TOP 15 HIGHLY Secure Prisons

despite increasing numbers of Rehabilitation programs being run by countries around the world there's no escaping the fact that some people commit crimes that are so severe it's no longer safe to risk them re-entering Society capable of committing violent acts and often sentenced to many decades behind bars or even given the death penalty impenetrable facilities have to be built to hold them and eliminate any risk of them leaving before they've served their time so it's time to travel the world to visit some of the most heavily monitored isolated and defended facilities of all as we look at 15 of the most secure prisons on Earth number 15. Susa baronowski Correctional Center Massachusetts named after two guards that were shot and killed by an inmate in a previous iteration of the prison the Susan Baranowski Correctional Center in its current form opened in 1997 as a high-tech Maximum Security Prison in the town of Lancaster Massachusetts it's the only such facility in the state it's got a capacity of about a thousand inmates who were kept in individual cells and are rarely allowed out apart for any exercise and a wash every day at a cost of 105 million dollars it's got all the security precautions you'd expect the doors are electronically controlled from a central Hub and there are cameras that monitor prisoners 24 hours a day plus regular guard patrols a huge perimeter fence motion detectors and careful planning of prisoner schedules even though it's one of the most advanced prisons in the United States it hasn't been without its controversy there are almost twice as many deaths as you'd expect of prisoners mainly due to homicides and suicides and there are extremely level of violence between the inmates and towards the guards this has led to questions about whether it's a result of the prison's design the white prisoners are being treated or for another reason altogether and efforts are underway to try to reduce the shocking numbers for good there's no doubting it's security though because after more than 25 years not a single person has managed to escape number 14 Changi prison Singapore located in Eastern Singapore Changi prison was first opened in 1936 on the site of a former penal facility and despite initially being intended to hold domestic criminals it was turned into a prisoner of war camp by the Japanese when they took over the country in 1942 also becoming the headquarters of the Japanese military police at the time it's a place where huge number of atrocities were committed not just against Allied prisoners but civilians too once Singapore was freed of Japanese control Changi became a camp to hold Japanese prisoners of war and gradually transitioned back into being used for some of the country's most dangerous criminals by the year 2000 though Singapore's penal system wasn't equipped to deal with the increasing number of convicted felons and the risks they posed so the decision was made to redevelop the site at Changi covering an area of 118 Acres the new facility replaced a number of other prisons from around Singapore to consolidate on one site and it's now one of the most secure institutions on the planet the new Changi prison is used to hold Singapore's most dangerous convicts such as those convicted for murder terrorism and drug smuggling and is where the country's death row is located Singapore also has a system of judicial corporal punishment and on several days a week the prison is where people guilty of certain crimes are caned with bamboo sticks even though it's been redeveloped as a modern prison there's still huge emphasis here on the memory of the past buildings constructed by prisoners of War have been preserved and there's a museum on site to ensure that the horrors of the past are never forgotten number 13. Port leash prison Ireland Port leash prison is a Maximum Security Prison in the town of Port leash in central Ireland that's regarded as being one of the most secure facilities in the whole of Europe there was good need for this prison there though because after the site was first used to hold prisoners in the 1830s it's been responsible for holding some of Ireland's most notorious and dangerous criminals including members of the IRA and other terrorist organizations due to the prison's unique security measures anyone convicted under the offenses against the state act must be incarcerated at Port leash while it officially has a capacity of up to 400 people it rarely holds more than 120 to ensure that each one of them is properly secured the facility is patrolled Around the Clock by a platoon of soldiers each of whom is armed with a rifle and anti-aircraft machine gun and the perimeter is surrounded by high fences cameras and a variety of other means of monitoring people's movement that include motion detectors heat sensors and pressure paths in its history there have only been two successful escapes one that took place in 1902 and another in 1974 that saw 19 prisoners breach the walls there have in recent years been concerns about the amount of Contraband that's made its way into the prison though and this has led to a significant increase in the number of searches that take place and the introduction of further measures to ensure inmates have very little interaction with the outside world number 12. Cayenne despite no longer being in operation the Cayenne penal colony which was more commonly known as Devil's Island is still thought of as being the most secure prison facility ever to have been created it was run by the French between 1852 and 1953 and was where they sent political prisoners along with the worst thieves and murderers located in French Guiana people held there were kept in terrible conditions and at one point 75 percent of those who were sent to the island would be expected to die there either as a result of the way they were treated or by Contracting one of various tropical