] team assigned to investigate torture described SHU conditions as "inhuman and degrading".<ref>[http://www.paglen.com/pages/projects/carceral/shu.htm Paglen.com] – Security Housing Unit</ref>
The U.S. government houses a number of convicted terrorists, gang leaders and similar prisoners in a Supermax prison known as [[ADX Florence|ADMAX]], the Federal administrative maximum security prison in [[Florence, Colorado]], west of [[Pueblo, Colorado|Pueblo]]. [[al-Qaeda]] terrorist [[Zacarias Moussaoui]] was sentenced to life without parole at Florence upon his conviction on [[May 4]], [[2006]]. Residents also include [[Theodore Kaczynski]], a [[terrorist]] otherwise known as the Unabomber who once attacked via mail bombs, [[Robert Hanssen]], American FBI Agent turned Soviet spy, [[Terry Nichols]], an accomplice to the [[Oklahoma City bombing]], and [[Richard Reid (shoe bomber)|Richard Reid]], an [[Islamic]] [[fundamentalist]] jailed for life for attempting to detonate [[explosive]] materials in his [[shoes]] while on board an aircraft.
== Prisons with supermax facilities ==
===United States ===
{{listdev}} Most of these facilities only contain supermax wings or sections, with other parts of the facility under lesser security measures.
*[[ADX Florence|U.S. Penitentiary Florence ADMAX (Administrative Maximum) Facility]] - [[Florence, Colorado|Florence]], [[Colorado]] (entirely Supermax)
*[[United States Penitentiary, Marion|United States Penitentiary]] - [[Marion, Illinois|Marion]], [[Illinois]] (Downgraded to a medium-security facility in September 2006)
*[[Alcatraz Island]] - [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], [[California]] (Closed March 21, 1962)
*[[USP Tucson]] - [[Tucson, Arizona|Tucson]], [[Arizona]]
*[[Holman Correctional Facility]] - [[Atmore, Alabama|Atmore]], [[Alabama]]
*[[ASPC-Eyman, SMU II]] - [[Florence, Arizona|Florence]], [[Arizona]]
*[[Varner Supermax]] - [[Grady, Arkansas|Grady]], [[Arkansas]]
*[[Pelican Bay State Prison]] - [[Crescent City, California|Crescent City]], [[California]]
*[[United States Penitentiary, Atwater|United States Penitentiary]] - [[Atwater, California|Atwater]], [[California]]
*[[United States Penitentiary, Coleman|United States Penitentiary]] - [[Coleman, Florida|Coleman]], [[Florida]]
*[[United States Penitentiary, Atlanta|United States Penitentiary]] - [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
*[[Tamms Correctional Center]] - [[Tamms, Illinois|Tamms]], [[Illinois]]
*[[Wabash Valley Correctional Facility]], SHU - [[Carlisle, Indiana|Carlisle]], [[Indiana]]
*[[Westville Correctional Facility]], WCU - [[Westville, Indiana|Westville]], [[Indiana]]
*[[United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute|United States Penitentiary]] - [[Terre Haute, Indiana|Terre Haute]], [[Indiana]]
*[[United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth|United States Penitentiary]] - [[Leavenworth, Kansas|Leavenworth]], [[Kansas]] (being downgraded to medium security)
*[[United States Disciplinary Barracks]], [[Fort Leavenworth]], [[Kansas]] (military prison)
*[[Kentucky State Penitentiary]], [[Eddyville, Kentucky|Eddyville]], [[Kentucky]]
*[[Maine State Prison]] - [[Warren, Maine|Warren]], [[Maine]]
*[[Maryland Correctional Adjustment Center]] - [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]]
*[[Ionia Correctional Facility]] - [[Ionia, Michigan|Ionia]], [[Michigan]]
*[[Minnesota Correctional Facility - Oak Park Heights]] - [[Stillwater, Minnesota|Stillwater]], [[Minnesota]]
*[[Mississippi State Penitentiary]] - [[Parchman, Mississippi|Parchman]], [[Mississippi]]
* [[Northern Correctional Institute]] - [[Somers, Connecticut|Somers]], [[Connecticut]]
