How lifers sit in American prisons (9 photos)

It should be clarified right away: the conditions of the main punishment vary from state to state. And yes, there is no such thing as life imprisonment in the US legal system.





All the terms of punishment are simply added up. For example, you killed one person - here you go, twenty years. It turns out that you killed a second poor guy along the way - get another twenty. That is, a hardened criminal, according to local laws, can be given a couple of hundred years in prison - after serving your time, get out, my dear friend, to freedom with a clear conscience! :)



And after serving most of the first twenty, you can technically apply for parole. But you still won't be free - even if approved, you just start serving the next twenty, then the next and the next terms :)

As a clear example, let's take the currently maximum strict prison "Florence" (ADX Florence) of the Supermax level (the strictest regime) in the state of Colorado. A sort of overseas analogue of our "Black Dolphin", territorially located in the very "heart of victorious democracy".





"Florence" is unofficially considered one of the most secure prisons in the world. It is designed for about 400 inmates. Since 1994, the most dangerous criminals have been sitting here - from maniacs to terrorists and leaders of criminal cartels.

The prison itself looks like a fortress. Tall fences, towers, continuous barbed wire. An electric fence where you can easily get shocked, so you'll fly to hell. Movement from building to building is only through special corridors.



The prisoners are dressed in orange overalls - so that the guards can immediately clearly notice them. They are given a rubber mug and rubber slippers. The food is quite good: but all dishes are only in the form of porridge or puree, so that the prisoner cannot harm himself.

The prisoners languish in small cells (no bigger than some toilets) for one person. There are usually no windows in the cells - perhaps one blind one. In the cell there is a concrete bunk resembling a podium. The table and chair are also made of concrete. Toilet, washbasin, shower. Moreover, the water is turned off by a timer - so that the prisoner cannot cause a flood.

By the way, the toilet is located just a meter from the bed. That is, you are sitting in a toilet with a bed, essentially.



Reconstruction of a cell in ADX Florence

The lights turn on automatically at 5.30 in the morning. And they turn off only after about 22.00. After turning on the lights, there is a scheduled check. The prisoner is required to stand up to his full height to show the guards that he is alive.

If the regime suddenly allows it, you can get a TV in your cell, on which you can watch religious or educational programs. The building itself is deathly silent. Cameras and motion sensors are installed everywhere - not a single mouse can run past, not a single fly can fly past.



The inmates almost never leave their cells - there is no mandatory work on sewing mittens. The prisoners sit most of the time around the clock alone with their thoughts, only occasionally seeing the hands of the duty food delivery man. Who, by the way, according to the instructions, has no right to talk to them.

Visits are prohibited. However, you can call your family or lawyer on the phone at a specially designated hour. However, in exchange for a conversation, they will take away an hour-long walk in the prison yard, 10 by 10 steps, which resembles an iron bag.



There is a punishment cell where there is literally nothing and nothing is allowed. And yes, even journalists can't just get in here. You can only get in here if you are a prisoner or a prison employee.



The area around the prison is patrolled 24 hours a day by an armed convoy with service dogs. And the prisoners themselves are essentially subjected to a terrible psychological experiment - how much can a person endure without communicating with anyone like themselves.

It is interesting that not only those convicted of serious crimes for hundreds of years can end up in Florence. But also those who received only a couple of years in the zone - if they violated the prison regime too often. That is, a person sentenced to six months can end up serving out his last 2-3 months here.

Florence's most famous clients include the organizer of September 11, Zacarias Moussaoui, former FBI agent Robert Hanssen, who passed secret American documents to the USSR, CIA agent Harold Nicholson, who was caught collaborating with intelligence. And other extremely dangerous individuals from the point of view of American justice.