Prisons play a decisive role in reeducating all those that have chosen a negative path in their lives. Throughout hundreds of years, prisons have evolved from a traditional point of view and also as a popular culture, becoming the topic for many movies and books. Depending on the severity of the action performed by a certain individual, he is convicted to a juvenile prison, a psychiatric prison or a minimum, medium, or high security prison.
But the question now becomes: where do the most notorious and dangerous criminals in the world are sent to? Where do rapists, serial murderers and child molesters spend their eternity? The system must create and make sure that there are facilities where they can be put in and remain imprisoned without the possibility of returning in our society.
For all these questions, there is an answer: the Super-max high security prisons. These are extremely secluded, the information doesn’t come in or out with ease, and the ruthless criminals are kept inside with specific rules and minimum necessities. The conditions inside are dreadful, some of the prisoners say they went to hell, but in the end they only receive what they have given.
Although there is quite a large number of maximum security prisons in the world, there are a few that are the most intimidating, dreadful and secluded. Here is the top 10 high-security prisons worldwide.
10
Diyarbakir Prison – Turkey
On many occasions this famous prison was accused for violation human rights and for the atrocities that occurred in that facility. Due to the extreme torture, physical and mental, practiced by the guards, in just 3 years, 34 prisoners died.
Here, the unlivable conditions and the sexual abuse that prisoners go through, among other, has made this prison be one of the most horrific and disgusting facilities in the world, and has made his prisoners attempt violent actions on themselves just to be able to get out of there. Prisoners set fire to themselves, entered hunger strikes and even committed suicide just so they can get out of the hell-hole known as the Diyarbakir Prison.
Another sadistic aspect about the Diyarbakir Prison is that it has no problem incarcerating young children along with hard and violent criminals, sentencing them for life.
9
Tadmor Military Prison – Syria
This prison is so secure that it actually has no ground access gate, just an underground tunnel, thus making it impossible to escape. Even if crawling isn’t actually a problem, the laser beams activated throughout the property will definitely make even the most daring prisoner think twice about his chances of success.
Once the prisoners are inside the facility, heavy chains are tied to them and the living conditions are inhumane, to say the least. Prisoners are regularly beaten up by guards equipped with metal rods, executions are a common event and the strange thing about the prisoners is that just a small percentage are actually criminals, the rest are regular people that were incarcerated because they do not agree with the Syrian government.
The Tadmore Military Prison was brought to the public attention in 1980 when an attack was launched on President Hafez al-Assad. The President survived the attack, but ordered the guards of Tadmore Prison to kill every inmate as retaliation. This massacre took almost 2 weeks and it was reported that between 800 and 2,400 inmates were killed.
In 2001 the prison was shut down, but unfortunately, in 2011 it was reopened, at it is still as inhumane and oppressive as always.
8
Camp Delta – United States
This facility is actually located in the famous Guantanamo Bay, and even though it is in Cuba, it officially belongs to the United States. This is among the most famous prisons in the world, as it was known for housing and interrogating suspected terrorists that were Al Qaeda members.
Back in the days, torture was a common reaction on behalf of the guards, but as the years passed, it was eliminated. Today, there are 12 guards per prisoner, so the chances of escaping are close to zero. In the even that a prisoner might find a way to escape, there is another huge obstacle blocking his success: outside Camp Delta there is an American military base. There is no place to hide.
7
Fuchu Prison – Japan
One of the largest prisons in Japan, this facility is fully equipped with the latest high-tech equipment and the newest surveillance gadgets. Prisoners have no chance of doing even the slightest wrong movement. If there is even the tiniest sign that a prisoner might have escaped or is trying to escape, one of the most impressive and sophisticated emergency alarm systems will be activated.
The prison is famous for the fact that hard labor sentences are given to the inmates, besides the cruel and brutal, physical and mental abuse that is applied daily by the guards. The facility has no air or heating system, frostbites being a common illness during the winter.
6
La Sabaneta Prison – Venezuela
Venezuela is a country known for the extreme conditions in prisons, for the violence and unlivable conditions. From this point of view, La Sabaneta Prison is the absolute worst. There are almost no medical services, the food is in short demand, the staff is unpaid and the diseases are at home.
Throughout the years, cholera has killed more that 700 inmates and in 1994, a cruel massacre has killed 100 inmates. Death is a common factor in this prison where no activities are allowed, thus making both inmates and guardians to recur to other means of distraction, some of them being quite violent. Prisoners fight with each other, create different types of deadly weapons that are used to kill other inmates. It is the law of the jungle: the toughest survives.
5
Souza Barabowski Center – United States
Located in Massachusetts, this high-security prison is impossible to escape from. A highly advanced surveillance system was developed by a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T) allowing the guards to observe and record absolutely every movement that each inmate does, second by second, in even the most secluded angles of the prison.
All doors are controlled electronically, the cells are controlled day and night, and even the outdoor perimeter is closely watched. It’s like a Big Brother system that is with every single prisoner day and night. There is no chance of escaping.
4
Federal Correctional Complex (Terre Haute) – United States
This prison is a maximum security facility that has electronic surveillance and just a short number of guards. Every action needed is done through the electronic system, from closing the doors to checking each and every single prisoner. All cameras have 360 degree angles, so there are no corners unsupervised. Besides the high tech surveillance there are also motion detector sensors located in certain points of the prison, making the escape impossible. Other technologies implemented in this prison are the face recognition technology and the biometric lock attached at every cell.
The Federal Correctional Complex is known as the most high-tech prison facility in the world.
3
La Sante Prison – France
La Sante actually means health, ironically, right? In this prison, the inmates live in inhumane conditions, between cold concrete walls along with lice and disgusting rats. It is like a torture facility able to make even the strongest person lose his senses. In 2002, 122 inmates committed suicide and in 2003, 73 of them died.
No one can escape from La Sante Prison, and as an example to prove this affirmation, a few years ago, a few inmates tried to escape by using the only possible way out, the drainage system. They were caught by the guards and they got trapped inside the pipes. They died from suffocation.
2
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary – United States
Although the prison closed down in 1963, its legend goes one. It was a true fortress located on an island and escaping from there meant that the weak inmate had to swim 1.5 miles to the closest shore. A few of America’s most renowned criminals were incarcerated here: Al Capone, Rafael Miranda, Machine Gun Kelly and even Whitey Bulger.
It was also known as “The Rock” or “Devil’s Island” and throughout its existence, 14 attempts of escape were made out of which only 5 were unaccounted, believing that those people have drowned.
The prison was closed down in 1963 due to its bad reputation (abuse and violence) and also due to the high maintenance costs.
1
ADX Florence – United States
Without a doubt, this prison located in Colorado is the most high-security prison in the world. The inmates are never allowed to get out of their cells and there is no direct access going to the cells. Due to the high security rules and difficult conditions, a prisoner should consider himself a lucky man if he manages to see, even for a second, the sun.