All Topics  
Supermax

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Supermax
 
 
  Topics Supermax Topic Home

Supermax is the name used to describe "control-unit" prison
Prison

A prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility is a place in which individuals are physically confined or internment and usually deprived of a range of personal Freedom ....
s, or units within prisons, which represent the most secure levels of custody in some countries' prison systems.
arly form of supermax-style prison unit appeared in Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 in 1975, when "Katingal" was built inside the Long Bay Correctional Centre
Long Bay Correctional Centre

Long Bay Correctional Complex is located in the suburb of Malabar, New South Wales in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Long Bay comprises five institutions, 4 maximum security and one minimum security....
 in Sydney
Sydney

Sydney is the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million . It is the List of Australian capital cities of New South Wales, and was the site of the first British Empire colony in Australia....
. Dubbed the "electronic zoo" by inmates, Katingal was a super-maximum security prison block with 40 prison cells having electronically operated doors, surveillance cameras, and no windows.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Supermax'
Start a new discussion about 'Supermax'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Supermax is the name used to describe "control-unit" prison
Prison

A prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility is a place in which individuals are physically confined or internment and usually deprived of a range of personal Freedom ....
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
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 in 1975, when "Katingal" was built inside the Long Bay Correctional Centre
Long Bay Correctional Centre

Long Bay Correctional Complex is located in the suburb of Malabar, New South Wales in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Long Bay comprises five institutions, 4 maximum security and one minimum security....
 in Sydney
Sydney

Sydney is the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million . It is the List of Australian capital cities of New South Wales, and was the site of the first British Empire colony in Australia....
. Dubbed the "electronic zoo" by inmates, Katingal was a super-maximum security 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
Human rights

Human rights refer to the "basic rights and freedom to which all humans are entitled." Examples of rights and freedoms which have come to be commonly thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of speech, and equality before the law; and social, cultural and economic rights, i...
 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-year lockdown
Lockdown

There are several definitions of the slang word lockdown, the most common of which pertains to a state of containment or a restriction of progression....
 of the U.S. Penitentiary
United States Penitentiary, Marion

The United States Penitentiary is a former supermax prison, located in Marion, Illinois, Illinois. It was built in 1963 to replace the Alcatraz prison in San Francisco, which closed the same year....
 in Marion, Illinois
Marion, Illinois

Marion is the second-largest city in Little Egypt and serves as the region's largest retail trade center. It is located at the intersection of Illinois Route 13 and Interstate 57....
. The lockdown, which began in 1983 and lasted until September 2006, was initiated when two corrections officer
Prison officer

A corrections officer, correctional officer, detention officer, jail guard, prison guard, prison warder, or prison officer is a person charged with the responsibility of the supervision, safety and security of prisoners in a prison, jail, or similar form of secure custody....
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
Federal Bureau of Prisons

The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system....
' solitary confinement units are known as Special Housing Units (SHU).

There is a nationwide trend in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 to downgrade Supermax prisons, as has been done with Wallens Ridge State Prison
Wallens Ridge State Prison

Wallens Ridge State Prison is a state prison located in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Since opening in 1999, it has been a part of the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Corrections....
, a former supermax prison in Big Stone Gap, Virginia
Big Stone Gap, Virginia

Big Stone Gap is a town in Wise County, Virginia, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,856 at the United States Census, 2000....
. 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
Tamms Correctional Center

The Tamms Correctional Center is a prison located in Alexander County, Illinois north of Tamms, Illinois. The prison has two sections, a 200 bed Prisons in the United States facility opened in 1995, and a 500 bed maximum security facility known as CMAX opened in 1998....
 (in Illinois), and the Ohio State Penitentiary
Ohio State Penitentiary

The Ohio State Penitentiary is a 502-inmate capacity supermax prison in Youngstown, Ohio, designed to hold the state's most dangerous prisoners who have poor conduct records....
. Placement policies at the Ohio facility were recently the subject of a U.S. Supreme Court case (Wilkinson v. Austin
Wilkinson v. Austin

In Wilkinson v. Austin, Case citation , the Supreme Court held that while the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gives rise to a liberty interest in not being placed in a Supermax prison, Ohio's procedures for determining which prisoners should be placed there satisfied the requirements of due...
) 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
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 federal system, ADX Florence
ADX Florence

The United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility is a supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, USA. It is unofficially known as ADX Florence, Florence ADMAX, Supermax, or The Alcatraz of the Rockies....
 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
Pelican Bay State Prison

Pelican Bay State Prison is a List of California state prisons that houses some of California's most dangerous inmates.The prison is a "supermax" facility located in the northwestern part of the state near Crescent City, California, Del Norte County, California, on 275 acres ....
 in California and Tamms
Tamms Correctional Center

The Tamms Correctional Center is a prison located in Alexander County, Illinois north of Tamms, Illinois. The prison has two sections, a 200 bed Prisons in the United States facility opened in 1995, and a 500 bed maximum security facility known as CMAX opened in 1998....
 in Illinois. The USP in Marion, Illinois was recently downgraded to a medium-security facility.

In September 2001, Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 opened a facility in the Goulburn Correctional Centre
Goulburn Correctional Centre

The Goulburn Correctional Centre is an Australian maximum security male prison located in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. The prison is the most secure prison in Australia, its High Risk Management Unit , opened in September 2001, conforming to US Supermax-like standard....
 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 one hour a day; often they are kept in solitary confinement
Solitary confinement

Solitary confinement, colloquially referred to in American English as "the hole", lockdown, M2030D, "the SHU" or "the pound" , is a punishment or special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is denied contact with any other persons, excluding members of prison staff....
. 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
Surveillance

Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior. Systems surveillance is the process of monitoring the behavior of people, objects or processes within systems for conformity to expected or desired Norm in trusted systems for security or social control....
, usually with closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television

Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors.It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly transmitted, though it may employ point to point wireless links....
 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 that the living conditions in such facilities violate the United States Constitution
United States Constitution

The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. It is the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of the United States of America; the Federal Government of the United States; and all the State & local governments and Territorial Administrative bodies contained therein....
, specifically, the Eighth Amendment's proscription against "cruel and unusual" punishments. In 1996, a United Nations
United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, Social change, human rights and achieving world peace....
 team assigned to investigate torture described SHU conditions as "inhuman and degrading".

