Supermax Prisons

Abstract

After the rehabilitative era of the 1960s and 1970s there was a demand for a more punitive criminal justice system. As a result, tougher laws, greater enforcement, and longer sentences led to a vast increase in the American prison population. In an effort to combat prison violence and riots, super‐maximum (supermax) facilities were constructed. The establishment of modern supermax facilities in American prisons has been riddled with controversy regarding their cost, effectiveness, and psychological harm to inmates.