Maximum-Security Prisons in the United States

Types of Prisons Maximum-Security Prisons

Introduction to Maximum-Security Prisons

Those sentenced to serve time in maximum-security facilities are usually the most dangerous, high-risk offenders. About 15 percent of all U.S. prisons are maximum-security institutions, while one-fifth of all federal facilities in Canada are similarly designated.

Maximum-security prisons have many stringent rules and restrictions. Inmates are isolated from one another in solitary cells for long periods. Maximum-security facilities have few amenities, and the cells are sparsely furnished. Closed-circuit video cameras enable correctional officers to observe prisoners in their cells or in work areas. Many maximum-security institutions confine prisoners to their cells for 23 hours a day, allowing them out for only a short period to shower and exercise.

The U.S. penitentiaries in Leavenworth, Kansas, and Terre Haute, Indiana, are examples of federal maximum-security facilities. Maximum-security state facilities include Attica Correctional Facility in Attica, New York, Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York, and the Joliet Correctional Center in Joliet, Illinois. In Canada, maximum-security prisons include Atlantic Institution in Renous, New Brunswick, and Edmonton Institution in Edmonton, Alberta.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Maximum-Security Prisons in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Maximum-Security Prisons