The U.S. government houses a number of convicted terrorists, gang leaders and similar prisoners in a Supermax prison known as ADMAX
ADX Florence

The United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility is a supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, USA. It is unofficially known as ADX Florence, Florence ADMAX, Supermax, or The Alcatraz of the Rockies....
, the Federal administrative maximum security prison in Florence, Colorado
Florence, Colorado

The City of Florence is a Colorado municipalities#Statutory_City located in Fremont County, Colorado, Colorado, United States. The population was 3,653 at the United States Census 2000....
, west of Pueblo
Pueblo, Colorado

Pueblo is a Colorado municipalities#Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, Colorado, United States....
. Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida and sometimes al-Qa'ida, is an international Sunni Islam Islamist Extremism movement founded sometime between August 1988 and late 1989/early 1990....
 terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui
Zacarias Moussaoui

Zacarias Musavi is a France citizen who was convicted of conspiring to kill citizens of the USA as part of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks....
 was sentenced to life without parole at Florence upon his conviction on May 4, 2006. Residents also include Theodore Kaczynski
Theodore Kaczynski

Theodore John Kaczynski [ka't???sk?i] , also known as the Unabomber, is an American mathematician and eventual neo-Luddite Social criticism who carried out a campaign of mail bombings....
, a terrorist otherwise known as the Unabomber who once attacked via mail bombs, Robert Hanssen
Robert Hanssen

Robert Philip Hanssen is a former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services against the United States for more than 20 years....
, American FBI Agent turned Soviet spy, Terry Nichols
Terry Nichols

Terry Lynn Nichols is a United States Army veteran who conspired with Timothy McVeigh in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on April 19, 1995....
, an accomplice to the Oklahoma City bombing
Oklahoma City bombing

The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic List of terrorist incidents on April 19, 1995 aimed at the Federal government of the United States in which the Alfred P....
, and Richard Reid
Richard Reid (shoe bomber)

Richard Colvin Reid was convicted on charges of terrorism and is currently serving a life sentence in the United States for attempting to destroy a commercial aircraft in-flight by detonate explosives hidden in his shoes....
, 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

Most of these facilities only contain supermax wings or sections, with other parts of the facility under lesser security measures.
  • U.S. Penitentiary Florence ADMAX (Administrative Maximum) Facility
    ADX Florence

    The United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility is a supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, USA. It is unofficially known as ADX Florence, Florence ADMAX, Supermax, or The Alcatraz of the Rockies....
     - Florence
    Florence, Colorado

    The City of Florence is a Colorado municipalities#Statutory_City located in Fremont County, Colorado, Colorado, United States. The population was 3,653 at the United States Census 2000....
    , Colorado
    Colorado

    The State of Colorado is a U.S. state located in the Mountain States of the United States of America. Colorado may also be considered to be a part of the Western United States and Southwestern United States regions of the United States....
     (entirely Supermax)
  • United States Penitentiary
    United States Penitentiary, Marion

    The United States Penitentiary is a former supermax prison, located in Marion, Illinois, Illinois. It was built in 1963 to replace the Alcatraz prison in San Francisco, which closed the same year....
     - Marion
    Marion, Illinois

    Marion is the second-largest city in Little Egypt and serves as the region's largest retail trade center. It is located at the intersection of Illinois Route 13 and Interstate 57....
    , Illinois
    Illinois

    The State of Illinois is a U.S. state of the United States, the 21st to be admitted to the United States. Illinois is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern United States state and the fifth most populous state in the nation....
     (Downgraded to a medium-security facility in September 2006)
  • Alcatraz Island
    Alcatraz Island

    Alcatraz Island, commonly referred to as simply Alcatraz or locally as The Rock, is a small island located in the middle of San Francisco Bay in California, United States....
     - San Francisco
    San Francisco, California

    The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States, with a 2007 estimated population of 799,183....
    , California
    California

    California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
     (Closed March 21, 1962)
  • USP Tucson - Tucson
    Tucson, Arizona

    Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, Arizona, United States, located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix, Arizona and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border....
    , Arizona
    Arizona

    The State of Arizona is a U.S. state located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix, Arizona....
  • Holman Correctional Facility
    Holman Correctional Facility

    Holman Correctional Facility is a state prison located near the city of Atmore, Alabama, United States.Opened during December 1969, with a basic capacity for 520 medium-custody inmates including a death row cellblock with a capacity of 20....
     - Atmore
    Atmore, Alabama

    Atmore is a city in Escambia County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. At the United States Census, 2000 the population was 7,676. According to the 2005 U.S....
    , Alabama
    Alabama

    Alabama is a state located in the Southern United States of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west....
  • ASPC-Eyman, SMU II - Florence
    Florence, Arizona

    Florence is a town in and the county seat of Pinal County, Arizona, Arizona, United States. The population was 17,054 at the United States Census, 2000; according to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town remained unchanged....
    , Arizona
    Arizona

    The State of Arizona is a U.S. state located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix, Arizona....
  • Varner Supermax - Grady
    Grady, Arkansas

    Grady is a city in Lincoln County, Arkansas, Arkansas, United States. The population was 523 at the United States Census, 2000. It is included in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area....
    , Arkansas
    Arkansas

    Arkansas is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States of the United States. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River....
  • Pelican Bay State Prison
    Pelican Bay State Prison

    Pelican Bay State Prison is a List of California state prisons that houses some of California's most dangerous inmates.The prison is a "supermax" facility located in the northwestern part of the state near Crescent City, California, Del Norte County, California, on 275 acres ....
     - Crescent City
    Crescent City, California

    Crescent City is the only incorporated city of Del Norte County, California and serves as the county seat. It is named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the city....
    , California
    California

    California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
  • California State Prison, Corcoran
    California State Prison, Corcoran

    California State Prison, Corcoran is a male-only List of California state prisons located in the city of Corcoran, California, in Kings County, California....
     - Corcoran
    Corcoran, California

    Corcoran is a town in Kings County, California, California, United States. It is part of the Hanford, California?Corcoran, Metropolitan Statistical Area....
    , California
    California

    California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
  • United States Penitentiary
    United States Penitentiary, Atwater

    United States Penitentiary, Atwater is a Federal Bureau of Prisons prison in the United States. Located in a former portion of Castle Air Force Base near the city of Atwater, California in unincorporated area Merced County, California, California, it is 130 miles from San Francisco....
     - Atwater
    Atwater, California

    Atwater is a city located along U.S. Route 99 in Merced County, California, California, United States. The population as of August 19, 2006 is 27,972....
    , California
    California

    California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
  • United States Penitentiary - Coleman
    Coleman, Florida

    Coleman is a city in Sumter County, Florida, Florida, United States. The population was 647 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 679....
    , Florida
    Florida

    Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
  • United States Penitentiary
    United States Penitentiary, Atlanta

    Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, is a medium-security prison for men in Atlanta, Georgia. For many years it has been a notorious part of the United States federal prison system....
     - Atlanta
    Atlanta, Georgia

    Atlanta is the Capital and most populous city in Georgia , as well as the 33rd largest city in the United States of America with a population of 519,145....
    , Georgia
    Georgia (U.S. state)

    Georgia is a U.S. state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against United Kingdom rule in the American Revolution....
  • Tamms Correctional Center
    Tamms Correctional Center

    The Tamms Correctional Center is a prison located in Alexander County, Illinois north of Tamms, Illinois. The prison has two sections, a 200 bed Prisons in the United States facility opened in 1995, and a 500 bed maximum security facility known as CMAX opened in 1998....
     - Tamms
    Tamms, Illinois

    Tamms is a village in Alexander County, Illinois, Illinois, United States. The population was 724 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Cape Girardeau, Missouri–Jackson, Missouri, Missouri-IL Cape Girardeau-Jackson metropolitan area....
    , Illinois
    Illinois

