Supermax Prisons

Supermax prisons are the prisons within prisons, sites where the total lockdown of one unit or facility becomes standard daily operating procedure. These supermaximum security facilities are designed to house and manage those inmates who have displayed violent or seriously disruptive behavior while incarcerated. The basic premise of supermax is to apply the absolutely highest level of security to inmates whom the prison administration has determined are manageable only through isolation from other inmates and staff. Most U.S. states have added, or are in the process of adding, a supermax unit to preexisting institutions, or they are building entire facilities designed solely for supermax purposes, such as the federal penitentiary in Florence, Colorado. Supermax prisons fall into a wide rubric of high-security correctional measures, which include high-max; administrative segregation; administrative maximum (admax or ADX); disciplinary segregation; segregated, secured, or special housing units (SHUs); special program units (SPUs); adjustment centers; maxi-maxi; control units; special control units; management control units; lockup; lockdown; lock; solitary confinement; and the hole.

Although the implementation of supermax security represents a rapidly expanding practice, it is one that is marked by no clear consensus on its definition or the procedures for its execution and operation. The reported need for supermax facilities and units ranges widely from 0 to 20 percent of the prison system's total capacity. Primary sources estimate the number of inmates in supermax custody to range from 8 to 10 percent of the total prison population, with its application expected to increase. There are different standards and processes for both assignment and release, with considerable variation in the lengths of inmate stays in supermax settings (although the vast majority of supermax offenders will one day reenter society). There is also considerable variation in the available services and programs to the inmate and no standard for required program activities or their delivery. Finally, there is no clear standardization in the design of supermax units and facilities; designs range from thinly renovated standard cell blocks to entirely new facilities using state-of-the-art technology in security automation. In short, supermax is a practice defined by its variability.