The Highest Security Prisons in Florida
If you or a loved one is facing a federal prison sentence, you may be wondering what kind of prison you will end up in. There are five security levels for federal prisons: from minimum to high, plus administrative. The features and restrictions of each level vary according to the inmates’ needs and risk. 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. Serious crimes, such as murder, terrorism, espionage, or sex offenses, have landed these inmates in long sentences or life imprisonment. Some of them may also be on death row, awaiting execution.
With high walls, razor wire, guard towers, and electronic surveillance, maximum security prisons have the most secure and restrictive environment. For most of the day, the inmates are confined to their cells, with limited activities and movement. The security measures are strict, and the staff-to-inmate ratio is high.
Both of the maximum security prisons in Florida are located in the Federal Correctional Complex, Coleman Penitentiary (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. The complex is located at 846 NE 54th Ter, Coleman, FL 33521. The space of the complex is 1,600 acres (650 ha). 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. According to Rachel Monroe of The Atlantic, the prison has held several notable or unusual criminals. Most prisoners, except for those housed at United States Penitentiary Coleman 1, are serving sentences for drug-related crimes, and had not been found guilty of violent acts.
They are all male, the prisoners at FCC Coleman Federal Prison Florida. On average, they 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.
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