The newest federal prison has become one of the deadliest (2024)

NPR's Investigative Unit teamed up with The Marshall Project to look at a penitentiary in Thomson, Ill., that is one of the country's most violent and dangerous federal prisons.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

We turn now to NPR reporting on one of the most violent and deadly federal prisons in the country. NPR's Joseph Shapiro and Christie Thompson with the Marshall Project investigated a string of killings at the penitentiary in Thomson, Ill. Here's Joseph with our report.

JOSEPH SHAPIRO, BYLINE: Sue Phillips thinks prison guards had to know what was going to happen when they put her son, Matthew, into a recreation cage with two members of a white supremacist prison gang. Matt was Jewish.

SUE PHILLIPS: He got a Star of David tattooed on his chest.

SHAPIRO: His mother says he wasn't particularly observant. But being Jewish was part of his identity, like that tattoo.

PHILLIPS: Sort of right in the middle of his upper chest, sort of on, like, the breastbone area, and it was just a large Star of David. You could not miss it.

SHAPIRO: And you couldn't miss that the two men let into the rec cage that morning were white supremacists. Their tattoos showed they were members of a prison gang called the Valhalla Bound Skinheads.

PHILLIPS: They had white supremacy markings on their shoes.

SHAPIRO: This is all from the federal indictment of the two men.

PHILLIPS: They also had cells that contained Nazi memorabilia - mugs with swastikas on them, articles of literature promoting white supremacy, drawings of Hitler.

SHAPIRO: It was the morning of March 2, 2020, in the rec cage at the newest federal prison at Thomson, Ill. Matt Phillips was in college when he got addicted. He went to prison for selling heroin. Brandon Simonson and Kristopher Martin were known in prison as Whitey and No Luck. And in that rec cage - which is just that, a fenced cage like a large dog kennel - those men allegedly attacked Phillips, kicking and stomping his head.

PHILLIPS: There was a reference in the indictment that said they continued to kick him in the head repeatedly, even when he became defenseless and even when the guard shouted stop. What, if anything, did the guards do to stop this, besides shouting stop?

SHAPIRO: The Federal Bureau of Prisons said it can't talk about a case under litigation. NPR, working with the Marshall Project, investigated conditions at Thomson. We found it is one of the most dangerous and violent federal prisons in America. Since 2020, seven prisoners have died violently at Thomson. Matt Phillips - he was 31 - was the first to die, then Edsel Badoni and Shay Paniry, both stabbed. Boyd Weekley, Patrick Bacon - hangings. In December, Bobby Everson - another homicide.

ANGELA EVERSON: I just screamed. I mean, I couldn't believe it. I said no.

SHAPIRO: That's Angela Everson on how she reacted when she heard her nephew was killed at Thomson.

EVERSON: I had just got a letter from him. And he said, Auntie, don't go nowhere now 'cause I'm coming out. Don't go nowhere. But he wound up leaving me.

SHAPIRO: Then in March, James Everett - found unresponsive in his cell. His mother, LaVonda Clark, says her son, with his mental health problems, never should have been in Thomson.

LAVONDA CLARK: He was talking about the guards, how mean they were. It's not a good place.

SHAPIRO: The Federal Bureau of Prisons moved its special management unit to Thomson in 2019. That's a disciplinary unit that is supposed to be reserved for dangerous prisoners, ones who are gang leaders or cause violence. There was an earlier special management unit at Lewisburg, Penn. A 2016 investigation by NPR and the Marshall Project showed high rates of violence there. Then the Bureau of Prisons shut it down.

MARK DONATELLI: Lewisburg was not only a violence factory. It was a homicide factory.

SHAPIRO: That's Mark Donatelli. He's part of the Federal Death Penalty Resource Council, lawyers who represent defendants in federal death penalty cases. Donatelli says they noticed something about men who went through the special management unit, known as the SMU.

DONATELLI: We know of at least seven prisoners who came through the SMU program at Lewisburg, and within a short period of time after they're released, they were involved in homicides - most of them in prisons, one on the street. But these were prisoners who didn't have murders in their records but did shortly after the time they were released from the SMU.

SHAPIRO: Donatelli says conditions that caused violence at Lewisburg are the same or worse at Thomson. Men placed in restraints - sometimes painful four-point restraints for hours or days, something Donatelli says that's rare at other federal prisons - prisoners forced into tiny cells with men they don't get along with and locked down for 23 hours a day, men with mental health problems who don't get medications or care, a severe and stubborn staff shortage of corrections officers - these are all problems that NPR and the Marshall Project found in our investigation.

DONATELLI: This is likely another violence or homicide factory that the Bureau of Prisons is running.

SHAPIRO: Sue Phillips and her ex-husband, Matt's father, flew from Texas and found their son in the intensive care unit. Half of his skull had been removed to relieve pressure on his swollen brain. Matt was sedated, intubated, unable to breathe on his own, unable to talk. And he was...

PHILLIPS: ...Handcuffed to the bed, both arms handcuffed to the bed rails.

SHAPIRO: Her son was taken first to a small rural hospital. Doctors there said he needed to go to a trauma center. Hospital records show that prison officials refused an airlift by helicopter and sent him by ambulance instead for 90 miles. When Sue Phillips arrived, a prison official took control and warned her, don't talk to the doctors. She got just one or two 10-minute visits a day with her dying son. Two corrections officers sat outside the room.

PHILLIPS: What I clearly remember, though, was them sort of laughing and talking and sort of, you know, just fooling around with each other. And even at the end of his life, Matt was treated with such a lack of dignity.

