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. The security levels of federal prisons range from minimum to high, with an additional administrative level. 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.
The most dangerous and violent offenders in the federal system are housed in maximum security prisons, which are also called penitentiaries. These inmates are serving long sentences or life imprisonment for serious crimes, such as murder, terrorism, espionage, or sex offenses. Some of them may also be awaiting execution on death row.
The environment of maximum security prisons is the most restrictive and secure, with electronic surveillance, guard towers, razor wire, and high walls. The Coleman Florida prison inmates have limited movement and activities, and are confined to their cells for most of the day. There is a high staff-to-inmate ratio, and the security measures are tight.
Both of the maximum security prisons in Florida are located in the Federal Correctional Complex, Coleman Penitentiary (FCC Coleman). Near Wildwood, in unincorporated Sumter County, Florida, is FCC Coleman Correctional Facility, a United States federal prison complex for male inmates. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), a division of the United States Department of Justice.
The facility is situated in central Florida, about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Orlando, 60 miles (97 km) northeast of Tampa, and 35 miles (56 km) south of Ocala. The complex is located at 846 NE 54th Ter, Coleman, FL 33521. The space of the complex is 1,600 acres (650 ha). The complex, the largest correctional facility operated in the nation, houses 7,120 prisoners altogether, and 1,300 employees, as of 2010, making it one of the county’s largest employers. Most prisoners, except for those housed at United States Penitentiary Coleman 1, have been sentenced for drug-related crimes, and had not been convicted of violent acts. The prison has held several unusual or notable criminals, according to Rachel Monroe of The Atlantic.
The prisoners at FCC Coleman federal prison are all male. They have sentences of 10 years on average. 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 is made up of four facilities: A low-security facility: FCI Coleman Low (Federal Correctional Institution, Coleman Low). A medium-security facility with a satellite prison camp for minimum-security inmates adjacent to it: FCI Coleman Medium (Federal Correctional Institution, Coleman Medium). A high-security facility: USP Coleman I (United States Penitentiary I, Coleman). A high-security facility: USP Coleman II (United States Penitentiary II, Coleman).