*[[Florida State Prison]] - [[Raiford, Florida|Raiford]], [[Florida]]
*[[United States Penitentiary, Allenwood|United States Penitentiary]] - [[Allenwood, Pennsylvania|Allenwood]], [[Pennsylvania]]
*[[Sing Sing|Sing Sing Correctional Facility]] - [[Ossining (town), New York|Ossining]], [[New York]]
*[[Ohio State Penitentiary]] - [[Youngstown, Ohio|Youngstown]], [[Ohio]]
*[[Idaho Maximum Security Institution]] - [[Boise, Idaho|Boise]], [[Idaho]]
*[[Oklahoma State Penitentiary]] - [[McAlester, Oklahoma|McAlester]], [[Oklahoma]]
*[[United States Penitentiary, Lewisburg|United States Penitentiary]] - [[Lewisburg, Pennsylvania|Lewisburg]], [[Pennsylvania]]
*[[Riverbend Maximum Security Institution]] - [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], [[Tennessee]]
*[[Polunsky Unit]] - [[Livingston, Texas|Livingston]], [[Texas]]
*[[United States Penitentiary, Beaumont|United States Penitentiary]] - [[Beaumont, Texas|Beaumont]], [[Texas]]
*[[Utah State Prison]] - [[Draper, Utah|Draper]], [[Utah]]
*[[Wallens Ridge State Prison]] - [[Big Stone Gap, Virginia|Big Stone Gap]], [[Virginia]]
*[[Red Onion State Prison]] - [[Pound, Virginia|Pound]], [[Virginia]]
*[[Mt. Olive Correctional Complex]] - [[Fayette County, West Virginia|Fayette County]], [[West Virginia]]
*[[Wisconsin Secure Program Facility]] - [[Boscobel, Wisconsin|Boscobel]], [[Wisconsin]]
*[[North Branch Correctional Institution]] - [[Cumberland, Maryland]] (final housing unit will begin operation in summer of 2008)
*[[New Hampshire State Prison - Men]] - [[Concord, New Hampshire]]
*[[Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Cedar Junction]] - [[Walpole, Massachusetts]]
*[[Attica Correctional Facility]] - [[Attica, New York]]
*[[Upstate Correctional Facility]] - [[Malone, New York]]
== Maximum security prisons in other countries ==
<!--incomplete list-->
*[[Portlaoise Prison]] ([[Portlaoise]], [[Ireland]]) - one of the most secure prisons in Europe, protected full time by members of the Irish Defence Forces.
*[[Al Hayer Prison]] ([[Riyadh]], [[Saudi Arabia]]) <!--very notable, see article-->
*[[Goulburn Correctional Centre]] ([[Goulburn, New South Wales]], [[Australia]])
*[[Centro de Readaptação Provisória de Presidente Bernardes]] ([[Presidente Bernardes, São Paulo]], [[Brazil]]) - inspired by the Supermax standards, although prisoners can only stay there for a maximum of 2 years.
*[[HMP Belmarsh]] ([[London]]] - [[England]]) - its most notable residents are terrorists, including many of the alleged terrorists of the [[2006 transatlantic aircraft plot]] imprisoned there. It has been used to detain a number of people indefinitely without trial under the provisions of the [[Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001]].
*[[HMP Frankland]] - [[Durham]] - [[England]] - Maximum Security Prison with a special unit for prisoners suffering from Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorders.
* [[Full Sutton (HM Prison)]] - [[York]] - [[England]] - Maximum Security Prison.
* [[Long Lartin (HM Prison)]] - [[Worcestershire]] - [[United Kingdom]] - Maximum Security Prison.
*[[Maghaberry (HM Prison)]] - [[Lisburn]] - [[Northern Ireland]] - Maximum Security Prison
* [[Manchester (HM Prison)]] - [[Strangeways]] [[Manchester]] - [[England]] - Maximum Security.
* [http://www.criminal-information-agency.com/prison_record_1.php?prisonchoice=156 HMP Shotts] - [[Scotland]] - Maximum Security.
*[[Whitemoor (HM Prison)|HMP Whitemoor]] - ([[March, Cambridgeshire]] - [[England]]) - houses up to 500 of the most dangerous criminals in the UK. It has a unit called the Close Supervision Centre which is referred to as a "Prison inside a Prison". Also home to a Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder Unit.