SHAPIRO: NPR got access to a U.S. Department of Justice document that says two of the guards mocked the dying man. They told hospital staff they should just poke Matt Phillips in his exposed brain and get it over with. Someone at one of the hospitals reported the guards. The Federal Bureau of Prisons investigated. The guards denied it. We asked the Bureau of Prisons, did they punish those corrections officers? Why didn't Phillips get an air evacuation? Why was he handcuffed to the bed? The BOP said it can't talk about a case where there's pending litigation. The Phillips family is suing to try to get some answers about how their son died.

PHILLIPS: We are so outraged what happened to our son and now to learn how many times it's happened over and over again at really this house of horrors - there needs to be answers. There needs to be accountability, and it needs to stop.

SHAPIRO: The two men charged with killing Matthew Phillips pleaded not guilty. They'll go to trial maybe later this year.

Joseph Shapiro, NPR News.

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The newest federal prison has become one of the deadliest (2024)

FAQs

What is the most violent federal prison? ›

1- ADX Florence

Located in Fremont County, Colorado, it operates under the Federal Bureau of Prisons, offering an unparalleled level of custody designed for the most dangerous and high-profile inmates. Constructed in 1994 and opened a year later, ADX Florence was born out of necessity.

How did the newest federal prison become the deadliest? ›

The newest federal prison has become one of the deadliest. Multiple people claimed in federal court filings that officers stoked tensions between cellmates and intentionally paired men who they knew would attack each other.

What is the number 1 worst prison in the US? ›

ADX Florence, USA

ADX Florence, located in the United States, has earned its reputation as one of the world's worst prisons due to its exceptionally high-security measures. Commonly known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” ADX Florence houses some of the most dangerous and notorious criminals.

What state has the most murders in prisons? ›

"Alabama prisons lead the nation in: In-custody murder which is the highest rate in the nation (8 times the national average), Suicide: the highest rate in the nation (most in solitary confinement), Assaults by officers: a pervasive pattern of excessive force, Drug trafficking by prison staff, Rape: occurring “at all ...

What is the maximum security federal prison in the US? ›

The most restrictive facility in the federal prison system is USP Florence ADMAX, the federal supermax prison, which holds inmates who are considered the most dangerous and in need of the tightest controls.

What is the lowest security federal prison? ›

Minimum-Security Federal Prison Camps or Satellite Camps (FPC and SCP) prison. Most white-collar offenders serve their time inside of minimum-security camps.

What is the most common crime in federal prisons? ›

Most Common Type of Crime
Crime TypeNumber of Individuals
Drug Trafficking65,096 65,096 65,096
Firearms20,701 20,701 20,701
Sexual Abuse9,396 9,396 9,396
Robbery9,255 9,255 9,255
7 more rows

Why was Alcatraz turned into a federal prison? ›

The Federal Government found that it was more cost-effective to build a new institution than to keep Alcatraz open.

What was the most violent prison riot in US history? ›

The Attica riot was the worst prison riot in U.S. history. A total of 43 people were killed–prison guard William Quinn, the 39 killed in the raid, and three inmates killed by other prisoners early in the riot.

Which is worse, federal or state prison? ›

State prisons predominantly detain individuals convicted of violent acts like assault, rape, murder, or gun-related offenses. Federal prisons predominantly house inmates convicted of drug-related or white-collar crimes, and are generally considered safer than state prisons.

Are there secret prisons in the United States? ›

United States

CIA controlled black sites have been used by the U.S. government in its War on Terror to detain enemy combatants. US President George W. Bush acknowledged the existence of secret prisons operated by the CIA during a speech on September 6, 2006.

Which US state has the best prisons? ›

  • New Hampshire. #1 in Corrections Outcomes. #2 in Best States Overall. ...
  • Hawaii. #2 in Corrections Outcomes. ...
  • Vermont. #3 in Corrections Outcomes. ...
  • Maine. #4 in Corrections Outcomes. ...
  • Washington. #5 in Corrections Outcomes. ...
  • Massachusetts. #6 in Corrections Outcomes. ...
  • Utah. #7 in Corrections Outcomes. ...
  • New Mexico. #8 in Corrections Outcomes.

Where are the worst inmates kept? ›

Florence houses male inmates in the federal prison system deemed the most dangerous and in need of the tightest control, including prisoners whose escape would pose a serious threat to national security.

What is the #1 crime state in America? ›

1. Alaska. The most dangerous state in the US is Alaska, having the highest combined violent and property crime rate out of any state. Out of a population of 736,081, Alaska's crime rate was 32.14 per 1,000 people in 2022, making it the state with the highest crime rate.

What state has the most killers? ›

Serial Killers, State by State

It's worth noting that while these crimes evoke shock and horror, they constitute less than 1% of total homicides. Key findings from the data include: New York tops the list with 18 recorded serial killers, followed by California, which recorded 15 known serial killers.

How many federal Supermax prisons are there? ›

Supermax prison is a term for maximum security that describes the most secure prisons and prison units that house the most dangerous criminals. There is only one federal maximum-security prison in the U.S., the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX) located in Florence, Colorado.

Why do they call it Bloody Beaumont? ›

FCI Beaumont Medium

Federal Correctional Institution Beaumont Medium is a medium-security federal correctional institution located in Beaumont within FCC Beaumont. The facility began its operations in 1999 and is famously known as “Bloody Beaumont,” attributed to the institution's regular violence.

What is a famous federal prison? ›

Alcatraz Island - Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Alcatraz was probably the most famous federal prison in US history. The US government operates federal prisons to hold people convicted of violating federal laws. Alcatraz housed some of America's most notorious offenders from 1934 to 1963.

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