The Florence Supermax: America's Toughest Prison
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ย. 2024
- Join the Trends Community today. Get your first 14 days for just ONE dollar. Go to trends.co/geog... to get started.
→ Subscribe for new videos two times per week.
/ @geographicstravel
Our sister channels:
Biographics - / @biographics
TopTenz - / @toptenznettop10
This video is #sponsored by Trends.
Source/Further reading:
www.bop.gov/ab...
www.sfgate.com...
www.thoughtco....
byronchristoph...
Join the Trends Community today. Get your first seven days for just ONE dollar. Go to trends.co/geographics to get started.
Simon, can we get a Geographics on Western Sahara? thank you
What they wouldn’t sponsor business blaze 😂
So what's UKs toughest prison? Simon's basement because of poor Danny?
Can't you put the adverts right at the beginning before you start?
@@neathizar9743 to uu
I like the fact that the cells are "specifically designed to prevent prisoners from escaping" - that is an interesting approach in prison building.
Funny shit. Thanks for the laugh.
And sofas are specifically designed for sitting on. What's new ?
Yeah, imagine that! ;)
I’m cracking up right now 😂😂😂
Escape: If I had a rock hammer and some time, I'd make it happen.
I was a lock design engineer that designed the locks used on the Florence facility. I was invited to tour the facility during and shortly after the construction was completed. In my career I've visited about 25 top prisons in the United States. Florence was without a doubt the most secure. It's the Rocky Mountain Alcatraz. However the scariest prison was Pelican Bay. To become a inmate at Pelican Bay you had to kill or disable a police officer or a prison guard. During my last visit to Pelican Bay I was trapped inside while a prison riot raged out of control. I had no idea who was going to be the next person to come through the door of the windowless secured room I was locked into. I've never gone to another prison since. And the smell of Pinesol soap gives me flashbacks of the 12 hours spend locked down in Pelican Bay while the clackston alarms howled and it's been almost 20 years. In my opinion suicide would be preferable to spending the rest of my life in one of these prisons.
So much 🧢 in this but whatever
@@MrDerpyBanana Yep, "you don't get it Bro", but whatever.
@@MrDerpyBanana who the fuck would “🧢” about designing a damn prison lock, plenty of other things to come up with to seem “cooler” than this I could believe it just off the pinesol reference knowing that they use the cheapest shit to make the cells smell better than the blood and piss and feces inmates end up smearing everywhere
@@lowk3ychris484 well this guy would evidently
Thanks for your opinion 👍
Richard Reid is the reason we all need to take our shoes off at airport security.
He truly deserves all of this 😐
LLololol yo this is so true. Fuck that guy.
Yes he does!! I hope they do all they can to keep him alive as long as possible in his cell. I personally want to volunteer to administer blood transfusions to keep him alive!!
@@Gemini_blue I couldn’t agree more with you my friend.
I was wearing sandals it did not even other asking yay bahamas vacation
You nailed it!!!! PERFECTLY!!!! Bravo 🙌 Bravo 👏 Bravo 🎉.
I drive past this place to go camping. It's unbelievably beautiful out there, super peaceful. And then there's all these people in there. It's a weird feeling passing it.
That feeling is the humble appreciation of the freedom you have...that situation is fairly rich in irony lol
I drove passed it three weeks on my way to go hike Humbolt. Such a strange feeling. Being on top of a 14er is the ultimate feeling of freedom. Such a stark contrast with this place.
I feel bad for the uni-bomber. They took him from his isolated shack in the mountains and put him in an isolated shack in the mountains, but with free living expenses.
best sarcasm ever. lol
I lost my virginity to a chick who later became pen-pals with both he and charles manson. Manson told her to stop writing him lol.
una
Yes you are 😂...
Yeah but he has to live in Colorado. I feel bad for Ted because it was his own brother that ratted him out
"They're purposefully designed to prevent prisoners from escaping." What the hell are other prisons designed to do?
Free tamed inmates to be worked... Self contained aka institutionalized prisoners...a lot of criminals have no life so living for free is a goal for some inmates...
Other prisons: *My goals are beyond your understanding*
I knew a guy in jail that didn’t even need to be there went to work everyday then came back to the jail at night….
@@civilizedgangster4134 Thats literally how a normal, free person lives life
@@hanzgotzepanzerfaust6081 they don't understand the process...they love a explanation🤔....keep ya head from tha sand box🗣....
I'd rather have a private room where I can sleep at night then get my throat cut by a psychopathic inmate.
Good point 😂 but u loose ur mind in the day with out seeing any one
That’s better than getting killed.
Getting kill is better then losing your mind, going crazy and not knowing who you are anymore
I like my current living situation way better than having those Pproblems
😷🙌
What in the world do people want us to do with these people. They complain if they are executed, and now complain if they are isolated. These are the worst of the worst who have shown no sign of rehabilitation. At some point, a person's actions have consequences.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't unfortunately.
And then complain if they get out and kill more
There's a damn fine line between locking people up and brutally exposing them to sadistic torture. Usually, normal people can see the difference. and no, not every person in ADX is the unibomber or El Chapo. There are also individuals that assaulted guards in regular security prison being put here
@@johan13135 This is true. And even if you kept people in single cells, there are ways to allow communication with others. That would stop the terrible mental health issues that come from solitary confinement.
The thing is that many inmates housed in Florence aren't murderers so they end up back in society. Rage-filled and unused to dealing in society...
Put and end to the gangs that put them there.
The Florence supermax sounds like a supermarket name.
As a Coloradan, no it doesn't.
It also sounds like a brand of sanitary pads and tampons. “Can you get me some Florence supermax when you’re at the shop please?”
For me it sounds a band, maybe cause florence and the machine
Yeah, the kind of supermarket where you get stabbed 50 times over a pouch of tuna or a packet of ramen ...
@@davidemelia6296 so basically any supermarket at the early days of covid? 🤷♂️
"And now a word from our sponsor..."
TAPTAPTAPTAP
I did exactly that 😆 😂
You know 75% of TH-cam watchers don’t even know about that function
LOL!!!
@@Mudvillereacts when i found out about it i was like 🤯💡
It actually works on a decent amount of other websites as well
@@mcslave3
What other websites?