    The State of Illinois is a U.S. state of the United States, the 21st to be admitted to the United States. Illinois is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern United States state and the fifth most populous state in the nation....
  • Wabash Valley Correctional Facility
    Wabash Valley Correctional Facility

    Wabash Valley Correctional Facility is a prison situated in south of Terre Haute, located in Carlisle, Indiana, Indiana....
    , SHU - Carlisle
    Carlisle, Indiana

    Carlisle is a town in Haddon Township, Sullivan County, Indiana, Sullivan County, Indiana, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,660 at the 2000 census....
    , Indiana
    Indiana

    The State of Indiana was the 19th U.S. state admitted into the union. It is located in the Midwestern United States of the United States of America....
  • Westville Correctional Facility
    Westville Correctional Facility

    The Westville Correctional Facility, located in Westville, Indiana, is a state-operated prison for adult males. The facility contains sections of three levels of security....
    , WCU - Westville
    Westville, Indiana

    Westville is a town in New Durham Township, LaPorte County, Indiana, LaPorte County, Indiana, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,116 at the 2000 census....
    , Indiana
    Indiana

    The State of Indiana was the 19th U.S. state admitted into the union. It is located in the Midwestern United States of the United States of America....
  • United States Penitentiary
    Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute

    File:Federal Correctional Complex Terre Haute.JPGThe Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute, is a federal prison for adult males located at the intersection of State Road 63 and Springhill Drive, two miles southwest of Terre Haute, Indiana, Indiana, United States....
     - Terre Haute
    Terre Haute, Indiana

    Terre Haute is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, Indiana near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 59,614 and its Terre Haute metropolitan area had a population of 170,943....
    , Indiana
    Indiana

    The State of Indiana was the 19th U.S. state admitted into the union. It is located in the Midwestern United States of the United States of America....
  • United States Penitentiary
    United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth

    The United States Penitentiary , Leavenworth is located in Leavenworth, Kansas, Kansas on 1,583 acres with 22.8 acres inside the penitentiary walls....
     - Leavenworth
    Leavenworth, Kansas

    Leavenworth is the largest city and county seat of Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the U.S. state of Kansas and within the Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City Metropolitan Area....
    , Kansas
    Kansas

    The State of Kansas is a Midwestern U.S. state in the Central United States of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the United States "Heartland"....
     (being downgraded to medium security)
  • United States Disciplinary Barracks
    United States Disciplinary Barracks

    The United States Disciplinary Barracks is a military prison located on Fort Leavenworth, a United States Army post in Kansas. The prison should not be confused with the nearby United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth located a few miles south....
    , Fort Leavenworth
    Fort Leavenworth

    Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active U.S....
    , Kansas
    Kansas

    The State of Kansas is a Midwestern U.S. state in the Central United States of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the United States "Heartland"....
     (military prison)
  • Maine State Prison
    Maine State Prison

    The Maine State Prison was erected in Thomaston, Maine in 1824 and relocated to Warren in 2002. This maximum-security prison has a capacity of 916 adult male inmates with an average daily population of 900....
     - Warren
    Warren, Maine

    Warren is a New England town in Knox County, Maine, Maine, United States. The population was 3,794 at the 2000 United States Census. It includes the villages of East Warren, Warren and South Warren, the latter home to the Maine State Prison and minimum security Bolduc Correctional Facilty....
    , Maine
    Maine

    The State of Maine is a U.S. state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast....
  • Maryland Correctional Adjustment Center
    Maryland Correctional Adjustment Center

    Maryland Correctional Adjustment Center is a maximum level II prison operated by the Division of Corrections. MCAC was built in 1988, and is located at 401 East Madison Street in Baltimore....
     - Baltimore, Maryland
    Maryland

    Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic States of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the Washington, D.C. to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east....
  • Minnesota Correctional Facility - Oak Park Heights
    Minnesota Correctional Facility - Oak Park Heights

    The Minnesota Correctional Facility - Oak Park Heights is a state prison located in Oak Park Heights, Minnesota, United States. Constructed in 1981, MCF-OPH is the state's only Level 5 Custody Level prison for men, with an inmate population just under 450....
     - Stillwater
    Stillwater, Minnesota

    Stillwater is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, Minnesota, directly across the St. Croix River from the state of Wisconsin. The population was 15,143 at the United States Census 2000....
    , Minnesota
    Minnesota

    Minnesota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents....
  • Mississippi State Penitentiary
    Mississippi State Penitentiary

    Mississippi State Penitentiary, also known as Parchman Farm, is the oldest prison and the only maximum security prison for men in the state of Mississippi, United States....
     - Parchman, Mississippi
    Mississippi

    Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Deep South of the United States. Jackson, Mississippi is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Anishinaabe language word misi-ziibi ....
  • Northern Correctional Institution
    Northern Correctional Institution

    Northern Correctional Institution is a high-security state prison in Somers, Connecticut, in the northern part of the U.S. state of Connecticut....
     - Somers
    Somers, Connecticut

    Somers is a New England town in Tolland County, Connecticut, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,417 at the 2000 United States Census....
    , Connecticut
    Connecticut

    Connecticut is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state borders New York to the west and south , Massachusetts to the north, and Rhode Island to the east....
  • Florida State Prison
    Florida State Prison

    Florida State Prison , also known as Starke Prison , formerly known as the Union Correctional Institution – East Unit, or the Raiford State Penitentiary is a correctional facility located in Raiford, Union County, FL....
     - Raiford
    Raiford, Florida

    Raiford is a town in Union County, Florida, Florida, United States. The population was 187 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S....
    , Florida
    Florida

    Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
  • United States Penitentiary - Allenwood, Pennsylvania
    Pennsylvania

    The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
  • Sing Sing Correctional Facility
    Sing Sing

    Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a Supermax prison in the Ossining , New York, Ossining , New York, New York, United States. It is located approximately 30 miles north of New York City on the banks of the Hudson River....
     - Ossining
    Ossining (town), New York

    Ossining is a Political subdivisions of New York State#Town in Westchester County, New York, New York, United States. The population was 36,534 at the 2000 census....
    , New York
    New York

    The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
  • Ohio State Penitentiary
    Ohio State Penitentiary

    The Ohio State Penitentiary is a 502-inmate capacity supermax prison in Youngstown, Ohio, designed to hold the state's most dangerous prisoners who have poor conduct records....
     - Youngstown
    Youngstown, Ohio

    Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, whose urban area also extends into Trumbull County, Ohio to a significant extent....
    , Ohio
    Ohio

    Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
  • Idaho Maximum Security Institution
    Idaho Maximum Security Institution

    Idaho Maximum Security Institution is a high-security state prison near Boise, Idaho, Idaho, United States. It opened in November 1989 to confine Idaho's most violent offenders....
     - Boise
    Boise, Idaho

    Boise is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Idaho. Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho as well as the county seat of Ada County, Idaho....
    , Idaho
    Idaho

    The State of Idaho is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. The state's largest city and Capital is Boise, Idaho....
  • Oklahoma State Penitentiary
    Oklahoma State Penitentiary

    Oklahoma State Penitentiary is the chief detention facility in Oklahoma, United States of America....
     - McAlester
    McAlester, Oklahoma

