The kind of prison you or a loved one will end up in may be a concern for you if you have a federal prison sentence. Federal prisons are classified into five security levels: minimum, low, medium, high, and administrative. Depending on the risk and needs of the inmates, each level has different characteristics and limitations. This article will concentrate on the maximum security level: the highest security prisons.
The most dangerous and violent offenders in the federal system are housed in maximum security prisons, which are also called penitentiaries. These inmates are serving long sentences or life imprisonment for serious crimes, such as murder, terrorism, espionage, or sex offenses. Some of them may also be on death row, waiting for their execution.
Maximum security prisons have the most restrictive and secure environment, with high walls, razor wire, guard towers, and electronic surveillance. The inmates are confined to their cells for most of the day, with limited movement and activities. The staff-to-inmate ratio is high, and the security measures are strict.
In Florida, there are two maximum security prisons, both located in the Federal Correctional Complex, Coleman (FCC Coleman). Near Wildwood, in unincorporated Sumter County, Florida, is FCC Coleman Correctional Facility, a United States federal prison complex for male inmates. It is run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), which is a division of the United States Department of Justice.
The facility is located in central Florida, approximately 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Orlando, 60 miles (97 km) northeast of Tampa, and 35 miles (56 km) south of Ocala. 846 NE 54th Ter, Coleman, FL 33521 is the location of the complex. The complex has 1,600 acres (650 ha) of space. The complex, the largest correctional facility operated in the nation, houses 7,120 prisoners altogether, and 1,300 employees, as of 2010, making it one of the county’s largest employers. Most prisoners, with the exception of prisoners housed at United States Coleman Penitentiary 1, are sentenced for drug-related crimes, and had not been convicted of violent acts. According to Rachel Monroe of The Atlantic, the prison has held several unusual or notable criminals.
Prisoners housed at FCC Coleman Florida prison are all male. The prisoners on average have sentences of 10 years. Female prisoners, which previously were held at the adjacent satellite prison camp, had been raped by staff, and widespread sexual abuse has been tolerated, according to press reports. Due to lack of evidence, prosecutors have been unable to prosecute cases against the employees.
The complex consists of four facilities: Federal Correctional Institution, Coleman Low (FCI Coleman Low): a low-security facility. Federal Correctional Institution, Coleman Medium (FCI Coleman Medium): a medium-security facility with an adjacent satellite prison camp for minimum-security inmates. United States Penitentiary I, Coleman (USP Coleman 1): a high-security facility. United States Penitentiary II, Coleman (USP Coleman 2): a high-security facility.