*[[Wakefield Prison|HMP Wakefield]] - ([[Wakefield]] - [[England]]) - Maximum Security Prison with a Close Supervision Centre
*[[Woodhill (HM Prison)]] - [[Milton Keynes]] - [[England]] - Maximum Security Prison with a Close Supervision Centre
*[[Penitenciária Federal de Catanduvas]] ([[Catanduvas, Paraná]], [[Brazil]]) - also based on the Supermax standards. It is the first federal prison in Brazil, designed to receive prisoners deemed too dangerous to be kept in the states' prison systems.
*[[Penitenciária Federal de Campo Grande]] ([[Campo Grande]], [[Mato Grosso do Sul]], [[Brazil]]) - Abriga os mais perigosos presos do país, como Fernandinho Beira-Mar, o traficante colombiano [[Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía]] e o bicheiro João Arcanjo.
*[[Penitenciaría de Cómbita]] ([[Colombia]]) - follows supermax specifications, hosts terrorists and drug lords.
*[[C Max]] ([[Pretoria]], [[South Africa]]) - for violent and disruptive prisoners.
*[[Casuarina Prison - Special Handling Unit (SHU)]] ([[Perth, Western Australia]])
*[[Kingston Penitentiary]] ([[Kingston, Ontario|Kingston]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]])
*[[Extra Beveiligde Inrichting]] - Dutch High Security prison in [[Vught]]
*[[Millhaven Institution]] ([[Bath, Ontario|Bath]], Ontario, Canada) - Houses Canadians being held by [[Security certificate]]s.
*[[Special Handling Unit]] ([[Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines]], [[Quebec]], Canada) - Canada's highest-security super-maximum security prison.
*[[Kamunting Detention Center]] - Located in [[Kamunting]], [[Perak]], [[Malaysia]].
==Well-known supermax inmates==
*[[Theodore Kaczynski]], the ''Unabomber''
*[[Dandeny Muñoz Mosquera]], former chief [[assassin]] for the [[Medellín Cartel]] of [[Colombia]]
*[[Terry Nichols]], conspirator in the [[Oklahoma City bombing]]
*[[Richard Reid (shoe bomber)|Richard Reid]], the "shoe bomber"
*[[Eric Robert Rudolph]], [[abortion clinic]] and 1996 [[Centennial Olympic Park bombing|Centennial Olympic Park bomber]]
*[[Carlos Lehder]], Colombian cocaine trafficker, a founding member of the [[Medellín Cartel]]
*[[Christopher William Smith|Christopher "Rizler" William Smith]] "Minnesota spam king"
*[[Zacarias Moussaoui]], the alleged "20th hijacker" in the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]]. Spared the death penalty when it was determined he was not directly involved in the 9/11 attacks.
*[[Ramzi Yusef]], [[World Trade Center]] bomber
*[[Robert Hanssen]], American FBI Agent turned Soviet spy
*[[Omar Abdel-Rahman]], terrorist leader
*[[Sammy Gravano]], "The Bull", notable Mafia leader
*[[John Walker Lindh]], "American Taliban", interred at the Supermax prison for a short time, now currently serving his sentence at the [[Federal Correctional Institution, Terre Haute]] at [[Terre Haute, Indiana]].<ref>[http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=45426-083&x=25&y=20 Federal Bureau of Prisons<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
*[[Christopher Boyce]], Soviet spy (now released)
*[[Jeff Fort]], gang leader and attempted terrorist for [[Libya]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Skiba|first=Katherine M.|title=State sending officials to prison to bring home ideas |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4207/is_19950402/ai_n10191555 |work=The Milwaukee Journal |date=[[1995-04-02]]|accessdate=2007-12-21}}</ref>
*[[Kenneth McGriff]], [[United States|American]] [[Illegal drug trade|drug trafficker]] and organized crime figure. Subject of the book "Queens Reign Supreme", and basis of the fictional characters [[Nino Brown]] in the 1991 film ''[[New Jack City]]'' and Majestic in [[Get Rich or Die Tryin]].
* Neil Entwistle, English-born man, murdering his American wife, Rachel, and their infant daughter Lillian on January 20, 2006 in the United States.