    McAlester is a city in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 17,783 at the United States Census, 2000. It is the county seat of Pittsburg County, Oklahoma....
    , Oklahoma
    Oklahoma

    Oklahoma is a U.S. state and a sovereignty located in the South Central United States and Southern United States of the United States of America ....
  • United States Penitentiary - Lewisburg
    Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

    Lewisburg is a borough in Union County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States, 30 miles south by east of Williamsport, Pennsylvania and 60 miles north of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania....
    , Pennsylvania
    Pennsylvania

    The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
  • Riverbend Maximum Security Institution
    Riverbend Maximum Security Institution

    Riverbend Maximum Security Institution opened in 1989 and replaced its 100 year-old neighbor, the Tennessee State Penitentiary. Even today, it's billed as one of the state's most high-tech facilities....
     - Nashville
    Nashville, Tennessee

    Nashville is the Capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis, Tennessee....
    , Tennessee
    Tennessee

    Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
  • Polunsky Unit
    Polunsky Unit

    Polunsky Unit is a prison in Livingston, Texas that became the home of Texas's death row male prisoners from 1999. Formerly death row inmates were held at the Ellis Unit from 1965 to 1999, and at the Huntsville Unit, from 1928 to 1965....
     - Livingston
    Livingston, Texas

    Livingston is a town in Polk County, Texas, Texas, United States. The population was 5,433 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Polk County, Texas....
    , Texas
    Texas

    Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
  • United States Penitentiary
    United States Penitentiary, Beaumont

    United States Penitentiary, Beaumont is a high security United States Penitentiary in Beaumont, Texas. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons....
     - Beaumont
    Beaumont, Texas

    Beaumont is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur, Texas Beaumont?Port Arthur metropolitan area....
    , Texas
    Texas

    Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
  • Utah State Prison
    Utah State Prison

    Utah State Prison, or USP, is one of two prisons managed by the Utah Department of Corrections' Division of Institutional Operations. It is located in Draper, Utah, United States, about 20 miles southwest of Salt Lake City....
     - Draper
    Draper, Utah

    Draper is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah and Utah County, Utah Counties in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City, Utah along the Wasatch Front....
    , Utah
    Utah

    The State of Utah is a western United States U.S. state of the United States. It was the List of U.S. states by date of statehood admitted to the United States on January 4, 1896....
  • Wallens Ridge State Prison
    Wallens Ridge State Prison

    Wallens Ridge State Prison is a state prison located in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Since opening in 1999, it has been a part of the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Corrections....
     - Big Stone Gap
    Big Stone Gap, Virginia

    Big Stone Gap is a town in Wise County, Virginia, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,856 at the United States Census, 2000....
    , Virginia
    Virginia

    The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
  • Red Onion State Prison
    Red Onion State Prison

    Red Onion State Prison is a supermax security state prison located in Wise County, Virginia, Virginia operated by the Virginia Department of Corrections....
     - Pound
    Pound, Virginia

    Pound is a town in Wise County, Virginia, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,089 as recorded in the United States Census, 2000....
    , Virginia
    Virginia

    The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
  • Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility
    Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility

    The Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility , also known as "I-Max" is a state prison located in Ionia, Michigan, Michigan, United States.I-Max was opened in 1987 and is comprised of five maximum security level V housing units and two medium security level II housing units....
     - Ionia
    Ionia, Michigan

    Ionia is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Ionia County, Michigan, Michigan, United States. The population was 10,569 at the United States Census, 2000....
    , Michigan
    Michigan

    Michigan is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Anishinaabe language term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
  • Mt. Olive Correctional Complex
    Mt. Olive Correctional Complex

    Mount Olive Correctional Complex is the male maximum security prison for the state of West Virginia, United States. Its security level is equal to the federal level 5....
     - Fayette County
    Fayette County, West Virginia

    Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2000, the population was 47,579. Its county seat is Fayetteville, West Virginia....
    , West Virginia
    West Virginia

    West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
  • Wisconsin Secure Program Facility - Boscobel
    Boscobel, Wisconsin

    Boscobel is a city in the Driftless Zone of Grant County, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, United States. Approximately 0.6 mi. to the north of the city, across a riparian swamp, is the Wisconsin River....
    , Wisconsin
    Wisconsin

    Wisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. state in the United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States. It borders two of the five Great Lakes and four U.S....
  • North Branch Correctional Institution
    North Branch Correctional Institution

    The North Branch Correctional Institution is a high-tech, maximum security prison operated by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services in Cumberland, Maryland, Maryland....
     - Cumberland, Maryland
    Cumberland, Maryland

    Cumberland is a city in the far western portion of Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Allegany County, Maryland, and the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area....
     (final housing unit will begin operation in summer of 2008)
  • New Hampshire State Prison - Men - Concord, New Hampshire
    Concord, New Hampshire

    The city of Concord is the Capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County, New Hampshire....
  • Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Cedar Junction
    Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Cedar Junction

    The Massachusetts Correctional Institution?Cedar Junction , formerly known as Walpole, is a supermax prison with an average daily population of approximately 800 adult male inmates under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Department of Correction....
     - Walpole, Massachusetts
    Walpole, Massachusetts

    Walpole is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States. It is located about 17.9 miles south of Boston, Massachusetts and 23.5 miles north of Providence, Rhode Island, Rhode Island....
  • Attica Correctional Facility
    Attica Correctional Facility

    Attica Correctional Facility is a penitentiary in Attica, New York.It held many of the most dangerous criminals of the time when it was constructed in the 1930s....
     - Attica, New York
    Attica, New York

    Attica is the name of some places in the U.S. state of New York:*Attica , New York, in Wyoming County*Attica , New York, in Wyoming and Genesee Counties...
  • Upstate Correctional Facility
    Upstate Correctional Facility

    Upstate Correctional Facility is a maximum security state prison in Franklin County, New York, New York, USA. The prison is in the Malone , New York....
     - Malone, New York
    Malone, New York

    Malone, New York is the name of two locations in Franklin County, New York:*Malone , New York*Malone , New York...


