ADMAX Florence United States Penitentiary

ADMAX Florence United States Penitentiary, also known as ADX Florence, Florence ADMAX, Supermax, or the Alcatraz of  the Rockies, is an administrative maximum security penitentiary located in Fremont County of Colorado.  Opened in 1994, the facility takes up 21 acres of land and is part of the Florence Federal Correctional Complex.  It houses dangerous male prisoners who require high levels of security.  In total, the prison currently incarcerates 429 inmates, meanwhile the facility was designed to hold up to 490 prisoners.  ADX Florence has 9 housing units which is encompassed by a secure fence.  Every cell has a desk, stool, bed, a toilet, shower, sink, and sometimes a steel mirror, radio, and an electric light.  On rare occasions, some cells have black and white television for religious and recreational purposes.  Cells are also sound proof to avoid any contact at all between prisoners.  The window in each cell is so small that inmates cannot tell where they are by looking out the window, thus making it nearly impossible to plan an escape.  On average, the prisoners' ages range from 24-77 years old and the average sentence length is 22 years.

Each facility included in the Florence Federal Correctional Complex offers various educational opportunities and numerous programs to the inmates.  To educate the prisoners, programs such as the General Education Development Program, Adult Continuing Education, Adult Occupational Education, and English as a Second Language are available  Offenders can also take part in vocational training and parenting programs.  Religious, food, recreational, medical, and mental health services are provided to the inmates at this facility.  The Recreational Program, in particular, encourages an active lifestyle and allows inmates to take interest in new hobbies and activities. The Recreational Program lines up activities such as team sports, wellness instruction, and crafting for the offenders.  Although these programs are available, prisoners are still under 23 hour lock up in their cells and have only 5 hours of recreation time each week.  

ADMAX Florence was created after severe incidents that occurred at other federal prisons.  For example, at Marion United States Penitentiary, there were 2 incidents where correction officers were stabbed to death in 1983.  Following these incidents, it came to realization that there needed to be a higher level of security prison for such ruthless prisoners.  ADMAX Florence has had many notable inmates, due to the fact that the facility incarcerates some of the most dangerous criminals in the United States.  The prison holds leaders of a variety of violent gangs, along with terrorists from major organizations such as Al Qaeda.  The prison houses Zacarias Moussaoui, who happens to be the only person convicted in a civilian court for the terrorist attacks on 9/11.  Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was partially responsible for Boston Marathon bombings, was transferred to this prison in July 2015.  Overall, ADMAX Florence houses all sorts of dangerous criminals in one of the most secure environments.

Visiting Hours at ADMAX Florence United States Penitentiary:

• Visiting to the penitentiary occurs on Thursdays, Fridays, weekends, and federal holidays.  Visiting hours are from 8:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. on each of these days.
• A prisoner is allowed 5 visits per month.
• One visit can last up to 7 hours, however, visits may be terminated if overcrowding occurs in the visiting room.
• Inmates can have no more than 3 visitors at once, including children.
• New visitors will not be processed into the visiting area after 2:00 P.M.
• Vending machines are available for the visitors.
• Prior to entering the visiting room, visitors will be required to clear a metal detector search.
• Visitors cannot leave the facility and come back to visit again later in the day.
• An offender can request up to 20 people on their visiting list.  One may not visit unless they are an approved member of the inmate's visiting list.
• Physical contact is limited to occasional hand holding and an embrace at the beginning and end of each visit.
• Visitors may bring the following items into the visiting room:
  • A clear change purse - no larger than 8" x 8"
  • Up to $25.00 in bills no larger than $5
  • Comb
  • Prescription medications
  • Jewelry
  • A clear diaper bag with up to 6 containers of sealed baby food or formula, 6 empty plastic bottles, 6 diapers, and a baby blanket

Physical Address:

ADMAX Florence United States Penitentiary
5880 Highway 67 South
Florence, Colorado 81226

Telephone:

(719)-784-9464

Inmate Mailing Address:

Inmate Name, ID Number
ADMAX Florence United States Penitentiary
P.O. Box 8500
Florence, Colorado 81226