It is quite difficult to have any sympathy for the inmates in Florence. They clearly paved their own path to the facility.
Don't do the crime if you can't do the time!
No sympathy for the devil!
Why should we care about them - the dreges of humanity.
@Thor Odinson that's quite a stretch
The Oklahoma bomber and el chapo stay there, I feel safe knowing they there.
You forgot to mention the most interesting former inmate of all at ADX Florence -- Charles Harrelson, Woody Harrelson's father. Dude was a genuine hitman.
Adx is where all the hardcore people are
Wow never knew that.Great info!!!❤ That explains woody being so good as a killer in was it ? Natural born killers( with the girlfriend)
No wonder Woody is somewhat insane.
So that's why he's got those crazy eyes🤔
An "allegedly" involved in the killing of a president in the 1960s.
Sadly this is where Edward Snowden would be sent if he ever came back to the US. I don't think letting the public know the government is spying on them should be considered espionage.
It is illegal to tell the truth when ruled by liars.
He exposed practices to enemy governments that they are now using against the US today and causing untold amounts of damage. You are right thou, he should not be sent to a supermax facility, he should be executed immediately.
@@G-Fi-High the sheep says bahhh
@@G-Fi-High if it means removing our rights to stay safe then I have to ask two things. First, are you really safe? Second, is life worth living under the boot of someone even if they are "American"?
Obama’s policies against whistleblowers is one of his worst domestic policy decisions
My uncle worked at a block there for several years. After he left he had a lot of anger issues. I can't say it's healthy for the inmates or the guards
Why do you think it's harmful to the guards?
@@TundralTV Beacuse only the people who want authority but weren't qualified for police duty become gaurds. So you got power tripping D bags mixed with folks that literally don't give a crap about what comes next mixing together.
You are 100% right. They aren't safe for anybody's mental health. Bring back the firing squad. Problem solved.
@@Digitalhunny Preach it!!
@@TundralTV - Have you ever stepped foot inside of a federal pen? As a worker or visitor perhaps? The guards can not trust a single person in there! You develope a thick skin & serious aggression because you are always on guard for your life & the lives of your co-workers. The constance stress over decades, is not healthy. Do you believe prisons are safe boring places to work at or something? Training does not prepare you for the constant anxiety that comes with working in that type of environment! At least cops have breaks & down time. Guards on a lunch break that let the guard down, can and do die! Movies are bullshit compared to real life. The prisoners that you are kind to usually with take that you are weak & attempt to kill you for it. Plus, other prisoners you know shouldn't be there & you watch helplessly as they are beaten up by a gang & you're helpless to help them. Why? You're under staffed that day or somebody just failed to show up for their under paid shift that week. The entire ad system is a cluster fcking mess!!
Not long ago Sammy the Bull talked about being in the Supermax and, long story short: imagine regulations so tight, you had a guard watching you as you defecate.
I remember when I was in medium security. The bathroom stalls had no doors, everybody could see you crap. At least it’s only a guard or 2 watching the camera that could watch you.
@@majixism i would hold in my shit till i turn purple🙁I aint shitting in front another man or a camera
@@icanseeyourfuture8674 Everyone tries. That lasts a day or 2 tops. If you’re suspected of hooping drugs. They’ll “dry cell” you. Now you have a guard watching you 24/7 from the door. The second your done taking a shit they rush in and go through it looking for drugs. Strip searched are way more demeaning. Standing naked in front of a bunch of guards. Men and women(and never the hot women you’d hope for), and the final nail in coffin is at the end you either have to squat or bend over and show em your ass. Depending on jail your in.
Almost every time u shit in jail ur exposed to someone usually multiple people able to see u
In my much younger days, I worked at our local Juvenile Hall on 3 different tours. Believe me when I say it's no big deal, for the staff or the individual, after the first few days. There's little to no privacy when you are locked down & everyone gets used to it very quickly.
One thing that doesn’t happen to prisoners there: being stabbed, beaten, extorted and boinked in the ass.
Yeah... nobody ever seems to cry about the psychological effect of THAT!
Yeah, but the people that get into these high security prisons are the ones who stab or beat other inmates. Not the other way around.
Having a tough time finding sympathy for any of the criminals listed in the video.
Imagine getting life without parole for espionage ☹️ I get why but that’s savage
The shoe bomber I kind of feel bad for he had serious mental health issues
@Jack execute ted...
if almost any inmate anywhere in the US is looking for sympathy, they can find it in the dictionary between shit and syphilis!
@@origionalwinja
maybe if you are referring to the real shit heads but most people are in for relatively dumb bullshit or minor drug charges and get in deep due to the ridiculous climate and desperation to survive
It’s actually a lot lot easier NOT to end up there than it is to end up there. I’ve found that to be the case anyway.
😄😁
@NoTheyWil Forget lol 😄😁
For some people maybe it is
@Censorships our issue I no it's sad really here in Europe that would never happen because of human rites but america is America they can do what they like
Just got to avoid doing something STUPID and high profile............. Pretty easy
A sink, toilet and a bunk, and a shower? That's mighty fine living conditions for Solitary.
Its a forever solitary not some 2 weeks in da hole stuff ofcourse they had to have those in with the prisoners
It's interesting that "Human Rights Watch" doesn't give a damn about the human rights of dead, innocent victims of crime.
because it’s an organisation to hold the state accountable bruh
@@Chiron1010 It is an organization to give its employees a phoney balony pay check!
Yeah seriously. I think some people want to see good in people, but you cant be that niave. People need to just realize psychopaths exist. Psychopaths are wired differently, they are born that way, and there isn't anything anyone can do to help them. Not all criminals are psychopaths but the ones that are, are extremely dangerous people. The only way to protect people from psychopathic criminals is to keep them in places like this.
Their dead, they don't care what happens what happens. Besides, so called victims have entirely too many "rights" in this country.
@@robotman8444
Yes psychopaths do exist! They’re your teachers, your cops, your military, your mailman, they’re your neighbors and politicians too.
This is arguably the best video I’ve seen on ADX Florence. Its difficult to find anything except extremely basic information about the prison. They keep that shit on lockdown - pun intended.
Yeah I searched for the last 5 or so years for a long documentary on ADX and none still exist.