Maximum security prisons in other countries


North America

  • Special Handling Unit
    Special Handling Unit

    The Special Handling Unit is Canada's highest-security super-maximum security prison. It is located in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec. As of 2008, it is home to 90 prisoners....
     (, Quebec
    Quebec

    Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
    , Canada) - Canada's highest-security super-maximum security prison.
  • - Edmonton, Alberta - Canadian Prairie Region Maximum Security Prison
  • Millhaven Institution
    Millhaven Institution

    Millhaven Institution is a maximum security prison located in Bath, Ontario, Ontario. Roughly 400 inmates are incarcerated at Millhaven.Opened in 1971, Millhaven was originally built to replace the area's other maximum security prison ....
     (Bath, Ontario, Canada) - Houses Canadians being held by Security certificate
    Security certificate

    In Canada, a legal mechanism by which the Government of Canada can detain and deport foreign nationals and all other non-citizens living in Canada. The federal government may issue a certificate permanent resident or any other non-citizen who is suspected of violating human rights, of having membership within organized crime, or is perceived to b...
    s.
  • Kingston Penitentiary
    Kingston Penitentiary

    Kingston Penitentiary is a maximum security prison located in Kingston, Ontario, Ontario between King Street West and Lake Ontario.Originally constructed in 1833?1834, and officially opened on June 1, 1835 as the "Provincial Penitentiary of the Province of Upper Canada," it is one of the oldest prisons in continuous use in the world....
     (Kingston
    Kingston, Ontario

    Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the lake runs into the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands begin....
    , Ontario
    Ontario

    Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
    , Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
    )

South America

  • Centro de Readaptação Provisória de Presidente Bernardes (Presidente Bernardes, São Paulo
    Presidente Bernardes, São Paulo

    Presidente Bernardes is a municipality in the state of S?o Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2004 was 15,305 and the area is 755.78 km?. The elevation is 429 m....
    , Brazil
    Brazil

    Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
    ) - inspired by the Supermax standards, although prisoners can only stay there for a maximum of 2 years.
  • Penitenciária Federal de Catanduvas (Catanduvas, Paraná, Brazil
    Brazil

    Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
    ) - 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
    Campo Grande

    Campo Grande is the Capital of the States of Brazil of Mato Grosso do Sul in the Center-West Region, Brazil region of Brazil. The city is nicknamed Cidade Morena after the reddish-brown colour of the region's soil....
    , Mato Grosso do Sul
    Mato Grosso do Sul

    Mato Grosso do Sul is one of the States of Brazil of Brazil.Neighbouring states are Mato Grosso, Goi?s, Minas Gerais, S?o Paulo and Paran? ....
    , Brazil
    Brazil

    Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
    )
  • Penitenciaría de Cómbita (Colombia
    Colombia

    Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
    ) - follows supermax specifications, hosts terrorists and drug lords.

Europe

  • Portlaoise Prison
    Portlaoise Prison

    Portlaoise Prison is a maximum security prison located in Portlaoise, Co. Laois, Ireland. It should not be confused with the Midlands Prison, which is a newer, medium security prison situated directly beside it....
     (Portlaoise, Ireland
    Ireland

    Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
    ) - one of the most secure prisons in Europe, protected full time by members of the Irish Defence Forces.
  • HMP Belmarsh (London
    London

    London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
     - England
    England

    native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
    ) - its most notable residents are terrorists, including many of the alleged terrorists of the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot
    2006 transatlantic aircraft plot

    The 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot was an alleged terrorist plot to detonate Explosive material carried on board several airliners travelling from the United Kingdom to the United States and Canada....
     imprisoned there.
  • HMP Frankland - Durham
    Durham

    Durham is a city in North East England. It lies at the heart of the City of Durham local government district. It is the county town of County Durham....
     - England
    England

    native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
     - Maximum Security Prison with a special unit for prisoners suffering from Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorders.
  • Full Sutton (HM Prison)
    Full Sutton (HM Prison)

    HM Prison Full Sutton is a Prison security categories in the United Kingdom men's prison, located in the village of Full Sutton , in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England....
     - York
    York

    York is a walled city, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire and River Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city status in the United Kingdom is noted for its rich heritage and it has played an important role throughout much of its almost 2,000 year existence....
     - England
    England

    native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
     - Maximum Security Prison.
  • Long Lartin (HM Prison)
    Long Lartin (HM Prison)

    HM Prison Long Lartin is a Prison security categories in the United Kingdom men's prison, located in the village of South Littleton in Worcestershire, England....
     - Worcestershire
    Worcestershire

    Worcestershire is a county located in the West Midlands of central England. From 1974 to 1998 it was administered as part of Hereford and Worcester....
     - United Kingdom
    United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
     - Maximum Security Prison.
  • Maghaberry (HM Prison)
    Maghaberry (HM Prison)

    HMP Maghaberry was built on the site of a World War II airfield near Lisburn, Northern Ireland that was used as a transit base for the United States Army Air Force....
     - Lisburn
    Lisburn

    Lisburn is the third-largest city in Northern Ireland, south-west of and adjoining Belfast. An Anglicise version of the Irish name, Lisnagarvey, is used in the title of schools and sporting clubs in the area....
     - Northern Ireland
    Northern Ireland

    conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
     - Maximum Security Prison
  • Manchester (HM Prison)
    Manchester (HM Prison)

    HM Prison Manchester is a Prison security categories in the United Kingdom men's prison, located in the city of Manchester, England. The prison is also known as Strangeways Prison....
     - Strangeways Manchester
    Manchester

    Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. Manchester was granted City status in the United Kingdom in 1853....
     - England
    England

    native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
     - Maximum Security.
  • - Scotland
    Scotland

    conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
     - Maximum Security.
  • HMP Whitemoor
    Whitemoor (HM Prison)

    HM Prison Whitemoor is a Prison security categories in the United Kingdom men's prison, located near the town of March, Cambridgeshire in Cambridgeshire, England....
     - (March, Cambridgeshire - England
    England

    native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
    ) - 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.
  • HMP Wakefield - (Wakefield
    Wakefield

    Wakefield lies at the heart of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder, it had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
     - England
    England

    native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
    ) - Maximum Security Prison with a Close Supervision Centre
  • Woodhill (HM Prison)
    Woodhill (HM Prison)

    HM Prison Woodhill is a Prison security categories in the United Kingdom men's prison and Young Offenders Institution, located in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England....
     - Milton Keynes
    Milton Keynes

    Milton Keynes , often abbreviated to MK, is a large town in South East England, about north-west of London. It is also the principal town of the Milton Keynes , within the ceremonial counties of England of Buckinghamshire....
     - England
    England

    native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
     - Maximum Security Prison with a Close Supervision Centre
  • Extra Beveiligde Inrichting - Dutch High Security prison in Vught
    Vught

    Vught is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands. It is a town where lots of commuters live and has recently been named "Best place to live" by the Dutch magazine Elsevier....
  • Stammheim Prison
    Stammheim Prison

    Stammheim Prison is a prison in Stuttgart, Baden W?rttemberg, Germany. It is situated on the northern boundaries of Stuttgart in the city district of Stuttgart-Stammheim - right between fields and apartment blocks on the fringes of Stammheim....
     - German High Security Prison, partly purpose-built to keep terrorists in the 70s.

Africa

  • C Max
    C Max

    C Max is a maximum security prison located in Pretoria, South Africa. It is run by the South African Ministry of Correctional Services.The prison is specifically designed for violent and disruptive Convict who have been classified as dangerous in terms of the South African Criminal Procedure Act....
     (Pretoria
    Pretoria

    Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three Capital , serving as the Executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislature capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital....
    , South Africa
    South Africa

    The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
    ) - for violent and disruptive prisoners.

