supermax prison

supermax prison, correctional facility, or collection of separate housing units within a maximum-security prison, in the American prison system that is designed to house both inmates described as the most-hardened criminals and those who cannot be controlled through other means. There is no uniform term used by correctional officials when referring to supermax facilities, and they are also called special housing units, intensive prison management units, maxi-maxi, secured housing units, control units, and administrative maximum units.

Supermax prisons were constructed to increase the safety of prison staff, other inmates, and the public. These facilities specialize in the secure control of inmates who have engaged in violent behaviour against other inmates or staff in another institution or who have had difficulty following the rules in lower-security prisons. Some supermax facilities also house prisoners who require protective custody or are part of a “special population” (such as death row prisoners). By 2006, 44 U.S. states contained at least one supermax prison.

Characteristics

There are certain common characteristics associated with supermax prison operations. Many supermax prisons are located in rural areas, which often pursue prison contracts because they benefit economically from supplying and staffing the prison. Inside these facilities, the design emphasizes security and control. Supermax buildings or housing units are designed to minimize inmate movement, increase the ability of correctional officers to observe inmates, and isolate the inmates from negative prison influences. They have significant architectural and technological advancements not seen in other types of correctional facilities, such as extensive use of closed-circuit television, the provision of medical and psychological treatment services via remote technology, and the use of elements of robotics to deliver food to inmates and operate cell doors. Moreover, in most supermax facilities, inmates are alone in their cells. Inmates are locked down for 23 hours a day, receive only one hour of recreation (which may or may not take place outdoors), and have limited contact with correctional staff and visitors. If visits with family or friends are allowed, these are no-contact visits that may involve video conferencing or meetings separated by a glass partition. Inmates are fed in their prison cells and rarely leave the institution, even for medical care or court appearances. The majority of supermax prisons offer very limited rehabilitative programs. When rehabilitative programming is offered, typically the service is one-on-one and conducted with bars separating the inmate from the service provider.

Origins

As of 2011, approximately 80,000 inmates in the United States resided in some form of supermax institution. The number, along with the total number of supermax facilities, continues to grow for several reasons. During the 1980s there was a significant increase in prison violence, riots, and correctional staff killed by inmates housed in maximum-security facilities. The federal penitentiary in Marion, Illinois, considered by many to be the first supermax prison, experienced significant inmate violence, which resulted in the death of two correctional officers in 1983. As a result, the correctional staff placed inmates on 23-hour-per-day lockdown and implemented numerous other policies restricting inmate movement and outside contact. Other states modeled their supermax programs after that of Marion in response to their own increases in violence and loss of control in maximum-security prisons.

At the same time, many correctional officials associated the loss of institutional control in these settings with overcrowding and the lack of options for dealing with disruptive inmates who were already serving long sentences in the most-restrictive environments then available. The creation of additional supermax units received widespread public support because of “tough on crime” (that is, pro-punishment) attitudes that were prevalent during the 1980s.

Related issues

Several problematic areas related to incarceration in supermax prisons have emerged. The extreme isolation of supermax life increases mental health problems (e.g., depression, suicide, and violent tendencies) among inmates rather than reducing problematic behaviours. Some critics of supermax facilities noted that, as correctional agencies struggled to fill beds in supermax prisons, these agencies began to house in this more-restrictive environment inmates who are not necessarily disciplinary problems. For example, several states now house or intend to house members of special populations, such as inmates who are HIV-positive, mentally ill, or on death row, in supermax facilities. Inmate gang members, regardless of whether they have been disruptive, are also being placed in supermax prisons.

Critics of supermax prisons point out that these facilities are more expensive than housing inmates in regular maximum-security prisons. Although many critics argue that the prisons represent a violation of inmate rights and constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment, supporters of supermax prisons continue to assert that, regardless of cost or other negative consequences for inmates, these prisons increase the safety and security of inmates, staff, and society.