diseases that spread like wildfire through the population the prison was actually spread out across three islands and with the exception of the solitary confinement building most prisoners were allowed to move around with relative Freedom since the only way to leave was through the shark infested waters of the more than 80 000 people that were confined there while it was open there were only nine supposed and most of these are disputed by the French authorities which means it's most likely people were only able to leave once their sentences were over it didn't end there for prisoners though because in an attempt to ensure the colony survived the law stated that convicts would then have to live in French Guiana for the length they had been imprisoned for before they were truly allowed to leave which in effect doubled everyone's sentences number 11. Oak Park Heights Minnesota Oak Park Heights is the only level 5 Correctional Facility in the U.S state of Minnesota and as such is responsible for handling not only the most dangerous of felons from the surrounding region but also from neighboring states too first opened in 1982 it was built into the side of a hill and has a maximum capacity of 481 inmates each is kept in a cell that measures 7 by 10 feet and features a concrete slab as a bed as well as a table a toilet and a sink each prisoner spends the vast majority of time isolated in their cell and are monitored 24 7 by one of the most complex camera monitoring systems of any prison in the world the entire structure has also been designed in a way that offenders can only ever be present in small numbers at any point even when they're exercising in the baseball field and exercise yard whenever prisoners are out of their cells armed guards Patrol the perimeter walls which along with motion detectors and vibration detectors in the fences means they'll know if anyone's trying to escape it's because the design of the prison has had attainment as a priority from the start along with the use of technology that means this is not only one of the most secure prisons in the world but the safest two since opening not a single person has managed to escape and only one homicide has occurred within those walls something that's virtually unheard of in the U.S penal system number 10 lasante prison Paris originally opened in 1867 lasante prison is one of the most high-profile jails in France and is where famous inmates as well as the most dangerous ones are kept for the duration of their sentences it's one of the three main prisons in Paris and in theory has a capacity of up to two thousand prisoners in 14 different divisions based on a hub and spoke design in a similar way to various facilities in the United States it used to be a place where death penalties were carried out by guillotine or firing squad before the punishment was outlawed for good in 1981. controversially up until 2000 prison authorities also used to separate inmates based on their Geographic origin and ethnicity and house them in wings of supposedly like-minded individuals in an effort to make them more manageable nowadays despite being such an old prison La Sante has undergone substantial Renovations in the past few years and is as technologically advanced as secure as any other prison in Europe that handle the most dangerous inmates throughout its history they were only believed to have been five people known to have escaped the ominous stone walls meant of these one was killed while doing so and the other four were recaptured soon after number nine Terre Haute Federal correction complex Indiana Terre Haute is a Federal Correctional Complex near the city of Terre Haute in Indiana and is made up of two facilities one of which is a Maximum Security Federal Prison it's where the federal execution chamber has been since 1993 so as a special confinement unit for inmates who are on death row and the reason why it was chosen was that it was such a secure but accessible facility originally built in 1940 but substantially upgraded in 2005 there's a capacity for around 1500 prisoners of which 46 are currently on death row and kept completely separate from the rest of the population some of the country's most violent offenders are kept here but rather than solely being a means for punishment Terre Haute has been purposefully designed to emphasize Rehabilitation programs for those who aren't serving life sentences regular therapy sessions along with educational opportunities to help inmates learn how to read write and learn the skills needed for various professions along with policies such as allowing them to speak during meal times instead of being in silence and referring to prisoners by their names instead of numbers all are intended to prevent re-offense and the policy has proven to be surprisingly effective there have of course been a number of Escape attempts and while the old perimeter of Terre Haute was on occasion breached inmates have yet to find a way around the new security measures that were installed in 2005. number eight North Branch Correctional Institution Maryland known by the officials that work there as a hypermax prison the North Branch Correctional Institution was opened in 2003 in Cumberland Maryland and is one of the most high-tech maximum security prisons in the world and cost more than 175 million dollars to build and has an annual operation cost in excess of 50 million dollars with a usual prison population of around 1400 inmates the prison was built in an inverted Fortress style that positions the master control tower in the center with a ring of housing units and support structures around it this allows for fewer staff to have a greater View and control over the facility and it's from this control tower that all the electronic doors are controlled from as well as the security cameras and even the flow of water into each cell cells are made from poured concrete which helps to reduce