Supermax Prison Research Paper

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Supermax prisons are designed to house those offenders who are deemed the worst of the worst, either by committing extremely violent and heinous crimes or by being disruptive and violent in a non-supermax prison (Mears, 2005). Supermax prisons are designed to limit inmate contact with other inmates and even prison staff by keeping the inmate confined to their cell for most of the day (Schmalleger, 2015). Supermax inmates are allowed one hour of recreational time by themselves. What can inmates do to work their way out of a supermax facility? Due to inmates limited ability to interact with other inmates, there is limited opportunities to get into trouble; therefore, it is also hard to show an improvement in ones attitude. For an inmate to work …show more content…

Supermax inmates are allowed one hour of recreational time by themselves. What can inmates do to work their way out of a supermax facility? Due to inmates limited ability to interact with other inmates, there is limited opportunities to get into trouble; therefore, it is also hard to show an improvement in ones attitude. For an inmate to work their way out of a supermax facility, they more often than not have to flatten their time. Studies conducted on the effects of long term solitary confinement have shown evidence of acute sensory deprivation, paranoid delusional belief system, irrational fears of violence, resentment, inability to control rage, and mental breakdowns (Schmalleger, 2015). Supermax facility staff may experience more favorable working conditions, improving job satisfaction and turnover rate. This is due in part to more restricted interaction with inmates and a more predictable work environment (Mears, 2006). However, the limited interaction also breeds tension between inmates and staff causing resistance between the two during