Most of the info he has is actually from Wiki etc. Easy to find.
But he does have a few things wrong. Very few of the guys in the concrete cells are actually in isolation. Most have small jobs. Nick Scarfo for instance, was working in the prison furniture upholstery for 12 hours per month. Very few are in actual solitary confinement with zero contact. They are also allowed to write letters, and some are even allowed to receive letters.
@@AB-80X he planes isolation as in whether you work or not you are stuck in your sale with one hours exercise you don’t go away for recreation you don’t go out to play pool et cetera
I would recommend some of Larry Lawton's videos. He gives a much better "first-hand experience" of prison life. He might not have served time in Florence, but he is very familiar with lockdowns and solitary confinement.
Check out Sammy “The Bull” Gravanos YT channel, he was at ADX Supermax and did a video talking about the conditions and how it impacted him.
I live just to the north east. Crazy to know every time I drive by that El Chapo is there.
All part of 4 mile Prison complex. Ugh
Ha! And the best lawyers money can buy. Should be fun.
@@burningchrome70 its a federal prison surrounded by several state prisons. Lawyers for those inside lost their cases already. Its on 4 mile road and the only thing on that road is prisons.
@robin Braznell - He's OC, the organized crime guys have different rules. They can earn privileges INSIDE the prison but their contact with the outside world will always be limited.
@@dongately2817 exactly
What about the innocent victims?? Why are people worried about the treatment of the perpetrators. Personally, they have forfeited the right to live themselves.
Pelican Bay: am I a theme Park to you?
guantanamo bay looking from the back 👀👀
*laughs in Black Dolphin*🤣
@@rogueviking9268 not American
Hmm *clears throat* on us soil
@@Joshtheboss705Have you ever seen the menu for detainees at gitmo? Way better than what they feed regular prisoners or military or public school children.
The Unabomber and the others there didn't care much (if any) for the rights of their victims. I couldn't care less about their living conditions.
The prisoners earned the right to live there. They only havet
They only have themselves for being there.
And it's still a Hilton compared to many prisons around the world.
The Unibomber had the right idea. Had he targeted just government buildings and not civilians I'd not mind.
You can't fight cruelty with cruelty. The entire point of capturing and imprisoning offenders is to prove that we as a society are more morally upstanding than the criminal. Treating them inhumanely is proving we are no better.
That prison is a very frightening place indeed. However, it pales in comparison to how terrifying the individuals that they put there are.
Does it tho
And both pale in comparison to someone being wrongfully subjected to that prison. Whether directly (Thomas Silverstein possibly) or indirectly (John Kaczynski)
For those unaware, Silverstein always maintained his innocence, citing the inhumane and nearly unliveable conditions he lived in that made his crimes neccesary for his own survival.
Kaczynski was the subject of several MK ULTRA experiments. Enough of the experiments subjects went on to have the entire rest of their lives famously defined by those experiments that you can't blame them entirely.
Exactly. And that's why the government is going to all the trouble and expense to make sure they don't get out again. I'm frankly glad the ADX Supermax exists.
@@itwasaliens the people that cheer for brutality are more frightening to me.
Aside from snowflakes who think everyone is good at heart, SJWs who have no conception that people can just be evil, rotten, no matter how well they’re raised, blah blah blah agree. 💯. Good god. When they really meet one, they’ll change their minds.
It sounds like they have actually managed to make a prison that is worse than the death penalty. It's honestly hard to pity anyone there, because you do not end up there by accident. And a prison first and foremost role is to protect society from monsters and the prison definitely success in this regard.
Alot of people end up up in prison by accident.
He was more specifically talking about this prison lmao
im agreement that people can end up there by accident, but this prison is on of the few that you have to work to get to
I know it's what you've heard before, but saying being at the ADX is worse than the death penalty is just stupid. There are so many dudes at the ADX who prefer being there to any other facility for a variety of reasons. Most are grossly anti-social; don't want a cell-mate, don't have to worry about prison politics; get your own B&W TV; etc. Any idiot, including a former Warden, who say it's worse than death is just pure hyperbole.
I'd rather get the death penalty than have to live in this place. Can't imagine spending the rest of my days in ADX Flo.
Ya could spend 40+ years there and then get the death anyhow lmao
If I'm going down hard, im going down and taking anybody I can with me. More than a 1 year and its all or nothing.
@@alastor8091 more than a year? Haha wow you are weak...
@@itwasaliens I said I'd go down like Leonidas against the feds, how is surrendering like a coward and letting the enemy have their way with you stronger than taking them on to your last?
@@alastor8091 your thinking is very illogical then.
Lose (or surrender from your pov) a year to the feds and keep your remaining years/decades to continue whatever your fight is or....
Lose (or surrender from my pov) years/decades of your life over the threat of losing one year.
1 lost year isn't enough to surrender your fight entirely. You only do that if you're guaranteed to lose it all either way.
Leonidas wouldn't surrender his life over a single lost year. That's not what he was looking at either way. Leonidas was looking at losing EVERYTHING for good if he were to surrender.
"For you, inhabitants of wide-wayed Sparta,
Either your great and glorious city must be wasted by Persian men,
Or if not that, then the bound of Lacedaemon must mourn a dead king, from Heracles' line."
Thanks for the video, Simon. In my early 20s I was caught in California with a Fully Automatic AK-47 and had to spend a few years in a Maximum Security Federal Penitentiary (United States Penitentiary: Beaumont, TX). It was not a supermax, we were out of the cell most of the day, being maximum security, violence was EXTREMELY prevalent. I had to go to the SHU (Security Housing Unit) once or twice for a fight and for getting caught with drugs. It's miserable back there in the SHU. The conditions are very similar to ADX Florence. It will break you, and you'd never think you'd be excited to go back to... prison, until you visit the SHU. I abide by the law now-a-days.
@Mac Mike I was speaking figuratively as opposed to literally, sorry if that went over your head. If you want me to be specific, I was actually sent to the hole 3 times 1 for a cell fight we got caught for, once for jumping a snitch off the yard and the third for getting caught with drugs.