where Contraband can be hidden the doors and windows are made from ballistic glass so the prisoners can be seen easier and there's very little within each cell apart from a bed that's bolted to the floor and toilet facilities the walls throughout the prison are coated in an epoxy paint that resists scratching fires and acid and the entire perimeter is surrounded by inward facing razor wire motion sensors regular patrols and continual checking of the fences since opening there have been no known Escape attempts from the prison but its design has not been without controversy there have been several homicides and attacks and there have been suggestions that these may have been linked with the stressful conditions the inmates are kept in number seven Camp Delta with the need to build a facility to hold prisoners that were captured during missions around the world U.S authorities began building the first facilities of Camp Delta in 2002. it's changed significantly in the years since but has had as many as seven different official detainment camps on site Each of which were used for different categories of prisoners to circumvent International and domestic laws Camp Delta wasn't built on the American Mainland but instead built as an extension of the Guantanamo Bay naval base in southern Cuba the camps ranged from being nothing more than cages to designs that more resembled a prisoner of war camp to Camp 5 which was purportedly based on the design of the Terre Haute supermax prison in Indiana Camp 7 was where the highest value detainees were kept and even its existence was Kept Secret for many years before details began to emerge of the conditions the inmates were being kept in while Camp Delta has become notorious for questions around its legality and the treatment of prisoners in recent years there's no doubt that at least some people people kept Behind Bars were extremely dangerous the unfamiliar tropical environment along with multiple perimeter walls hidden recording devices throughout the facility armed patrols security cameras and satellite observation meant that it was easily one of the most secure compounds in the world and it's little surprise that no prisoners ever managed to escape now it's mostly been closed with the remaining inmates being transferred to other facilities but parts of it remain open and it's still arguably the most feared and most secured prison in the world number six hmp belmarsh UK first opened in 1991 hmp Bell Marsh is a category a prison in southeast London in the UK and is one of England's top security facilities where criminals from across the country are sent some of the country's worst offenders from terrorists to murderers are kept there but surprisingly they aren't contained anywhere near as strictly as similar facilities elsewhere in the world it's spread across four different residential units and at least 60 percent of inmates are held in multi-occupancy cells most prisoners have access to education and exercise facilities but this is seen as a reward for good behavior and those who don't comply will have a very different experience reports have often criticized the extremely high amount of force that's used to control unruly inmates as a troubling number of people being kept there that are showing signs of trauma as a result of the way they've been treated with the population of around 900 people you'd have maybe thought that a prison like this that's within a large city like London would be somewhere people could escape from but so far there's not a single person who's found a way out apart from at the end of their sentence something that's been made possible by the use of the latest technology and methods that are highly classified so inmates and their accomplices are unable to work out ways to counteract that security number five black dolphin prison Russia the Russian Federal governmental institution penal colony number six which is more commonly known as the Black Dolphin prison because of a prisoner-built statue outside the entrance is one of the oldest and most secure institutions in the country it's located in the town of soleetsk which is in the oblast region on the border with Kazakhstan and is thought to have first been used to incarcerate criminals as far back as 1745. it has of course undergone major upgrades since then and from 2000 it's been used exclusively to house those with life sentences meaning it's full of around 700 of the most dangerous people from across Russia including murderers terrorists and cannibals for the majority of their day each inmate is kept isolated in their own cell that's secured by three independently operated steel doors but they're allowed out for 90 minutes during which time they exercise in a cage and are searched for Contraband upon entry inmates are blindfolded so they aren't able to learn about the prisons designed to plan an escape they're also forced to wear a hood if they're being moved between buildings inmates are fed soup four times a day are only allowed a radio books and newspapers inside their cells and are monitored 24 hours a day very little further is known about conditions inside the prison though and since everyone in there is serving a life sentence and no one's known to have ever escaped it's very unlikely anyone will ever be released to tell the tale while there are reports of rumors of extreme abuse taking place within the walls there's no evidence to back this up number 4. shincheng Detention Center China built in 1958 xinjiang is one of the most notorious prisons in China and has a maximum security facility in Beijing is where the vast majority of high-profile prisoners are sent inmates have included those involved in the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. political prisoners such as important figures from Tibet and Taiwan and more recently those convicted for corruption along with the most dangerous murderers and other criminals