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What it's like inside the 'Alcatraz of the Rockies,' America's toughest prison
A typical cell in a General Population Unit (gen pop).
The doors in gen pop have slats, so prisoners can see outside their cells and interact.
Source: Amnesty International
Here's the Control Unit, one of the ADX's most restrictive areas along with the Solitary Housing Unit (SHU) and Range 13. The doors barely have windows.
Source: Amnesty International
Prisoners in the Control Unit exercise alone and have no contact with anyone other than staff.
Source: Amnesty International
The cells in SHU have concrete cots, adjacent to toilets, and only a small window.
Source: Amnesty International
The ADX allows gen pop prisoners up to 10 hours of out-of-cell exercise in two-hour slots five days a week, alternating between indoor and outdoor exercise. Some outdoor exercise happens in these cages.
Source: Amnesty International
These outdoor recreation cages are for prisoners in the Step Down Program, which allows inmates to transfer to less restrictive areas.
Source: Amnesty International
The outdoor recreation area in the Control Unit has only one pull-up bar.
Source: Amnesty International, New York Times
Indoor exercise for gen pop takes place in a similar space. Inmates may also have their exercise privileges suspended for up to three months at a time for minor violations, like feeding crumbs to birds.
Source: Amnesty International
During social visits, inmates use a telephone to communicate through a glass pane. Guards may shackle their ankles the entire time.
Source: Amnesty International
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