@Mac Mike oh... and when I just earlier said "sorry if that went over your head", I didn't mean that something actually physically went over your head, that was also a figure of speech. I don't want to confuse you anymore. 😉
I think it’s fucked up you went to prison despite “shall not be infringed” being included in our founding document. Nothing we can do now about it, but I’m sorry that happened to you.
@@Mr_Bones. I very much appreciate that. It was unfortunate. The good thing is now people in my position who had virtually no criminal record like me (I wasn't a felon) won't have to go to federal prison for certain first time. It was not helpful I was not rehabilitated. I was put I'm a violent place and had to fend amongst the wolves. I'm glad I made it out in one piece and didn't take any Ls in there.
@@Mr_Bones. though the founding documents lay the blueprint to our laws it is the Supreme Courts job to apply 18th century's phrases and circumstances to today's problems.
When bearing arms meant having a musket or 1-shot handgun can not possibly be extended to every means of weapon invented since.
So though your right to bear arms is incredible important. Limiting arms that are allowed is also important. Do we all have the right to bear nuclear weapons? What if nuclear weapons are needed to overthrow the government? No obviously no one should be allowed to have nukes.
Now don't get me wrong I think some states overstep this distinction. But the idea that automatic weapons should be legal is NOT what the founding fathers meant by bear arms in a militia.
If you can't protect yourself, your home, or be able to protect your country (as a militia) with a semi automatic AR or AK and see the need to keep a fully auto weapon instead... maybe you aren't qualified to be part of the defense of your community.
If you think the militia today is for the purpose of standing up to the US Government's military branches.. Well good luck with that... automatic weapons or not.
You may also forget that James Madison proposed this amendment so that IF the US government became a tyranny the people could stand up like they did during the revolutionary war. We've had 245 years as a democracy since then and though you may not agree with every elected leader... that's not the point. The point is the democracy stands and will stand for centuries to come.
Standing up to tyranny isn't standing up to the elected government you disagree with. Our democracy would have to be shattered for James Madison's concern for keeping a civilian militia to be realized. It made sense for him to be worried in 1791.. only 15 young years as a nation. He wanted this fledgling America to be able to stand up for itself. Well it's not 1791 anymore... America is very strong and very solid as a democracy.
Also at the time there wasn't an organized army, navy, air force. If somehow the US democracy was overthrown I better believe my brothers and sisters in the armed forces wouldn't just be a puppet. That's millions of people with training and the access to arms that supersede your need for a militia.
Anyways. Just reading an amendment and taking it literally isn't how it works. We wouldn't need a Supreme Court if we all could just read the law without any historical context.
My little brother did 13yrs there before being transferred to el Reno Oklahoma thank God he is out and trying to change his life
Nothing like your own freedom .so glad hes of of hell .much respect .praying for all of my brothers and sisters behind that wall fighting to come home even the ones with no date
Jesus... If you don’t mind my asking, what was he convicted of?
@@KINGJADEX possession of 2 firearms and counterfeit money Pryor to that he already had done state time
He must of belong to an organization. My guess had to be Mexican Mafia or Nuestra Familia. Seeing that your name is in Spanish
God Bless you you&your brother..very hard thing to go through..prayers he does well..my son also!
I'm more concerned about the Cruel and Unusual Punishment the victims experienced, than the prisoners at all.
They have better living conditions than the homeless in the States
Good, these are the scummiest of all scum, who perpetrated horor and fear on other people. They don't deserve human rights
So forget the Constitution
The constitution does not define cruel and unusual punishment. I would think people would be happy to know that we are no longer executing prisoners on a federal level. However, I keep seeing them move the goal post, doing more and more to accommodate the feelings of prisoners. I believe if you knowingly take someone’s life and commit other violent acts, you forfeit your right to be comfortable and happy. After all, the victims you killed as well as their families are not comfortable or happy anymore. Why should the prisoner be?
@@rhyami take extreme vengeance! Like savages.
The person who called it a clean version of hell was Sammy the Bull Gravano, a man who killed 19 people during his time with the Gambino crime family. These are not people who got lost on their way to Bible study.
This is so wild. I was just talking about the supermax with my family at Christmas dinner and thought to myself "I need to suggest that to Simon." And days later without a word from me here it is. You absolute madman.
@Lord Brain That sounds kind of incestuous.
Well that certainly a conversation topic to bring up during Christmas dinner. XD
Don't y'all know simon has inserted a mind reading chip n2 all of our brains? Even our tin foil hats are penetrable to it!🤣🤣🤣
I've been in every IL prison outside Cook County as a copier repairman. I got to go inside the Florence Supermax as a delivery driver. It was a ghost town inside and a little eerie.
Florence ADX is still 100x safer than Cook County Jail in Chicago.
Ya because you don’t leave your cell lol
I will not deny that all other prisons are clear users/abusers of slavery. However, ADX is the 1 facility that has the strongest safety record for both guards & inmates. It also has the highest % of non-minorities. However! You sir have proudly posted vids bullying your partner in high speed training runs occurring so very late at night. Any comments? Any clarification as to why you claim only 3 have been executed while more than that have been executed in my state alone? Waiting.
@@alwaysflushinpublic not sure why you replied that under my comment...
Real
When Marion was still a supermax prison, I had a friend (federal officer) who had to interview a prisoner at Marion on an annual basis. There was a sign posted outside this prisoner's cell that stated "Do not open unless there are 4 corrections officers present." This prisoner was considered to be most dangerous prisoner at Marion at the time.
Was that Shel? If ever a maniac needs to be put down, he's #1!
@@joanbowden3448 Who?
@@JS67137 Member of the Aryan Brotherhood who stabbed a correctional officer to death. He and another guy who killed another inmate are the reasons why ADX Florence exist.
@@JS67137 thomas silverstein
@@raddivant8840 ironically, smoking a pig was probably the least reprehensible thing Silverstein did in prison
I never thought I'd hear Simon say "Let's get back to prison".
With a smile, no less!
The last person who said that ended up getting his ghost shot out and killed by a edgi-boi-wait this isn't the Destiny Universe...
It's where he belongs after all the things he's subjected Danny to.
As a fellow Business Blaze viewer, I don't know if I should sympathize with Danny or not.
I'm sure he said that a dozen times on business blaze
I had to go to Denver jail (as a city employee, not a prisoner). There is a board that shows long prison sentences, there a couple over 1,000 years.
