Supermax Prison: controlling the most dangerous criminals

by Larry L. Franklin

The Tamms supermax reduced violence, protected the staff and inmates, and provided the mental health needs for a unique population. But time eroded public confidence in a facility that imposed long-term solitary confinement years beyond acceptable practice.
Human rights groups were passionate in their criticism of the supermax; politicians were unwilling to provide adequate funding; scholars sometimes picked their favorite statistic to prove a point; inmates told unimaginable stories sprinkled with a measure of truth; and families shared stories passed on by boys who became broken men. But the quieter voices spoke of inmates who improved while at Tamms; mental health workers who were able to practice their craft; correctional officers who lived beyond their life expectancy; the orderly function of lesser restricted facilities; local residents who spent a chunk of their life to bring the supermax to their area; and southern Illinois residents who brought home a paycheck every two weeks.
While there are stories of unimaginable violence, sadness, and injustice, there are hues of happiness and hope. We present the good and bad, the certain and unimaginable. The reader can choose sides on the issue, or embrace the broader story of "Supermax controlling the most dangerous criminals."

About the author

Larry L Franklin holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University. He performed in the U.S. Navy Band located in Washington, D.C. from 1967 to 1971. From 1972 to 1975, he taught music at Southern Illinois University. In 1976, he completed requirements for a certified financial planner designation and maintained a successful investment business until 2007 when he retired to devote his energies to writing. In 2003, he received an MFA in Creative Non-Fiction from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland.
Franklin is the author of “Mnemosyne: A Love Affair with Memory,” published by Xlibris; “The Rita Nitz Story: A Life without Parole,” published by Southern Illinois University Press; “Cherry Blossoms & Barron Plains: A woman’s journey from mental illness to a prison cell,” published by Chipmunka Publishing Company; and “Supermax Prison: Controlling the most dangerous criminals,” published by History Publishing Company. Franklin has completed his memoir, "Victims make great birdhouses," to be published by E. L. Marker publishing company and released in late April 2022.

Reviews

[Chet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A balanced view of the Tamms supermax prison in Illinois, including a short history of the how the supermax developed, the crimes of some of the inmates who were incarcerated there, some of the events that occurred inside, a description of the mental health issues based primarily on extended solitary confinement, a major lawsuit resulting from the facility, and its eventual closing. The supermax was a success in that prison assaults in Illinois went down while Tamms was open, although questions were raised about why some particular inmates were incarcerated there and about how inmates were kept there much longer than the official criteria for release seemed to indicate that they should be. Self-abuse by inmates kept in extended solitary confinement was a major discussion topic. However, other inmates benefited from the cleanliness and privacy. I think this book carefully presented both sides of this controversial institution.

[Sharron Grodzinsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative look at Supermax prison

Probably the most informative book on supermax prisons and solitary confinement I have ever seen. To their credit the authors look at both the negative and positive aspects of incarceration in these types of facilities. Never boring and eye opening.

[Larry Franklin]

Supermax Prison is the best of Franklin’s books to date. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in the US criminal justice system and its supermax prisons. Franklin provides the historical context for the supermax and the philosophy behind it, the pros and cons, the supporters and detractors, and whether it can actually work in practice. The supermax at Tamms, Illinois, is his case in point. Covering its rise and fall, Franklin shows how local developers in Southern Illinois, one of the state’s most impoverished areas, convinced the governor to award the supermax to the village of Tamms, bringing with it hundreds of jobs. Soon, though, it became a subject of controversy, lauded on one hand as a model of rehabilitation, therapeutic support, and security for both inmates and employees and on the other as a torture chamber. Recognizing that there are no easy answers to the problem of what to do with the most dangerous inmates, Franklin gives a fair hearing to all sides of the supermax question, providing documents and interviews with Tamms inmates and their court appeals, guards, psychiatrists, therapists, the warden, and even the chaplain. Though the story of the Tamms Supermax ends with its closing, Franklin draws on his research to imagine a prison of the future that might just work.
Elizabeth Theresa Klaver
Professor of English
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois