How do supermax prisons operate differently from other prisons? ...

[Charlie]

How do supermax prisons operate differently from other prisons? What concerns have been raised concerning their alleged effects on inmates, constitutionality, and public safety?
 
  What will be an ideal response

Question 2

What is a direct supervision jail, and how does it differ in design and function from traditional jails?
 
  What will be an ideal response

[cat123]

Answer to Question 1

Supermax inmates rarely leave their cells; in most cases, an hour a day of out-of-cell time is the norm. They eat all of their meals alone in the cells, and typically no group or social activity of any kind is permitted; they are generally denied access to vocational or educational training programs. Inmates can exist for many years separated from the natural world around them. There are social pathology and potential effect on inmates' mental health, however; as inmates face greater restrictions and social deprivations, their level of social withdrawal increases. Whether or not the conditions of confinement constitute cruel and unusual punishment is another consideration, as well as whether the potential long-term, negative effects of supermax institutions on inmates will contribute to future violence because the inmates begin to lose touch with reality and exhibit symptoms of psychiatric decomposition.

Answer to Question 2

First, the physical environment is different. In traditional jails, cells are arranged linearly along a corridor, with officers separated from inmates by bars, glass, or other physical barriers. Officers must patrol halls where their line of sight into each cell is severely restricted. In the direct supervision jail, inmates are separated into relatively small groups (usually 50 or less), housed in self-contained living units including several one- to two-person cells, a day room, and recreation space. These units, or pods, usually are triangular or wedge-shaped so that jail officers have a direct line of sight into all areas of the pod at all times. The direct supervision philosophy has officers stationed within the living area with no physical barriers to separate them from inmates. In these units, officers maintain a constant physical presence, but they also interact extensively with inmates.