They are due to be released sometime around Super Bowl MLI give or take a couple.
I've never understood the point of that. Literally anyone with a sentence of over 100 years all have the same sentence, might as well just sentence them to 'natural life' like other countries, just until they die basically
@@AVTAVT
It's probably all legalese designed to prevent some slick lawyer type from ever getting a horrible criminal off the hook and back out on the streets.
@chickey333 there’s also the parole issue. Someone with a 100 year sentence could, depending upon the jurisdiction, have a chance to eventually get released
Then there’s the maximum sentence for particular crimes, most of which don’t allow for life sentences on their own, but a fixed number of years. Then, to ensure a life sentence, it would require consecutive sentencing. That’s where you get the millennium long sentences from
@@nicholasselke5214 Thanks! I'm not a lawyer myself. I don't even play one on TV. I do know there are states that have mandatory life sentences without parole for certain real nasty crimes.
Simon Whistler mentions that the Florence Supermax has never been filled to capacity. Interestingly enough, Alcatraz was never filled to its capacity either.
This guy was born to narrate
Some say he is the love child of Morgan Freeman....
@@Gigipretty64 Love child of Morgan Freeman and who ?
Allegedly
@@rastas_4221 maybe rabbit ......... Maybe .....
No. Too wordy and choppy. Mispronounces too many words.
"cell specifically designed to prevent inmates from escaping" is there a different type of prison cell?
Ask El Chapo!
@@nickie7874 Beat me to it
🤣😂🤣😂👍
Japan had a prisoner no matter what type of cell they put him in he would escape. That was even keeping in him hand cuffed and legs handcuffed. Making him crawl to eat like a dog. And he still escaped when going in his cell they simple couldn't figure out how he managed it.
@@anthonydesroches8897 Without knowing anything further, what you describe sounds to me like the simple answer is "powerful friends on the outside."
Cells you can escape from
Alcatraz: I'm the worst prison in the US
Florence: hold my 🍺
Parchman is the new worst prison in the country
Old stolen comment
What about Gitmo?
@@carfreeneoliberalgeorgisty5102 respect ✊
But Alcatraz was closed, duh
My brother and my sister inlaw worked here. The most evil were incarcerated here. My brother was a guard. He got to see Eric Robert Rudolph, the Unabomber and other assorted killers and terrorists day in day out. This Supermax never gave these prisoners what they truly deserved. People just don't realize the incredible evil of these prisoners.
I know them. They are actually really decent human beings. They always treated me with the respect I gave them.
yeah they are all great folks@@Time.Tracker
How about a Geographics about your basement with live interviews with Danny and Sam?
How has no one said this before? An absolute must, I may post this comment on every video until he does it.
@@ATReade stealing comments aint cool
dan's down.
"Keeping someone in solitary confinement for 15 days or more is considered torture."
Me: I go months trying to do that on purpose?
I can appreciate the joke...
But it's not quite the same when you can freely access any site to interact with people and can leave any time you want, with more space to walk around, and things to stimulate yourself with...
Even introverts get lonely?
These types of comments honestly get less funny the more I see them
@@js66613 very true. I’m a massive introvert, and much prefer to stay inside by myself at all times. When I went to prison though, segregation was hell. You literally start going crazy without any mental stimulation at all. Doesn’t take long either. After a week you will notice it.
@@stephenkling9976 introvert and loner aren't the same thing
When people say that there are some fates worse than death, they're talking about ADX Florence...
I think the death penalty is warranted in some cases. It’s sad that it has to come to that but in my opinion it does. Mass murderers going more insane for decades at a huge cost to taxpayers is stupid and cruel to the prisoners who are beyond remorse or rehabilitation. Firing squad. It’s cheap and it’s over faster than a bunch of chemicals that paralyze someone’s breathing and heart. That isn’t humane to the condemned, it’s humane for us as society, who tell ourselves that they just fell asleep. Bs.
@@keithgunn-glanville7829 I'm generally against the death penalty But I agree; some crimes actually do warrant the death penalty.
Fair point but are you willing to pull the trigger
@@print-master Yes.
I retired from LE after 35 years the last 27 working in a Level 4 institution in California, I have literally seen inmates capable of doing ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING, I've dealt with high profile inmates such as Manson (creepy dude) Menendez Bros (totally spoiled assholes) etc....to those who think this prison is hell and cruel then you need to consider what they put their victim through! Yes death is warranted in ALOT of circumstances but for some reason its not applied😡
You forgot to mention Saul Goodman
My first thought was "is that British Vsauce?"
This would be a 4 star hotel compared to Black Dolphin in Russia.
Yes it certainly would!
Saw a doc on the Black Dolphin....omg! Just kill me!
Just checked Black Dolphin out
Both prisons are almost equally terrible, but ADX is slightly worse because an interaction with another human is close to none
It's much easier to lose your mind in ADX than Black Dolphin
These BOTH prisons is 6star hotels compared to Madagascar Prison .Most prisoners prefer death than being there.Imagine eating one thing(a root) for the rest of your life😬Check out Madagascar,then come back
@@juniorfletcher8256 now you've piqued my interest. Will do!
@@CuriouslyWatching Not even close. They make Russian inmates get up at 4am in the dead of Winter to do exercises outside.
The prisons are in Siberia with average Winter temperatures between 40 & 60 below zero.
Also they are forced to stand for 16 hours a day.
The five words no man has ever said excitedly except Simon, "let's get back to prison!"
Perhaps a very enthusiastic guard on a lunch break?
You'd be surprised. There are plenty of criminals who can't cope with life outside. It's called being institutionalized
That's six words
The people at these prisons don't deserve humane treatment, that's the whole point, that's the reason they are there.
THANK YOU
When inmates fall in love.
Do the finish each others sentences?
Dad?
I died
They fart in a can and pass it to each other
Boooooooooo
Take your thumbs up, but booooooooooo
Gold pure gold
imagine being nicknamed the underwear bomber i-
he looks like the underwear sniffer
Sounds like brown thunder
He is also known as the Christmas Bomber, for trying to detonate plastic explosives on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day 2009. They were of course hidden in his underwear.
