Top 10 Most Notorious Prisons In The U.S. (2024)

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In our continuing series focusing on the prison system in America, we bring you a list of the 10 most notorious jails in the country.

Many of these prisons on the list are familiar by name to many like Folsom, San Quentin, and ADX in Colorado to name a few.

Check out the list below.

10. United States Penitentiary Marion

Location: Marion, Illinois

Size: 1,000

Famous Inmates: Pete Rose, John Gotti, Thomas Silverstein

The U.S. Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois opened in 1963 and in 15 years became the United States highest control security prison. It became the nation’s first control unit when violence forced a long-term lockdown.

While the prison is no longer a “SuperMax,” it is one of only two prisons to have a “Communication Management Units” which is mostly comprised of mostly Arab inmates.

9. Rikers Island

Location: Queens, New York

Size: 14,000

Famous Inmates: Lil Wayne, David “Son of Sam” Berkowitz, Tupac Shakur, Plaxico Burress, DMX, Sid Vicious

Rikers Island is New York City’s main jail complex. It consists of ten jails and close to 12,000 inmates with 8,000 officers monitoring them.

The jail mostly holds local offenders, those who couldn’t post bail, and anyone serving a sentence of one year or less or waiting for a transfer.

8. Louisiana State Penitentiary

Location: Angola, Louisiana

Size: 5,000

Famous Inmates: The Angola 3

Also known as the Alcatraz of the South, the Louisiana State Penitentiary aka Angola, is the largest maximum security prison in the U.S. holding 5,000 offenders with 2,000 officers watching over them.

The State of Louisiana’s death row for men and the state execution chamber are there.

The 18,000 acre complex was once a slave plantation.

7. Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary

Location: Leavenworth, Kansas

Size: 2,000

Famous Inmates: Bugs Moran, Michael Vick, George “Machine Gun” Kelly

Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary is more than just the prison that Michael Vick served his dogfighting sentence in.

The prison is an all male, medium-security facility committed to carrying out the judgments of theFederal Courts.

The prison consists of close to 2,000 inmates.

6. Folsom State Prison

Location: Folsom, California

Size: 1,813

Famous Inmates: Suge Knight, Charles Manson, Rick James

Folsom State Prison opened in 1880 and is the second-oldest prison in the state of California. It was also the first in the country to have electricity.Folsom was one of the firstmaximum security prisons.

It’s most known for having two concerts at its facility by musician Johnny Cash in the late 1960s.

5. Attica Correctional Facility

Location: Attica, New York

Size: 2,150

Famous Inmates: Tupac Shakur, Mark David Chapman, David “Son of Sam” Berkowitz

As you can see from the list of famous inmates to stay at this prison, the supermax penitentiary has seen its share of celebrities turned bad guys and vice versa.

The prison now holds many inmates who are serving various types of sentences (short-term to life), and who are usually sent to the facility because of disciplinary problems in other facilities.

In 1971, the prison had a riot which resulted in 39 deaths after 10 guards were taken hostage. This brought the installation of a tear gas system for any violence that came in the future.

4. United States Penitentiary Atlanta

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Size: 2,000

Famous Inmates: Michael Vick, Big Meech, Bernard Madoff

A medium security prison for males in Atlanta, Georgia, USP it is primarily used as a transfer prison.

It once held many Cuban refugees from the Mariel Boatlift.

As of 2006 the prison was housing 3—5 in-transit prisoners in each approximately 56-square-foot (5.2m2) isolation cell for up to eight weeks at a time.

3. Sing, Sing

Location: Ossining, New York

Size: 1,700

Famous Inmates: Charles “Lucky” Luciano

Ossining’s original name, “Sing Sing”, came from the Native American Sinck Sinck (Sint Sinck) tribe from whom the land was purchased in 1685.

Sing Sing houses approximately 1,700 prisoners.There are plans to convert the original 1825 cell block into a museum.

Sing Sing was the third prison built by New York State.

2. San Quentin State Prison

Location: Marin County, California

Size: 3,302

Famous Inmates: Stanley “Tookie” Williams

California’s onlydeath row for male inmates, the largest in the United States, is located at the prison. It has agas chamber, but since 1996, executions at the prison have been carried out bylethal injection. It opened in July 1852 and is the oldest prison in the state.

