Colorado supermax prison housing El Chapo could just be the safest place amid pandemic, inmates not convinced
It seems like some of the people safest from the deadly coronavirus are the most dangerous criminals in the world.
So far, there have been zero cases in the notorious ADX prison in Florence, Colorado. While other prisons across the country have seen coronavirus breach the prison gates, ADX has reported no cases so far.
The place that infamous cartel leader El Chapo now calls home is a supermax (super-maximum security) prison with extremely high-security measures in place. As it just happens to be, this high-security prison is ideal when it comes to social distancing amid the pandemic, TMZ reports.
According to a representative for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, these prisoners stay in single cells, have limited out of cell time, and can only afford individual recreational opportunities up to 7 a week. It is believed that they are allowed out of cells for a short period of time.
They are also restrained and escorted by 3 guards, all of whom receive coronavirus health screening within the BOP system. The control unit prisoners also have in-cell feeding, toilets, sinks, and showers, and can keep interactions minimal.
Prisoners are kept in solitary confinement for around 23 hours a day and have very limited contact with the outside world. No one has escaped from ADX ever since it was opened in 1994.
There are 2 other housing unit missions at ADX, both of which have strict security and distance measures. While the prison may be ideal to maintain social distancing, the fear surrounding COVID-19 cannot be kept out.
An inmate who is locked up at ADX is demanding to be released from prison as he believes that the guards and the federal government are not doing enough to prevent the coronavirus pandemic. Prisoner Edward Nelson says he should be moved out of jail as he is vulnerable to exposure and is being subjected to cruel punishments.
Nelson was given life in prison after he strangled a 21-year-old student during a robbery in Washington, DC in 2002. He is housed in USP Florence which is a high-security prison next door to the supermax jail.
In his complaint, Nelson wrote, "Testing and isolation are the key to preventing the spread of COVID-19 in prison. However, despite this fact and despite the fact that prisons are a known hotbed for infections and viral pandemics, defendants (the warden and the Federal Bureau of Prisons) have yet to implement a systemic testing protocol for prisoners and staff."
"This is outrageous and a dereliction of duty towards some of the most vulnerable people in our society. By failing to test prisoners and staff, defendants are knowingly risking the lives of every prisoner in the BOP, including USP Florence."
So far, a bunch of inmates at Rikers Island have tested positive for coronavirus while last week an inmate at New York City's Metropolitan Detention Center tested positive for COVID-19. Disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein also tested positive for coronavirus while at a New York state prison.
Corrections staff in New York and Washington State have also tested positive.