Asia

  • Al Hayer Prison (Riyadh
    Riyadh

    Riyadh is the Capital of Saudi Arabia and its largest city. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Nejd and Al-Yamama....
    , Saudi Arabia
    Saudi Arabia

    The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south....
    )
  • Kamunting Detention Center
    Kamunting Detention Center

    Kamunting Detention Centre is a prison camp located in Kamunting, near the town of Taiping, Perak, in Malaysia. The prison is used by the government to detain and interrogate persons arrested under the Internal Security Act ....
     - Located in Kamunting
    Kamunting

    Kamunting is the biggest satellite town in Taiping, Perak's Larut, Matang dan Selama district, Perak, Malaysia. It is also the biggest industrial town in Taiping and is famous mainly for being home to the Kamunting Detention Center a prison camp for detainees under the Internal Security Act , many of whom are held without trial for an indefin...
    , Perak
    Perak

    Perak is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is the second largest state in Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor southward and to the west by the Strait of Malacca....
    , Malaysia
    Malaysia

    Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
    .
  • Changi Prison
    Changi Prison

    File:Changi-prison.jpgChangi Prison , is a prison located in Changi in the eastern part of Singapore....
     - Located in Changi, Singapore


Australia

  • Goulburn Correctional Centre
    Goulburn Correctional Centre

    The Goulburn Correctional Centre is an Australian maximum security male prison located in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. The prison is the most secure prison in Australia, its High Risk Management Unit , opened in September 2001, conforming to US Supermax-like standard....
     - High Risk Management Unit (HRMU) (Goulburn, New South Wales
    Goulburn, New South Wales

    Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Areas in Australia....
    )
  • Casuarina Prison
    Casuarina Prison

    Casuarina Prison is the main maximum security prison for Western Australia, located near Perth, Western Australia. The prison accommodates both medium and minimum security prisoners and was opened in 1991 to replace Fremantle Prison....
     - Special Handling Unit (SHU) (Perth, Western Australia
    Perth, Western Australia

    Perth is the List of Australian capital cities and largest city of the Australian States and territories of Australia of Western Australia. With a population of 1,554,769 , Perth ranks fourth amongst the nation's cities, with a growth rate consistently above the national average....
    )
  • Risdon Prison - Wilfred Lopes Centre (Risdon Vale, Tasmania
    Risdon Vale, Tasmania

    Risdon Vale is an outer suburb of Hobart, capital of Tasmania, Australia. It is the location of Tasmania's only maximum security prison, HM Prison Risdon and Risdon Women's Prison....
    )
  • Barwon Prison - Barwon Supermax
    Barwon Supermax

    Barwon Supermax Barwon Supermax is Victoria's only Supermax prison. It currently holds 261 . Barwon was the first new prison in Victoria to be designed specifically for 'unit management'....
     (Lara, Victoria
    Lara, Victoria

    Lara is a residential and rural town, 15 km north-east of Geelong, Victoria, inland from the Princes Freeway to Melbourne....
    )
  • Brisbane Correctional Centre - 18-cell Maximum Security Unit (Brisbane, Queensland)
  • Alexander Maconochie Centre
    Alexander Maconochie Centre

    The Alexander Maconochie Centre is a new prison and remand centre complex in the Australian Capital Territory.The centre is designed as a multi role facility to replace the Belconnen Remand Centre and provide detention facilities so that prisoners who are currently held in New South Wales facilities may be held locally....
     - 12-cell Supermax Section (Hume, Australian Capital Territory
    Hume, Australian Capital Territory

    Hume is a suburb of Canberra in the district of Tuggeranong . The suburb is named after the explorer Hamilton Hume and streets are named after Australian industrialists and businessmen....
    )
  • Yatala Labour Prison
    Yatala Labour Prison

    Yatala Labour Prison is a low- to high-security men's prison in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It was built in 1854 to enable prisoners to work at the creek, quarrying rock for roads and construction....
     - G Division (Northfield, South Australia
    Northfield, South Australia

    Northfield is a suburb of the greater Adelaide, South Australia area. The earliest known record of the name being used in reference to the area, is from the 1890s in conjunction with the North Field Athletics Club....
    ) (to be closed in 2011; new facility under construction/refurbishment at Murray Bridge, South Australia
    Murray Bridge, South Australia

    Murray Bridge is the fourth most populous city in South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier, South Australia and Whyalla, South Australia....
    )
  • Alice Springs Correctional Centre
    Alice Springs Correctional Centre

    Alice Springs Correctional Centre is a medium and maximum security Australian prison located 25km outside Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia....
     - Facility under refurbishment (Alice Springs, Northern Territory
    Alice Springs, Northern Territory

    Alice Springs is the second largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Popularly known as "the Alice" or simply "Alice",Alice Springs is situated in geographic centre of Australia....
    )


Notable Supermax inmates

  • Theodore Kaczynski
    Theodore Kaczynski

    Theodore John Kaczynski [ka't???sk?i] , also known as the Unabomber, is an American mathematician and eventual neo-Luddite Social criticism who carried out a campaign of mail bombings....
    , the Unabomber
  • Dandeny Muñoz Mosquera, former chief assassin for the Medellín Cartel
    Medellín Cartel

    The Medell?n Cartel was an organized network of Illegal drugs trade originating in the city of Medell?n in Colombia and operating through the 1970s and 1980s....
     of Colombia
    Colombia

    Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
  • Terry Nichols
    Terry Nichols

    Terry Lynn Nichols is a United States Army veteran who conspired with Timothy McVeigh in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on April 19, 1995....
    , conspirator in the Oklahoma City bombing
    Oklahoma City bombing

    The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic List of terrorist incidents on April 19, 1995 aimed at the Federal government of the United States in which the Alfred P....
  • Richard Reid
    Richard Reid (shoe bomber)

    Richard Colvin Reid was convicted on charges of terrorism and is currently serving a life sentence in the United States for attempting to destroy a commercial aircraft in-flight by detonate explosives hidden in his shoes....
    , the "shoe bomber"
  • Eric Robert Rudolph
    Eric Robert Rudolph

    Eric Robert Rudolph , also known as the Olympic Park Bomber, is an United States Far right described by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a terrorist who committed a series of bombings across the southern United States which killed two people and injured at least 150 others....
    , abortion clinic
    Abortion clinic

    An abortion clinic is a medical facility that performs or specializes in abortions. Such clinics may be public medical centers or private medical practices....
     and 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bomber
    Centennial Olympic Park bombing

    The Centennial Olympic Park bombing was a terrorism bombing on July 27, 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States during the 1996 Summer Olympics, the first of four committed by Eric Robert Rudolph, former explosives expert for the United States Army....
  • Carlos Lehder
    Carlos Lehder

    'Carlos Enrique Lehder Rivas' or simply 'Carlos Lehder' is an imprisoned Colombian people drugdealer and co-founder of the Medell?n Cartel....
    , Colombian cocaine trafficker, a founding member of the Medellín Cartel
    Medellín Cartel

    The Medell?n Cartel was an organized network of Illegal drugs trade originating in the city of Medell?n in Colombia and operating through the 1970s and 1980s....
  • Zacarias Moussaoui
    Zacarias Moussaoui

    Zacarias Musavi is a France citizen who was convicted of conspiring to kill citizens of the USA as part of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks....
    , 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
    World trade center

    The World Trade Centers Association founded in 1970, is a not-for-profit, non-political association dedicated to the establishment and effective operation of World Trade Centers as instruments for trade expansion representing 316 members in 91 countries....
     bomber
  • Robert Hanssen
    Robert Hanssen