@@jaz1551 we all know where and why and how so really no need to lay out the details. A simple “he is also known as the Christmas bomber” was enough.
@@waynewayne9693 i didn't know he was why he was called the underwear bomber.
I spent a short time inside this prison, I didn't like it at all. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. I followed the rules, kept to myself and stayed out of trouble. I was very relieved when I left out the front gate.
PS. I forget to mention, I'm a truck driver and I was delivering a load of frozen food so those pieces of shit could eat.........Gotcha.
😂😂😂
Since when does anyone deliver anything inside a prison? Deliveries all go to the outside depot and from there are taken inside facilities by Bureau staff. Let's just say you were close to the prisons on the complex.
I love the combo of research and personality to make your shows engaging thanks!
I did 6 years in that prison. It's not a badge of honor at all, but since my release 14 years ago I have given back to the community and helped create positive change In the community.
Good work Eddie, and good luck.
@@cat637d thank you, and it just feel good to give back to the community and to help when I can.
@David Erickson thank you and freedom does feel good, but it feels even better when I am able to give back to the community and help someone make a better choice.
@@eddiee1632 glad to hear you've made positive changes & choices in ur life!
I watch a couple of channels w/ ex-cons that have come out & never looked back & are using this platform to try & reach out to these youngsters to keep them out of trouble.
Good luck & God bless you everyday! 🙏🙏🙏
@@joanbowden3448 thank you, and I wanted nothing more than to live my life the right way and give back to the community.
I had a by chance meeting with John Gotti while on a college tour of Marion Federal Prison. Even got a “How you doing” from the Don himself. Everyone else was too scared to talk to him. For the 3-4 minutes of conversation, he was very nice and insightful in all honesty.
Joey Merlino "Skinny Joey" was a regular at a restaurant I worked at in Boca. Dude tipped great and would take care of the check for a random table sitting near him. Nice guy lol.
I wonder if it's a subconcious guilt thing for mobsters. I mean they're not all completely insane or anything. Aside from the crime they're not very different from you or I. It isn't like John Wayne Gacy or the Zodiac. Just a thought though
@@johnnybeasley3675 The things is, “crime” is just a “job” to these guys. Most of Mob crime is victimless unless you count the insurance companies. Yeah, there’s protection money and some murders here and there. They honestly don’t want to kill “clients” because then there’s no further income from them. Granted, things have fractured from what they used to be. Basically they were bad ass private security firms back in the day. Police couldn’t protect business or neighborhood like they did. In many ways the Italian mob offered more for their communities than what we see today from the government and the ruthless mobs of other nationalities.
@@johnnybeasley3675 that’s what’s scary, they are us. They just got caught acting on their impulses or couldn’t control them. Change circumstances perhaps and maybe they become productive. Fascinating 🧐 subject
@@flipnotrab Well Vegas was better back in the day and little Italy was safer for sure.
This is the perfect place for all our politicians
I used to work for the BOP . From 2020 to 12/2021 they executed 13 inmates (16 total since the death penalty was reinstated federally). It’s actually increasing in number. There are currently 44 federal inmates sitting on death row and Congress passed a law to speed up the process
I was on the protocol team for several years and interviewed numerous inmates on death row during Institution Character Profiles. Although executed, you wouldn't believe how intelligent and articulate some of them, like Dustin Honken, are/were. Roane (Roane, Tipton, and Johnson) was very polite, personable, and articulate, but the three of them were absolute monsters to their victims related to drug dealing.
Sammy The Bull, Gas Pipe, and Greg Scarpa hung out there. They loved it. It's built underground and all of the cells are on one side of the hallway and widely spaced preventing any contact with anyone other than staff. He said the silence is deafening. Can't hear your neighbor banging on the cell door or any yelling/screaming that goes on at all other prisons around the clock.
If you end up in adx-florence you deserve what you get.
Not always. An acquaintance of mine was at Florence for the last 2 years of his sentence. He was actually innocent of his charges and had never been in prison before or since. His wife had inherited a lot of money and wanted to get a divorce without losing any of it. It is a pretty convoluted set of circumstances, but she set him up and he did the time. If you knew his ex-wife you would get it really quickly. While he isn't particularly a favorite person of mine, he didn't deserve what he got. He spent 1 year in Greenville and was transferred to Florence to punish family of his that complained to the DOJ about inappropriate treatment at Greenville. The good news is that his ex ran through all of her money and is not doing well, karma at work.. He is in bad shape physically since getting out of prison. He has never talked to me or his friends about what happened to him there, but he has trouble getting around and has had to have multiple surgeries since getting out. Everyone who knows him know what she did and how she got by with it.
@@MiracleFound they always say “innocent”
@@doritos6893 ⬅️ The expert has spoken. Lol
@@peace__777 ⬅️ he’s uncircumcised
P. Pete didn’t do no bombing or killed guards had less than 10 kills an got sent here with guys that killed 60x times more... seems alittle off if you ask me , not even Hoover was sent here
Everyone in indiana that heard him say terre haute just cringed.
It’s said like Tera ho?
@@mrmoncherz2574 tera hote. Like hotel without the L
Just like Mexicans when he said "Al cHAAApeu"
Lmao deadass
Technically it’s french so you guys are pronouncing it wrong. Haha but since you people been pronouncing it that way for a long time... who is right? Hahaha
It blows my mind that there are people who think that housing these monsters in this facility is “inhumane.” I feel like the most egregious prisoners are the ones who helped plan the September 11 attacks. That’s the definition of inhumane. Those monstrosities of people are lucky that the government has decided to let them be alive at all.
I live a couple hours away, that's about the only employer in the area. It's a really pretty area of Colorado
I used to live in Colorado Springs then moved to Arizona. There's a Florence, AZ as well along with a prison in town.
u can work anywhere now
The Royal Gorge near bye is amazing. The bridge is sketchy though!!
When I saw the title I was really hoping that it wouldn't be in Colorado. To bad ig.
My dad and I actually visited the area a few years ago. Within a stone's throw of the prison is an old cemetery (unrelated to the prison) where my great-great-great grandparents are buried. We went on a genealogy trip to do on-site research and take photos. Loved the scenery, especially around the nearby town of Cripple Creek. I'd like to go back. It's too bad my third-great grandparents' final resting view is that of a supermax prison.
