You may be curious about the type of prison you or a loved one will be sent to if you are facing 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. We will examine the highest security level in this article: maximum security prisons.
Penitentiaries, or maximum security prisons, are meant to hold the most violent and dangerous offenders in the federal system. 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 awaiting execution on death row.
Maximum security prisons have the most restrictive and secure environment, with high walls, razor wire, guard towers, and electronic surveillance. 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). FCC Coleman Federal Correctional Complex is a United States federal prison complex for male inmates in unincorporated Sumter County, Florida, near Wildwood. It is run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), which is a division of the United States Department of Justice.
Approximately 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Orlando, 60 miles (97 km) northeast of Tampa, and 35 miles (56 km) south of Ocala, the facility is located in central Florida. 846 NE 54th Ter, Coleman, FL 33521 is the location of the complex. There are 1,600 acres (650 ha) of space in the complex. As of 2010, the complex houses 7,120 prisoners altogether, and 1,300 employees, and is the largest correctional facility operated in the nation, making it one of the largest employers in the county. 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. Press reports indicate female prisoners, which previously were held at the adjacent satellite prison camp, had been raped by staff, and that widespread sexual abuse has been tolerated. Prosecutors have been unable to prosecute cases against the employees due to lack of evidence.
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.