    Robert Philip Hanssen is a former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services against the United States for more than 20 years....
    , American FBI Agent turned Soviet spy
  • Omar Abdel-Rahman
    Omar Abdel-Rahman

    File:Omar Abdel-Rahman.jpgSheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman is a blind Egyptian Islam leader who is currently serving a life sentence at the Butner Medical Center which is part of the Butner Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina, United States....
    , terrorist leader
  • Sammy Gravano
    Sammy Gravano

    Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano was a high ranking member of the Gambino crime family. He is most known as the man who helped bring down family boss John Gotti by becoming a Federal Bureau of Investigation informant....
    , "The Bull", notable Mafia leader
  • John Walker Lindh
    John Walker Lindh

    John Phillip Walker Lindh was captured as an enemy combatant during the United States War in Afghanistan . An American citizen, he is now serving a 20-year prison sentence in connection with his participation in Afghanistan Taliban army....
    , "American Taliban", incarcerated at the Supermax prison for a short time, now currently serving his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Terre Haute at Terre Haute, Indiana
    Terre Haute, Indiana

    Terre Haute is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, Indiana near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 59,614 and its Terre Haute metropolitan area had a population of 170,943....
    .
  • Christopher Boyce, Soviet spy (now released)
  • Larry Hoover
    Larry Hoover

    Larry Hoover is the leader of the Chicago-based Gangster Disciples gang....
    , the leader of the Chicago-based Gangster Disciple Nation gang. On June 18, 1998, Hoover was convicted of participating in a continuing criminal enterprise and sentenced to six life terms, seven terms of 20 years, three four-year terms, and one five-year term under federal mandatory sentencing guidelines, with all sentences running concurrently and in addition to the 150-200-year sentence he received for his 1973 murder conviction.
  • Jeff Fort
    Jeff Fort

    Jeff Fort is a former Chicago gang leader, co-founder of the Black P. Stones gang, and founder of its El Rukn faction. He was convicted in 1987 of conspiring with Libya to perform acts of domestic terrorism....
    , co-founder of the Black P. Stones
    Black P. Stones

    The Black P. Stones, originally Black Stone Rangers, are a gang that formed in the area of Blackstone Avenue and Sixty-sixth Place in the Woodlawn, Chicago area of the South Side of Chicago....
     gang, and founder of its El Rukn faction, and attempted terrorist for Libya
    Libya

    Libya , officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya , is a country located in North Africa. Bordering the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Libya lies between Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
  • Kenneth McGriff
    Kenneth McGriff

    Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff is a convicted United States Illegal drug trade and organized crime figure.McGriff came to prominence in the early 1980s when he formed his own Crack cocaine distributing organization which he called the Supreme Team based in the South Jamaica, Queens section of Queens, New York....
    , American
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
     drug trafficker
    Illegal drug trade

    The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market consisting of the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of Law controlled drugs....
     and organized crime figure. Subject of the book "Queens Reign Supreme", and basis of the fictional characters Nino Brown
    Nino Brown

    Nino Brown is a fictional character in the 1991 in film film New Jack City. In the film, Nino Brown and his crew, the "Cash Money Brothers", become the dominant drug ring in New York City when cocaine#Crack_cocaine cocaine is introduced to the city streets during the 1980s and early 1990s....
     in the 1991 film New Jack City
    New Jack City

    New Jack City is a 1991 in film crime film-Thriller /Neo-noir film starring Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Mario Van Peebles, Judd Nelson and Chris Rock....
     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

  • The Chamber
    The Chamber (novel)

    The Chamber is a legal thriller novel by noted American author John Grisham. It was first published in 1994. The novel features a discussion about capital punishment....
     (1994) by John Grisham
    John Grisham

    John Ray Grisham is an United States ex-politician, lawyer and novelist is best known for his works of modern legal drama. As of 2008, his books have sold over 250 million copies worldwide....
    , made into a film
    The Chamber (film)

    The Chamber is a 1996 in film drama film/thriller film based on John Grisham's The Chamber . The film is directed by James Foley and stars Gene Hackman and Chris O'Donnell....
     (1996) starring Gene Hackman
    Gene Hackman

    Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actor. He came to fame during the 1970s, after his role as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in The French Connection , and continued to appear in Hollywood films playing major roles, including Harry Caul in The Conversation, Norman Dale in Hoosiers, Agent Rupert Anderso...
     and Chris O'Donnell
    Chris O'Donnell

    Christopher Eugene O'Donnell is a Golden Globe-nominated United States actor, perhaps best known for playing Robin in the Batman films, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin , Charlie Simms in Scent of a Woman, Finn Dandridge in Grey's Anatomy, and more recently, Jack McAuliffe in The Company ....
  • CHERUB: Maximum Security
    CHERUB: Maximum Security

    Maximum Security is the third novel in the CHERUB series of books, written by Robert Muchamore. In this novel CHERUB agents James Adams and List of CHERUB characters infiltrate a maximum security prison in Arizona to get to the son of an international arms dealer....
     (2005) by Robert Muchamore
  • The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
    The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay

    The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay is a video game developed by the Sweden developers Starbreeze Studios set before the events of the film Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick....
     (2004), a video game set within a futuristic prison facility that includes a supermax section
  • Dead Man Walking
    Dead Man Walking

    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....
     (1993) by Sister Helen Prejean
    Helen Prejean

    Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ is a vowed Roman Catholic Church religious sister, one of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille, who has become a leading United States advocate for the abolition of the death penalty....
    , made into
    • a film
      Dead Man Walking (film)

      Dead Man Walking is a 1995 film based on the Dead Man Walking, which tells the story of Sister Helen Prejean , who establishes a special relationship with Matthew Poncelet, a prisoner on death row ....
       (1995) starring Sean Penn
      Sean Penn

      Sean Justin Penn is an United States film actor. He is also a filmmaker and political activist. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama for his role in Mystic River and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role and Academy Awa...
       and Susan Sarandon
      Susan Sarandon

      Susan Sarandon is an Academy Award-winning American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1970, and won an Oscar for her performance in the 1995 film, Dead Man Walking ....
    • an opera
      Dead Man Walking (opera)

      Dead Man Walking is the first opera by Jake Heggie, with a libretto by Terrence McNally; it premiered on October 7, 2000 in music#Opera at the War Memorial Opera House , San Francisco Opera....
       (2000), composed by Jake Heggie
      Jake Heggie

      Jake Heggie is an United States composer and pianist.Jake Heggie is the composer of the operas Dead Man Walking , The End of the Affair , At The Statue of Venus , and To Hell and Back ....
      , and
    • a play
      Dead Man Walking (play)

      Dead Man Walking is a 2002 play written by Tim Robbins based on Dead Man Walking, a book by Helen Prejean about her experiences as a chaplain on death row....
       (2002), stage adaption by Tim Robbins
      Tim Robbins

      Timothy Francis Robbins is an Academy Award winning United States actor, screenwriter, film director, film producer, Activism and musician. He is the longtime domestic partner of actress Susan Sarandon....
  • Face/Off
    Face/Off