*David Ayala, Infamous leader of Chicago's [[Gangster Two Six]] street gang.
==Books and media portraying maximum security units==
{{listdev}}
*''[[The Chamber (novel)|The Chamber]]'' (1994) by [[John Grisham]], made into [[The Chamber (film)|a film]] (1996) starring [[Gene Hackman]] and [[Chris O'Donnell]]
*''[[CHERUB: Maximum Security]]'' (2005) by Robert Muchamore
*''[[The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay]]'' (2004), a video game set within a futuristic prison facility that includes a supermax section
*''[[Dead Man Walking]]'' (1993) by Sister [[Helen Prejean]], made into
** [[Dead Man Walking (film)|a film]] (1995) starring [[Sean Penn]] and [[Susan Sarandon]]
** [[Dead Man Walking (opera)|an opera]] (2000), composed by [[Jake Heggie]], and
** [[Dead Man Walking (play)|a play]] (2002), stage adaption by [[Tim Robbins]]
*''[[Face/Off]]'' (1997), starring [[John Travolta]] and [[Nicolas Cage]]
*''[[Ghosts... of the Civil Dead]]'' (1988, Australia) by [[John Hillcoat]], starring [[Vincent Gil]], [[Nick Cave]], and [[Dave Mason]]
*''Going Up the River: Travels in a Prison Nation'' (2001), by [[Joseph T. Hallinan]]
*''[[The Green Mile (book)|The Green Mile]]'' serial novel (1996) by [[Stephen King]], made into [[The Green Mile (film)|a film]] (1999) starring [[Tom Hanks]]
*''[[The Life of David Gale]]'' (2003) by Charles Randolph, starring [[Kate Winslet]], [[Kevin Spacey]] and [[Laura Linney]]
*''[[Lost Highway]]'' (1997) by [[David Lynch]], which briefly features a supermax cell where the protagonist is held
* Prison Break (2005), a TV series, which revolves around a man who was sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit and his brother's elaborate plan to help him break out the prison.
*''[[Oz (TV series)|Oz]]'' (1997–2003), an [[HBO]] TV series created by [[Tom Fontana]] and produced by [[Barry Levinson]]
*''[[Up the Ridge]]'' (2006), a TV documentary by Amelia Kirby and Nick Szuberla [http://www.appalshop.org/h2h/film/ (Website)]
*''[[Silence of the Lambs]]'' (1991), Hannibal Lecter is held in a supermax facility with glass instead of bars, and with no human contact (i.e nothing is handed directly to him, it is put in a deposit box.)
*''[[The Longest Yard (1974 film)|The Longest Yard]]'' featured a supermax facility
*[[Law and Order: Special Victims Unit]] episode 189 (Svengali), Made reference to the [[ADMAX]] facility in [[Florence, Colorado]].
*''[[Through the Wire (1990 Film)|Through the Wire]]'' (1990), documentary directed by [[Nina Rosunblum]], narrated by [[Susan Sarandon]] and [[Dean Irby]]
== See also ==
* [[List of prisons]]
* [[Prisons in the United States#Supermax|Maximum Security Prisons in the United States (Supermax)]]
* [[Panopticon]]
* [[Solitary confinement]]
* [[State hospital]] for the criminally insane
* [[Article 41-bis prison regime]] the Italian high security treatment for ''Mafiosi'' and terrorists
== References ==
<div class="references-small">
<references />
*{{cite web
| last = Vick
| first = Karl
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| date = [[September 30]] [[2007]]
| year =
| month =
| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/29/AR2007092900928_pf.html
| title = Isolating the Menace In a Sterile Supermax
| format =
| work = [[Washington Post]]
| pages = p. A03
| publisher =
| language =
| accessdate = 2007-12-21
| accessyear =
}}
</div>
== External links ==
*[http://www.prisonactivist.org/cpf/CPFshu.html California's Security Housing Units]
*[http://www.paglen.com/pages/projects/carceral/shu.htm Recording Carceral Landscapes: Security Housing Unit]
* [http://spamkings.oreilly.com/archives/2006/03/supermax_lockup.html Supermax lockup for spammer Rizler]
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