Supermax prisoners spend the overwhelming majority of their day in extreme isolation, confined to their cells with very limited interaction or activity.
The Routine of Extreme Confinement
The daily life for inmates in supermax facilities is characterized by severe restriction and sensory deprivation. Unlike general population prisoners, their routine offers virtually no opportunities for traditional rehabilitation, work, or social engagement.
Inside the Cell
For supermax prisoners, waking and sleeping hours are typically spent locked inside their cells. These cells are designed to maximize control and minimize contact, leading to an incredibly solitary existence.
- Constant Confinement: Prisoners remain in their small cells for almost 24 hours a day, every day.
- Restricted Environment: Cells are often small, sometimes without windows, and sealed with solid steel doors, blocking out external views and sounds.
- Lack of Stimulation: There is little to no social interaction, educational programs, work assignments, or recreational activities typically found in other correctional settings. Entertainment, if any, is usually limited to individual access to television or reading materials.
Brief Reprieves
The only times supermax prisoners are typically let out of their cells are for essential needs, which occur infrequently.
- Showers: Access to showers is limited, often occurring only a few times per week.
- Solitary Exercise: Inmates are permitted solitary exercise in a small, enclosed space, also only a few times a week. This "exercise" is typically conducted alone in a cage-like or walled outdoor area, or sometimes an indoor space, designed to prevent any contact with other prisoners.
The pervasive solitude and the highly controlled environment mean that the "day" for a supermax prisoner consists largely of the passage of time within their confined space, with minimal external stimuli or human interaction.
