NCJ Number
139611
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 12 Issue: 11 Dated: (May 1988) Pages: 1,4,6-8
Date Published
1988
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes the structure, conditions, and management of the Federal prison at Marion, Ill. which is reserved for inmates who are deemed too disruptive to be housed in any of the other Federal prisons.
Abstract
In addition to violent inmates, Marion houses sophisticated escape-minded inmates, gang leaders who organize illicit activities in prison, first-time court commitments for particularly heinous offenses, and the difficult inmates transferred from State or District of Columbia prisons. For the first 12 months after admission, each inmate's activities are sharply limited. Locked in a 6- foot by 9-foot cell 22 hours a day, the inmate comes out only to shower and for recreation. All meals are eaten in the cell. During this period the inmate can participate in an in-cell education program; watch a black-and-white TV set in his cell; and read newspapers, magazines, and material from the prison law library. After a year of good behavior in this restrictive regime, the inmate is moved across the hall to C-unit. Under this regime, the inmate is out of his cell 22 hours a week and begins a pre-industrial training program while earning a small wage. Meals are eaten at the dining tables on the tier outside the cell. The cell contains a color television, and space in front of the cell is sufficient for indoor recreation. On completion of a minimum of 6 months in C-unit, inmates are moved to B-unit, which operates under the regime of the other Federal prisons. This unit prepares inmates for transfer back to an open institution. Marion also has protective custody and segregation units for a small, but elite, group of men whose security factor is so high that Marion officials are reluctant to discuss them. Critics call the institution a dead end, but the warden counters by noting that more than 100 inmates are transferred from Marion each year. Of the 100, less than 5 percent return. Supporters of the Marion regime argue that the restrictive program, particularly in the first year after admission, is necessary to ensure the safety of staff and other inmates and does not constitute inhumane treatment. The courts have agreed with this argument. A segment of this article describes characteristics of Marion's correctional officers.