To be honest , I just want to go to a pub and get drunk listening Simon. I won't say a word. Just drink and listen!
The most controversial thing here is that Tsarnaev got his execution overturned
It could be a controversial thing in putting people into isolation where they will go crazy and if they ever get out most likely will be much worse than they went in.
@@mikeyoung9810 if
I think he got off worse
@@mikeyoung9810 id rather them be publicly hanged so taxpayers dont have support them for the rest of their lives
@@oliverwells8011 you're no better than them then.
When you make it to Florence Super Max, it's "Game Over." 😦
Solitary confinement like that should be illegal.
As bad as they are, idc if they put them down. Idc if they are imprisoned for life.
But isolation like that is vile torture. It really is. I was in solitary for a week when I was a kid in juvie, not for anything violent, and it was the worst week of my life.
If we want to get rid of them for good, fine. But there's no reason to torture them.
Thank you for any Colorado content! Though we house the worst of the worst it’s ironic bc it’s surrounded by gorgeous mountains. They get a beautiful view flying in & then they see grey walls for the rest of their lives.
Hey Erin , you were great on Bewitched.
Not everyone there has a life sentence
@@CmonstoleCmonstole nice reference!!
Unfortunately I’m about 15 years too young to have been Tabatha’s kid, but cool none the less.
Thought they were blindfolded? I was told that by someone who would have had knowledge
This place I worked at did uniform patches for the guard units at Florence. My personal favorite had a skull in smashed riot gear, with crossed shotguns, and the motto underneath, saying: "ORDER WILL BE MAINTAINED!"
1:25 - Chapter 1 - Early history
2:55 - Chapter 2 - The supermax
4:15 - Mid roll ads
5:40 - Chapter 3 - The inner workings of Florence
8:15 - Chapter 4 - Rogue's gallery
10:55 - Chapter 5 - Controversy
Better Call Saul
As a correctional officer in a state system. I agree with some of your segments, but I work in a solitary confinement setting at my facility, and honestly the inmates who are housed there, rather be by them selves in the cell rather than be in general population, cause it’s scared for them. But anyways love your work Simon , keep it coming. Also Florence adx is safer to work at then my state facility I’m employed at.
Wow
That's cool
Be safe out there, your doing a great job.
Do they have TVs though? Are they on 23 and 1? I would personally rather be by myself too. Not because I would be scared but because I'm not there to make friends and man I just don't like to share my space. Especially with someone annoying or who snores or some shit.. BUTt if I didn't have a TV or access to books and fresh air etc.. then I would rather be in gen pop.
@@Benw3790 being locked by yourself in a room CONSTANTLY is hard work, believe me. I'd rather have normal routine.
Ross Ulbricht is also serving multiple life sentences at Florence and I think that is ridiculous.
How come?
How come?
@@crazycrittergirl7672he ran a dark web website that sold drugs. He made 3 billion dollars before they caught him.
0:48 I suppose it’s just a *coincidence* that this building looks almost indistinguishable from any of the schools I’ve ever attended?
No, it's no coincidence, my friend.
Institutional architecture. It's all the same.
If you don’t want to go to prison, DON’T commit crimes!!!! Pretty simple.
Tell that to falsley convicted people.
Anybody who advocates to close the supermax or any other prison should be forced to look at all the crime scene photos of the people housed there.
This is probably the best video online about Florence ADX
Holy crap! I had no ideas all those monsters were in the same place.
Yeah dude, it's wild. High level cartel bosses, gang leaders, domestic & foreign terrorists, spies, high escape risks and stone cold killers. The list of high profile guys who have been through here is insane.
FREE SAUL
I live close by. Don’t even really care that it’s there. Mountain lions, bears are my main concern.
been there to Florence, worst thing ignorant hunters that shoot innocent animals
Mountain lions 🦁 have literally been guarding Peggys Cove in south Florence for the last 8 weeks… SMH
@@twinturbo8304 lmao no
I've driven past this place multiple times heading to climb at Shelf Road. Its also close to Bishop Castle, which is a pretty cool and interesting elaborate building up in the mountains that was created by one man working by hand.
I hate shelf road.. lol
Still, one of the quickest ways to Cripple Creek.
@@Robdizzle2010 dude is that for real? what Kentucky candy land milton bradley sht are you playing? 😁
Bishop Castle is legit crazy.
The prison is about an hour from Bishop Castle.
I was born and raised just a few minutes from there in Canon City. My late, maternal grandfather helped wire it. It is one of enough prisons that have earned Canon City the title of "Prison Capital, USA. It is always a sign you are almost home if you live in Canon and see it on your way back into town.
As a scenery builder in the SF Bay area, I've built on Alcatraz many times. In the early 90's before the National Park Service got SUPER strict with film crews, it wasn't too horrible of a crime to sneak down into the basements and the old solitary cells... Wow.
Nowadays, a ranger can shut down the whole production if a crewmember is caught in restricted areas.
In "The Rock" the crews went everywhere though?!
Camp 22: *Laughs in Korean*
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Do you mean Camp 22 in North Korea?
@@SlapstickGenius23 yes
You don't get there unless you deserve to be there. I really don't care what happens to criminals once they are locked away.
This particular bunch, no. There are no "But I didn't do it!" types in here. The people in that prison represent an existential threat to the United States and/or it's citizenry.
What is truly inhumane is to put good citizens at risk of being victims to repeat offenders by being lax on punishments of said criminals. Don’t do the crime if you don’t want to do the time.
I don’t understand why there hasn’t been anyone to file a CLASS ACTION lawsuit against the US Government on behalf of all prisoners being detained in the US for the countless humanitarian infractions and crimes committed under their supervision.
They should require every penal institution to provide a sane, safe and humane environment for ALL prisoners to complete your sentences. If they can’t do that, they have no business being in the “prison business”.
The state of prisons in America is an absolute travesty. The fact that it’s a multi-billion dollar profitable business is absolutely criminal.
As I’m watching this, My Rogers is coming into my head. “Why don’t you be my neighbor...”. Hello from CO.
This is far from what I'd call hell, very kind even considering what many would like to do to these inmates.
@Campbell Connors the spies should have been hanged. Same with the terrorists.
