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For the band Supermax, see Supermax (band). Supermax is a project of the Austrian musician and producer Kurt Hauenstein, best known for " Love Machine " a 1979 German number four single that
For the third book of the CHERUB series, see CHERUB. CHERUB is a series of young adult books written by the author Robert Muchamore.

Supermax is the name used to describe "control-unit" prisons, or units within prisons, which represent the most secure levels of custody in some countries' prison systems. A prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned and usually deprived of a range of

Contents

History

An early form of supermax-style prison unit appeared in Australia in 1975, when "Katingal" was built inside the Long Bay Correctional Centre in Sydney. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Long Bay Correctional Complex is located in the suburb of Malabar in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Dubbed the "electronic zoo" by inmates, "Katingal" was a super-maximum prison block with 40 prison cells having electronically-operated doors, surveillance cameras, and no windows. It was closed down two years later over human rights concerns, and was finally demolished in late 2006. Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled

The term "supermax", however, originated in the United States as a contraction of "super-maximum," and the concept developed from the 23-year lockdown of the U.S. Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois. 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 The United States Penitentiary is a medium-security Prison located in Marion, Illinois. Marion is the second largest city in Southern Illinois and serves as the region's largest retail trade center The lockdown, which began in 1983 and lasted until September 2006, was initiated when two corrections officers at that prison were murdered by inmates in two separate incidents on the same day. A corrections officer, correctional officer, detention officer, jail guard, prison guard, prison warder, or prison officer Since then, some maximum security prisons have gone to full lockdown as well, while others have been built and dedicated to the Supermax standard.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons solitary confinement units are known as Special Housing Units (SHU). FBOP redirects here For the bank holding company see FBOP Corporation. [1]

There is a nationwide trend in the United States to downgrade Supermax prisons, as has been done with the infamous Wallens Ridge State Prison, a former-supermax prison in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Wallens Ridge State Prison is a state prison located in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Big Stone Gap is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. Other Supermax prisons that have gained notoriety for their harsh conditions and attendant litigation by inmates and advocates are the former Boscobel (in Wisconsin), now named the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility, Red Onion (in Western Virginia, the twin to Wallens Ridge), Tamms (in Illinois), and the Ohio State Penitentiary. The Ohio State Penitentiary is a 502-inmate capacity Supermax Prison in Youngstown Ohio, designed to hold the state's most dangerous prisoners who Placement policies at the Ohio facility were recently the subject of a U.S. Supreme Court case (Wilkinson v. Austin) [2] where the Court decided that there had to be some, but only very limited, due process involved in Supermax placement. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. In Wilkinson v Austin,, the Supreme Court held that while the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment gives rise to a liberty interest in

There is only one supermax prison in the United States federal system, ADX Florence in Florence, Colorado. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX in Florence CO 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 in California and Tamms in Illinois. Pelican Bay State Prison is a California State Prison that houses some of California 's most dangerous inmates The Tamms Correctional Center is a Prison located in Alexander County Illinois north of Tamms Illinois. The USP in Marion, Illinois, was recently downgraded to a medium security facility. The United States Penitentiary is a medium-security Prison located in Marion, Illinois.

In September 2001, Australia opened a facility in the Goulburn Correctional Centre to the supermax standard. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Goulburn Correctional Centre is an Australian maximum security male prison located in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. 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 national security, who, if allowed to mix with the general population, would be at risk of inciting terrorism.

Prisoner life

In SHU, prisoners are generally allowed out of their cells for only an hour a day; often they are kept in solitary confinement. Solitary confinement, colloquially referred to in American English as "the hole" or "the pound" (or in British English "the block" is a Punishment They receive their meals through ports also known as "wickets" in the doors of their cells. When Supermax inmates are allowed to exercise, this may take place in a small, enclosed area where the prisoner will exercise alone.