1. ADX Florence Facility

Location: Florence, Colorado

Size: 490

Famous Inmates: Ted Kaczynski, Larry Hoover, Timothy McVeigh

TheUnited States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility is asupermax prison for men that is located inunincorporated Fremont County, Colorado,United States, south ofFlorence.It is unofficially known asADX Florence, Florence ADMAX, orTheAlcatraz of the Rockies.It is operated by theFederal Bureau of Prisons, a division of theUnited States Department of Justice. ADX, a part of theFlorence Federal Correctional Complex (FCC), houses the prisoners who are deemed the most dangerous and in need of the tightest control of all the prisoners within the United States Federal Prison System.

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Top 10 Most Notorious Prisons In The U.S. (2024)

FAQs

Where are the Supermax prisons in the US? ›

There is only one federal supermax prison in America: The United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility, also called the ADX. The ADX is located in Florence, Colorado.

What state has the most prisons top 10? ›

Texas is home to the greatest number of prisons and jails in the USA. With 313 prisons it has 110% more places of incarceration than colleges.

What are the top 10 best prisons in the world? ›

Inside the 10 most luxurious PRISONS in the world where cons get their own cottage
  1. Bastoy Prison, Norway.
  2. HMP Addiewell, Scotland. ...
  3. Otago Corrections Facility, New Zealand. ...
  4. Justice Center Leoben, Austria. ...
  5. Aranjuez Prison, Spain. ...
  6. Champ-Dollon Prison, Switzerland. ...
  7. JVA Fuhlsbuettel Prison, Germany. ...
  8. Sollentuna Prison, Sweden. ...
Sep 12, 2023

What is the toughest jail in the United States? ›

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.

Who is the most guarded prisoner in the world? ›

An autopsy later showed Clutts had been stabbed forty times. Thomas Silverstein has been locked under the tightest conditions in the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in total isolation since he murdered a correctional officer in 1983. The lights are kept on 24 hours a day in his cell.

What state has the safest prisons? ›

The two Best States for corrections are New Hampshire and Maine , which both also rank in the top three for safety. New Hampshire also ranks in the top 10 overall, as do Massachusetts and Utah , the fourth and fifth Best States for corrections, respectively.

What state locks up the most people? ›

These Are the 10 States With the Highest Incarceration Rates
  • Mississippi - 661 per 100,000.
  • Louisiana - 596 per 100,000.
  • Arkansas - 574 per 100,000.
  • Oklahoma - 563 per 100,000.
  • Idaho - 460 per 100,000.
  • Texas - 452 per 100,000.
  • Arizona - 446 per 100,000.
  • Kentucky - 437 per 100,000.
Jun 10, 2024

Which state has the most overcrowded prisons? ›

Based on the lowest capacity measure—design capacity—Alabama's prison system is the most overcrowded in the country, operating at 167.8 percent of design capacity with 21,570 people in custody.

Where is the strongest jail? ›

ADX Florence, also known as the Florence Supermax, is a formidable symbol of maximum security in the American federal prison system. 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.

Which country treats its prisoners the best? ›

Correctional facilities in Norway focus on maintaining custody of the offender and attempting to make them functioning members of society. Norway's prison system is renowned as one of the most effective and humane in the world.

How many maximum security prisons are in the US? ›

At midyear 2019, there were 1,079 public confinement facilities operated by either state or federal authorities and 82 private confinement facilities. At midyear 2019, there were 376 maximum, 451 medium, and 287 minimum security confinement facilities.

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.

Has anyone been released from ADX? ›

Al-Timimi was released from ADX on September 1, 2020; his direct appeal remains pending. Transferred to USP Hazelton. Serving a 25-year sentence; scheduled for release on January 1, 2032.

Are there any female supermax prisoners? ›

Just as an example. Yes , there is a supermax prison for female inmates known as the Federal Medical Center Carswell , located in Fort Worth , Texas . This facility is designed to house the most dangerous and high-risk female prisoners in the United States .

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