Entirely true. Long-term imprisonment is a strange thing to do itself. It's an incredibly expensive method for punishment and removing someone from society. This is why physical punishments or exile were the norm through all of human history until recently. The only valid reason I've heard before for this lighter form of punishment, rather than physical pain or execution, is the occasional incompetence or corruption that causes innocent men to be falsely convicted. One can easily make the argument that imprisonment forges petty criminals into hardened thugs, builds criminal connections and networking, costs resources that society doesn't have to spare, and makes reform even less likely.
Well, executing them would be a mercy compared to theyr curent situation
@Campbell Connors a good part of the world has been in solitary confinement for the past 9 months due to covid...
@Campbell Connors "isolation" is not what you see on TV. In reality, they have contact with other inmates, they talk through walls and through their plumbing. They always figure out ways to communicate with each other. The "effects" isolation has on individuals, I would really like to see the "studies" and what their findings are, and who funded the studies. Because in real world operations, the inmates will always communicate with each other, even if that means yelling from cell to cell.
What Simon doesn't say in his video, is that even with the strong security in the prison, murders were still being committed in the Supermax. In fact, a murder was ordered to be committed from the bowels of the Supermax to another federal prison in 1997.
ADX is more than just the solitary supermax facility. There's high security and medium security too.
There has to this date not been any murders in the actual supermax segment.
24 years is a long way to go back to prove a point
@@Mr_Bones. Barry Mills, the leader of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang, was sitting in his cell in the ADX. Then he got wind that there might be a confrontation with prison gang rival, the DC Blacks. Mills, along with his right hand man Tyler Bingham, also an ADX inmate, decided to launch the first salvo. Both of these men transmitted a secret communiqué to a federal prison called USP Lewisburg located in central Pennsylvania. When the orders was received the deadly attack was underway. Several inmates launched a surprise assault on the DC Black inmates. When the attack was over, Abdul Salaam and Frank Joyner were dead on August 28, 1997. In 2002, the federal government indicted Mills and Bingham on the 1997 murders and racketeering that have been committed while they were incarcerated at the BOP (while serving time in other federal prisons). Barry Mills and Tyler Bingham were convicted and sentenced to multiple life terms in the same prison. Mills died in 2018, while Bingham is serving his time in a special cell which prevents him from conducting criminal business.
As long as humans are operating prisons stuff like that will always happen . Greed is a ugly thing. Pay a guard to deliver a message and that's a wrap
Yep, yet he's still alive.
I have always gone with the logic that you don't rehabilitate rabid dogs you put them down.
I never understood the whole concept of "suicide watch". Unless you are involved in an interrogation, shouldn't prisoners (especially those serving life without parole) be given that choice? It seems MORE cruel to make them live if they want to die.
You got to remember the government doesn't actually run most prisons in the US. They are ran by corporations working for government contracts. Prisoners are $$$ for them. The more inmates, the more money the get from the government. They can't go around letting their cash cows kills themselves, now can they?
Yea like america would but human rights before money lol
That's probably what they're aiming for: making it more cruel for the inmates not letting them have that choice
@@benr.4238 Private prisons are 8% of all prisons leaving 92% to not be owned privately
@@callefolin thank you I was about to say that.
I spent 7 months in solitary confinement which lead me to become a published poet before my release. That was the worst 7 months of my life.
that's the idea
Is your poetry that bad?
i bet
Do they give you anything to read at least?
@@chrisfairbarn9908 you can have books BUT those books are privileged right to have in ANY prison. I remember having books taken from me and I also remember a Muslim friend of mine who was rejected his religious material eventually he won his case. But the answer is yes you can read but they can take away said books for any reason.
Inmates complaining about Florence ADX being too harsh? Heres an idea: DONT DO STUPID SHIT! Stay out of trouble and serve your time like a man
@ Michael L. Rakes true words.
I finished out the last 5 1/2 years of my federal prison service career there. It’s always fun to see what misconceptions people have about it. No one ever gets it quite right.
I’d love to ask you some questions about the place
@@kyledavis8035 not sure if I have anything I can share that would be useful to you. I won’t disclose any specific information about security features, technologies, or procedures. I will stay squarely in the realm of public information. It’s also been 5 1/2 years since I’ve worked there and I’m sure some things have changed.
So by being vague and not saying anything of anything, your purpose of commenting is what? We already know that the way the prison works is supposed to be somewhat secret, ergo there should be many misconceptions. I guess it's true what they say: those not smart enough to become police officers become COs, underlined by your "thank you, detective" comment. 😀 Just kidding. You were probably never there anyway. Lol
So by being vague and not saying anything of anything, your purpose of commenting is what? We already know that the way the prison works is supposed to be somewhat secret, ergo there should be many misconceptions. I guess it's true what they say: those not smart enough to become police officers become COs, underlined by your "thank you, detective" comment. 😀 Just kidding. You were probably never there anyway. Lol
Was yu on my pop side aj Anthony Jones
I work in law. My office had a client facing Federal charges for being a meth cook. He was a weird 60 year old guy mad scientist. He had written diagrams of the entire process for cooking meth when he was caught and said he was making something different by skipping one step. Yeah, he was found guilty and given basically a life sentence of 40 years. He had escaped from jails multiple times so he was sent to the Florence supermax. I saw a documentary on how tough the place was. Next time I spoke to him on the phone while working on his appeal I told him I had seen the documentary. His immediate response was: "This place is great. I have a fully carpeted private cell and they bring me my meals. I have my own TV that I get to control the channels on and the best part is I never have to worry about getting shanked by another inmate. This is the best place I have ever spent time in."
I call bullshit on every word.
I love how you expanded into multiple channels ( I just started following) to increase your revenue and subs.. Smart af haha much love
It's all a part of his plan to world domination! 🤣🤣🤣
Earth will be known as the Simon planet. All money shall be Simon dollars with his big bald head all over it!
All cities will be renamed Simonville, Simontown, Simonton, Simon City, etc. but it must have the name Simon in or it will be burnt to the ground!
Oh, almost forgot the most important law--all adults must partake of cocaine!!🤣🤣🤣
Not a single person is there for no reason. They are the worst of the worst. It's ok if it's uncomfortable. It's the consequences of their actions.