Prisoners are under constant surveillance, usually with closed-circuit television cameras. Surveillance is the monitoring of Behavior. Systems surveillance is the process of monitoring the behavior of people objects or processes within systems for conformity Closed-circuit television ( CCTV) is the use of Video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place limited set of monitors 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[3] that the living conditions in such facilities violate the United States Constitution, specifically, the Eighth Amendment's proscription against "cruel and unusual" punishments. The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. In 1996, a United Nations team assigned to investigate torture described SHU conditions as "inhuman and degrading". The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security [4]

A Supermax prison intended to fulfill such a role is the Federal ADMAX, or administrative maximum security, prison in Florence, Colorado, west of Pueblo. The United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX in Florence CO The City of Florence is a Statutory City located in Fremont County, Colorado, United States. The City of Pueblo (ˈpwɛbloʊ is a Home Rule Municipality that is the County seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County There, the U. S. government houses a number of convicted terrorists, gang leaders and similar prisoners; al-Qaeda terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui was sentenced to life without parole at Florence upon his conviction on May 4, 2006. Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa`ida or al-Qa`idah, ( Arabic:; ar-Latn ''al-qāʿidah'' Translation: The Zacarias Moussaoui ( Arabic: زكريا موسوي; born May 30 1968 is a French citizen who was convicted of conspiring to kill citizens Events 1256 - The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Residents also include Theodore Kaczynski, a terrorist otherwise known as the Unabomber who once attacked via mail bombs, Robert Hanssen, American FBI Agent turned Soviet spy, Terry Nichols, an accomplice to the Oklahoma City bombing, and Richard Reid, an Islamic fundamentalist jailed for life for attempting to detonate explosive materials in his shoes while on board an aircraft. Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion Robert Philip Hanssen (born April 18, 1944) is a former American FBI agent who spied for the Russian KGB against the United Terry Lynn Nichols (born April 1, 1955) is a US Army veteran who was convicted of being an accomplice of Timothy McVeigh, the man convicted The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist attack on April 19 1995 aimed at the U Background A British citizen born in Bromley, South London and educated at Thomas Tallis School in Kidbrooke, London For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Fundamentalism refers to a "deep and totalistic commitment" to a belief in and strict adherence to a set of basic principles (often Religious in nature a reaction An explosive material is a material that either is chemically or otherwise Energetically unstable or produces a sudden expansion of the material usually accompanied A shoe is an item of Footwear. Shoes may vary from a simple Flip-flop to a complex Boot.

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.

Maximum security prisons in other countries

Well-known supermax inmates

Books and media portraying maximum security units

See also

References

  1. ^ "USP McCreary, Visiting Regulations" accessed May 1, 2008 http://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/mcr/MCR_visit_hours.pdf
  2. ^ Wilkinson v. Austin 04-495 (2005), Link to case text
  3. ^ PrisonActivist.org – California's Security Housing Units
  4. ^ Paglen.com – Security Housing Unit
  5. ^ Federal Bureau of Prisons
  6. ^ Skiba, Katherine M. Susan Sarandon (born Susan Abigail Tomalin; October 4 1946 is an American Actress. This page provides a list of Prisons by country Algeria Serkadji prison Australia Prisons in the United States are operated under strict authority of both the federal and state governments as Incarceration is a Concurrent power The Panopticon is a type of Prison building designed by English architect Jeremy Bentham in 1785 Solitary confinement, colloquially referred to in American English as "the hole" or "the pound" (or in British English "the block" is a Punishment A psychiatric hospital (previously called insane asylum, mental hospital; or derogatorily looney bin, nut house or Funny Farm) is 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 In Wilkinson v Austin,, the Supreme Court held that while the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment gives rise to a liberty interest in . "State sending officials to prison to bring home ideas", The Milwaukee Journal, 1995-04-02. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Events 68 - Galba, Governor of Hispania, names himself legatus senatus populique Romani, breaking the line of Retrieved on 2007-12-21. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian  

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