Super-maximum security prisons have flourished within a political environment that endorses tougher criminal sanctions. This punitive evolution has created new problems for correctional agencies attempting to control the “worst of the worst” inmates. Federal courts and researchers have examined the detrimental effects supermax isolation has on inmates’ mental health. This analysis examines forty-two state supermax policies to determine how states admit inmates to supermax custody, the classification review process, the management of inmates with mental illnesses, and the availability of privileges for supermax inmates. Drawing on the concept of the McDonaldization of Justice (Ritzer, 1993), particular attention is given to understanding the role of official policy and procedures on managing problematic inmates. Guided by previous research on supermax penitentiaries, the correctional policies have been aggregated regionally to provide insight into geographical differences for the operation of supermax units. Policy implications for establishing more inclusive and thorough rules and regulations for the admission, review, and management of supermax units are discussed.
","abstract_html":"<p>Super-maximum security prisons have flourished within a political environment that endorses tougher criminal sanctions. This punitive evolution has created new problems for correctional agencies attempting to control the “worst of the worst” inmates. Federal courts and researchers have examined the detrimental effects supermax isolation has on inmates’ mental health. This analysis examines forty-two state supermax policies to determine how states admit inmates to supermax custody, the classification review process, the management of inmates with mental illnesses, and the availability of privileges for supermax inmates. Drawing on the concept of the McDonaldization of Justice (Ritzer, 1993), particular attention is given to understanding the role of official policy and procedures on managing problematic inmates. Guided by previous research on supermax penitentiaries, the correctional policies have been aggregated regionally to provide insight into geographical differences for the operation of supermax units. Policy implications for establishing more inclusive and thorough rules and regulations for the admission, review, and management of supermax units are discussed.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Butler, Harry Daniel"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":"Criminal Justice","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Wes Johnson","Hayden Griffin","Philip Carlan"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2011,"date_issued":"2011-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2011-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:44:41Z","subjects":["super-max prisons","maximum security prisons","political environment","mandatory sentences","Criminology and Criminal Justice"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/248","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Wes Johnson","Hayden Griffin","Philip Carlan"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Butler, Harry Daniel"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-08-15T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Criminal Justice"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["super-max prisons","maximum security prisons","political environment","mandatory sentences","Criminology and Criminal Justice"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/248"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Super-maximum security prisons have flourished within a political environment that endorses tougher criminal sanctions. This punitive evolution has created new problems for correctional agencies attempting to control the “worst of the worst” inmates. Federal courts and researchers have examined the detrimental effects supermax isolation has on inmates’ mental health. This analysis examines forty-two state supermax policies to determine how states admit inmates to supermax custody, the classification review process, the management of inmates with mental illnesses, and the availability of privileges for supermax inmates. Drawing on the concept of the McDonaldization of Justice (Ritzer, 1993), particular attention is given to understanding the role of official policy and procedures on managing problematic inmates. Guided by previous research on supermax penitentiaries, the correctional policies have been aggregated regionally to provide insight into geographical differences for the operation of supermax units. Policy implications for establishing more inclusive and thorough rules and regulations for the admission, review, and management of supermax units are discussed.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["State Super-Maximum Security Policies: An Examination of Admission Characteristics, Classification Reviews, Mental Health Amenities, and Inmate Privileges"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Wes Johnson","Hayden Griffin","Philip Carlan"],"dc:creator":["Butler, Harry Daniel"],"dc:date.available":["2016-08-15T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Super-maximum security prisons have flourished within a political environment that endorses tougher criminal sanctions. This punitive evolution has created new problems for correctional agencies attempting to control the “worst of the worst” inmates. Federal courts and researchers have examined the detrimental effects supermax isolation has on inmates’ mental health. This analysis examines forty-two state supermax policies to determine how states admit inmates to supermax custody, the classification review process, the management of inmates with mental illnesses, and the availability of privileges for supermax inmates. Drawing on the concept of the McDonaldization of Justice (Ritzer, 1993), particular attention is given to understanding the role of official policy and procedures on managing problematic inmates. Guided by previous research on supermax penitentiaries, the correctional policies have been aggregated regionally to provide insight into geographical differences for the operation of supermax units. Policy implications for establishing more inclusive and thorough rules and regulations for the admission, review, and management of supermax units are discussed.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/248"],"dc:subject":["super-max prisons","maximum security prisons","political environment","mandatory sentences","Criminology and Criminal Justice"],"dc:title":["State Super-Maximum Security Policies: An Examination of Admission Characteristics, Classification Reviews, Mental Health Amenities, and Inmate Privileges"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Criminal Justice"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:44:41Z"}