Supermax Prisons

The author discusses the history and definition of extended control facilities and addresses their operational and staffing issues as well as those of siting, construction and design. He concludes that the purpose of such facilities should not be to exact additional punishment or to function as a repository for bothersome, self-destructive, mentally ill inmates or those who need protection or have an infectious disease, but should be operated with the assumption that the inmate must be denied access to people that he/she might harm, to materials with which he/she may harm self or others, or who might incite disturbances or disrupt the operation of a correctional facility. A checklist identifies important factors relevant to extended control facilities.