from across China the complex was built in line with the 1954 reform through Labor regulations which means that it was split into three sections the first is where the jail houses are with prisoners separated based on their ranking which is determined by their social status their previous job in the outside world and the severity of their crimes the second section is where the inmates are put to work and includes washrooms factories and a farm while the third part of the prison is where the staff and their families live in an attempt to further humanize inmates their names are no longer used once they enter and instead they're assigned a number treatment food amenities and even health care is all provided in different levels depending on a person's importance and behavior there have been countless stories from former inmates of abuse inside the prison but also of positive experiences this remains one of the most secret places in China and while very few images exist of what life's like within the walls everyone within the country knows that it's the last place they want to end up number three Arthur Road jail India at first you might not expect Arthur Road jail which is in southern Mumbai and India to be the most secure of places thanks to it being in the middle of one of the world's most populated cities but it's surprisingly effective at keeping its inmates within the perimeter walls first opened in 1926 it's both the largest and oldest prison in the city with an official capacity of 1074 inmates normally though there's more than double this number of people being kept there because of the lack of prison facilities in the country compared to the number of people the courts decide to lock up this puts extreme pressure on the facility making it a notoriously crowded and filthy place where disease often spreads like wildfire the prison has been upgraded a number of times since it first opened and the full details of how it's kept so secure are closely guarded Secrets the final hurdle though is a 22 foot tall perimeter wall and even though some inmates have managed to make it that far in an escape attempt they've all suffered such extreme injuries after falling over the other side but they all immediately been captured number two fuchu prison Tokyo located in the city of muchu which is part of the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan uchu prison is the country's largest prison with around 2 000 prisoners at any time it originally opened in 1935 replacing Tokyo's main prison that had been destroyed in an earthquake a decade earlier and was to begin with the place where Japanese authorities held political prisoners during the second world war all high-profile inmates were kept in fuju both because of how secure it was and how it kept them close to the seat of power and in recent years it's become the place where high-profile and violent criminals are held as well as virtually every foreign prisoner within the Japanese penal system split into four sections one of which is solely dedicated to International inmates it's surrounded by a one mile long perimeter wall that's at least 18 feet tall for its entirety by the 1980s the prison facilities were becoming inadequate to contain all of the prisoners and amidst the number of Escape attempts the decision was made to Embark upon a 10-year project during which virtually every system and security measure on the site was upgraded following the completion of this work not a single person has been able to escape mainly thanks to most of the doors now being operated from a central command room and purpose-built platforms and Vantage points that allow armed guards a full view over any potential weak points number one adx Florence Colorado officially known as the United States Penitentiary administrative maximum facility adx Florence is a federal supermax prison in Florence Colorado which is about 100 miles to the south of Denver it was opened in 1994 to provide a place to hold people that posed a particular threat to the safety of Staff or other inmates and usually has a prison population of around 365. this is one of the most highly secure places on Earth and it's where some of America's most notorious criminals are held including Mexican drug lord El Chapo the Boston Marathon bomber zokar sarnayev and many more domestic and international terrorists the entire facility covers an area of 37 acres and has been carefully designed to ensure that inmates have no chance of escaping once they've entered and very little opportunity to misbehave they're confined to their cells for 23 hours each day and these small boxed rooms have been made from poured concrete to ensure there's no way out they have little in terms of entertainment with just a to radio and in cases of good behavior a TV with limited access to programming and the small windows are designed to make sure inmates can't figure out their precise location within the complex prisoners are monitored 24 hours a day so staff can quickly react to any issues they're one hour outside of their cell each day is spent in a deep concrete pit where they can exercise and the building also contains more than 1400 remote controlled doors pressure pads motion sensors countless security cameras and many more electronic monitoring devices and it's surrounded by razor wire and armed guards as the last line of defense as a result there have been no known escapes from this facility and the only way you can leave once you set foot inside is either by being freed through the legal process or by being admitted to the morgue I'll see you next time watch our binge watching playlist if you'd like to watch all of our most popular top 15 videos grab a drink grab a snack and get ready to binge

Channel: Top Fives

Views: 251,112

Keywords: Secure Prisons, Prisons, Prison

Id: 5uVJSnVhuQE

Length: 22min 32sec (1352 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 10 2023