The five most brutal prisons in the U.S.
Prisons are brutal by design, but these five are the worst of the worst
Quick notes:
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The United States has the world’s highest incarceration rate, with over 2 million currently locked up across the country
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Maximum security prisons offer little time outside of cells and minimal contact with other human beings
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Over 80,000 prisoners are being held in some form of isolation in both state and federal prisons
Author Conrad Black said, “All emphasis in American prisons is on punishment, retribution, and disparagement, and almost none is on rehabilitation.” While not all would agree with his statement, the United States of America does boast the world’s highest rate of incarceration.
As of 2016, there were nearly 2.2 million adults in the nation’s prisons and jails and census data indicates that over 80,000 of them are held in solitary confinement.
For the millions of people stuck behind bars, day-to-day life can be a struggle just to stay safe and get basic necessities. Doing time shouldn’t be a fight for survival but, sadly, it often is — and while every prison or jail can have its downsides, some are notoriously brutal. When it comes to American correctional facilities, these five are the worst of the worst:
The United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility
Known as “ADX”, and nicknamed the “Alcatraz of the Rockies”, the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado is among America’s toughest prisons.
As the country’s only federal supermax prison, ADX can house up to 500 people — dangerous men who can’t be held in more traditional cell blocks. It is currently the home to Ted Kaczynski (the Unabomber) and Timothy McVeigh (the Oklahoma City bomber), as well as several other notorious criminals.
In 2012, 11 ADX inmates brought a lawsuit against the Bureau of Prisons. In part, the complaint stated, “Prisoners interminably wail, scream and bang on the walls of their cells. Some mutilate their bodies with razors, shards of glass, writing utensils and whatever other objects they can obtain . . . oblivious to the reality and the danger that such behavior might pose to themselves and anyone who interacts with them.”
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison in Marin County, California, is home to the state’s only death row for male inmates and the largest death row in the United States. The more than 700 prisoners currently awaiting execution will likely face lethal injection, as the prison’s gas chamber hasn’t been used since 1996. Sometimes, however, prisoners choose to commit suicide rather than sit in limbo and wait.
Because of the state’s moratorium on executions, those on death row are left to just bide their time — and San Quentin isn’t exactly a nice place to hang out. The prison was built over a hundred years ago and the decrepit cells (that are just 48 square feet) still need to be opened and closed with a key. Convicted double murderer Mila Johnson describes it as, “Very minimal human contact, conditions-not that good.”
Idaho Correctional Center
Run by Corrections Corporation of America, the world’s largest private prison company, ICC is nicknamed “gladiator school” due to its rampant gang violence and chronic understaffing. According to a 2010 lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Idaho, the violence is condoned and promoted by prison staff. Though the suit was settled, it appears that the CCA isn’t holding up its promise for increased staffing and better training.
For the millions of people stuck behind bars, day-to-day life can be a struggle just to stay safe and get basic necessities.
In 2014, the FBI got involved and started investigating the company running the prison. CCA acknowledged that they had understaffed the facility for thousands of hours and that employees sometimes falsified reports to cover up vacancies. Even worse? Guards often pulled 48-hour shifts in order to help the facility meet its minimum staffing requirements.
Sing Sing
In use since 1826, Sing Sing is one of the oldest penal institutions in the United States… and one of the most infamous. The maximum-security prison is located in Ossining, New York, and operated by the New York State Department of Corrections. Its population is largely made up of people who have committed violent crimes — nearly a third of whom are serving time for murder. Charles “Lucky” Luciano was a guest for a bit in 1936.
While none of that sounds particularly menacing, Sing Sing is a dangerous place for both inmates and employees. Ted Conover’s book Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing revealed that there are frequent gang fights, as well as violence between inmates and guards. The author also described a building in a heavy state of disrepair, with corridors and stairways crumbling apart and roofs that frequently leak when it rains.
Attica Correctional Facility
Often considered New York’s worst state prison, Attica has seen its share of excitement over the years. Not only has it housed inmates like David “Son of Sam” Berkowitz and Mark David Chapman, but it was the site of a brutal 1971 riot that led to the deaths of 39 people (including 10 civilians).
Since the riot, a tear gas system has been installed in the cafeteria and industry areas as a means of suppressing further uprisings. The prison now holds a variety of inmates (short-term to life), and often receives prisoners who have had disciplinary problems in other facilities. Sadly, not much has changed — according to sources, Attica is still rife with racial inequality and abuse.
A deeper dive — Related reading on the 101:
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