    Face/Off is an Academy Award-nominated 1997 in film action film directed by John Woo, starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. The two both play an Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and a terrorist, sworn enemies who assume the physical appearance of the other....
     (1997), starring John Travolta
    John Travolta

    John Joseph Travolta is a two-time Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning United States actor, dancer and singer, best known for his leading roles in films such as Saturday Night Fever, Grease and Pulp Fiction ....
     and Nicolas Cage
    Nicolas Cage

    Nicolas Cage is an United States Academy Award-winning actor, film director, and Film producer, who currently manages his own production company, Saturn Films....
  • Furnace: Lockdown (2009) by Alexander Gordon Smith
  • Ghosts... of the Civil Dead
    Ghosts... of the Civil Dead

    Ghosts... of the Civil Dead is a 1988 Australian movie directed by John Hillcoat. The script was written by Hillcoat, producer Evan English, Gene Conkie, and musicians Nick Cave and Hugo Race....
     (1988, Australia) by John Hillcoat
    John Hillcoat

    John Hillcoat is an Australian film writer and director. He has repeatedly worked with Nick Cave and also the band Depeche Mode. He also directed the music video for Maroon 5's song, Makes Me Wonder....
    , starring Vincent Gil
    Vincent Gil

    Vincent Gil is an Australian film and television actor best known for his portrayal of the character Nightrider in the 1979 film Mad Max....
    , Nick Cave
    Nick Cave

    Nicholas Edward Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, Painting, and occasional film actor. He is best known for his work in the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984 in music, who have become critically acclaimed for their fascination with American roots music....
    , and Dave Mason
    Dave Mason

    David Thomas Mason is an England musician, singer-songwriter, and guitarist from Worcester, who first found fame with the rock band Traffic . In his long career, Mason has played and recorded with many of the era's most notable musicians, including Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, George Harrison and Mama Cass...
  • Going Up the River: Travels in a Prison Nation (2001), by Joseph T. Hallinan
  • The Green Mile
    The Green Mile (book)

    The Green Mile is a 1996 in literature Serial by Stephen King. It was later republished with all six volumes in a Paperback#Trade paperback and collected in hardcover in 2000....
     serial novel (1996) by Stephen King
    Stephen King

    Stephen Edwin King is an United States author of contemporary horror fiction, fantasy fiction and science fiction.Having sold an estimated List of bestselling fiction authors of his books, King is best known for his work in horror fiction, in which he demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the genre's history....
    , made into a film
    The Green Mile (film)

    The Green Mile is a 1999 in film Cinema of the United States drama film directed by Frank Darabont and Film adaptation by him from the 1996 in literature Stephen King The Green Mile ....
     (1999) starring Tom Hanks
    Tom Hanks

    Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American film actor, film director, voice-over artist, writer and film producer. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies before achieving success as a dramatic actor portraying several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia , the title role in Forrest Gump, Commander J...
  • The Life of David Gale
    The Life of David Gale

    The Life of David Gale is an United Statesn drama film. Kevin Spacey stars as the titular college professor and active opponent of death penalty, whose life is turned upside down when he's falsely accused of rape a student....
     (2003) by Charles Randolph, starring Kate Winslet
    Kate Winslet

    'Kate Elizabeth Winslet' is an English people Actor and occasional singing. She is noted for having played diverse characters over her career, but probably best-known for her critically acclaimed performances as Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility , Titanic #Cast in Titanic , Clementine Kruczynski in Eternal Sunshine of the Sp...
    , Kevin Spacey
    Kevin Spacey

    Kevin Spacey is an American character actor, film director, screenwriter, film producer, and crooner. He grew up in California, and began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, before being cast in supporting roles in film and television....
     and Laura Linney
    Laura Linney

    Laura Leggett Linney is an American actress. Throughout her career in film, television, and theatre, Linney has won three Emmy Award Awards, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award Award and has also been nominated for three Oscars and a BAFTA Award....
  • Lost Highway
    Lost Highway

    Lost Highway is a 1997 psychological thriller directed by David Lynch. It is arguably an example of contemporary film noir, but with surrealism imagery and themes....
     (1997) by David Lynch
    David Lynch

    David Keith Lynch is an United States film director, screenwriter, Film producer, Painting, cartoonist, composer, video artist and performance artist....
    , 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
    Oz (TV series)

    Oz was an United States television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes. It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by Home Box Office....
     (1997–2003), an HBO TV series created by Tom Fontana
    Tom Fontana

    Tom Fontana is an United States writer and television producer....
     and produced by Barry Levinson
    Barry Levinson

    Barry Levinson is an Academy Award-winning United States screenwriter, film director, actor, and Film producer of film and television....
  • Up the Ridge (2006), a TV documentary by Amelia Kirby and Nick Szuberla
  • 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 featured a supermax facility
  • Law and Order: Special Victims Unit episode 189 (Svengali), Made reference to the ADMAX facility in Florence, Colorado
    Florence, Colorado

    The City of Florence is a Colorado municipalities#Statutory_City located in Fremont County, Colorado, Colorado, United States. The population was 3,653 at the United States Census 2000....
    .
  • Through the Wire (1990), documentary directed by Nina Rosunblum, narrated by Susan Sarandon
    Susan Sarandon

    Susan Sarandon is an Academy Award-winning American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1970, and won an Oscar for her performance in the 1995 film, Dead Man Walking ....
     and Dean Irby
  • Heroes
    Heroes (TV series)

    Heroes is an American science fiction dramatic programming created by Tim Kring, which premiered on NBC on September 25, 2006. The series tells the stories of ordinary individuals from around the world who inexplicably develop Superpower , and their roles in preventing disasters, usually foreseen in images produced by precognitive painter...
     (2008), a sci-fi television series features a maximum security prison for evolved humans who have committed extreme crimes and are deemed dangers to society named Level 5.
  • Felon (2008), a film about a family man's life in a SHU after being convicted of murdering an intruder in his home.


See also

  • List of prisons
    List of prisons

    This page provides a list of prisons by country....
  • Maximum Security Prisons in the United States (Supermax)
    Prisons in the United States

    Prisons in the United States are operated under strict authority of both the Federal government of the United States and U.S. state governments as incarceration is a concurrent power under the Constitution of the United States....
  • Panopticon
    Panopticon

    The Panopticon is a type of prison building designed by English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in 1785. The concept of the design is to allow an observer to observe all prisoners without the prisoners being able to tell whether they are being watched, thereby conveying what one architect has called the "sentiment of an inv...
  • Solitary confinement
    Solitary confinement

    Solitary confinement, colloquially referred to in American English as "the hole", lockdown, M2030D, "the SHU" or "the pound" , is a punishment or special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is denied contact with any other persons, excluding members of prison staff....
  • State hospital for the criminally insane
  • Article 41-bis prison regime
    Article 41-bis prison regime

    The article 41-bis of the Italian Penitentiary Act allows the Minister of Justice or the Minister of the Interior to suspend certain prison regulations....
     the Italian high security treatment for Mafiosi and terrorists


External links