ADX Florence | Supermax Prison Colorado | ADX Prison

ADX Florence is an administrative-security federal prison located in Florence, Colorado. The prison is also known as USP Florence ADMAX, United States Penitentiary Florence Administrative Maximum, and the supermax prison in Colorado. The facility houses male inmates.

ADX Florence Contact Information

Facility Address & Contact Information

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

Phone: 719-784-9464
Fax: 719-784-5290
Email: [email protected]

BOP Website: Bureau of Prisons Page
Wikipedia: Wikipedia Page

Inmate Correspondence Address

USP Florence ADX Prison

Inmate Name and Registration Number
USP Florence ADMAX
United States Penitentiary
P.O. Box 8500
Florence, CO
81226

How to Send Money

Inmates cannot receive funds directly. See our page on sending money to federal prisoners.

United States Penitentiary Florence ADX Prison Inmate Information

Inmate Gender

Male Inmates

Prison Security Level

Administrative-Security Federal Prison

Facility Location

USP Florence-Administrative Maximum is on State Highway 67, 90 miles south of Denver, 45 miles south of Colorado Springs, and 40 miles west of Pueblo.

BOP Region

North Central Region

BOP Institution Code

FLM for ADX Florence, FLF for Florence Federal Correctional Complex

Medical Care Level

Level 2. See our page on Medical Care Levels and Procedures for more information.

Mental Health Care Level

Level 2.

Judicial District

District of Colorado

Population Number

ADX Florence prison houses approximately 335 inmates.

ADX Florence Prison Services Information

ADX Florence | ADX Prison

Prison Background

Federal Administrative Maximum Florence (ADMAX) is an administrative-security federal prison in Florence, Colorado, which houses male inmates. The facility opened in 1994. It is part of the Florence Federal Correctional Complex.

The supermax prison in Colorado, also known as ADX Florence prison and “The Alcatraz of the Rockies,” is the nation’s only level 6 supermax security prison. It houses the most dangerous offenders in the federal prison system.

Mother Jones describes the prison as “pretty close to hell.” Prison administrators banned both of President Barack Obama’s books at one point. Prison officials called the books “potentially detrimental to national security.”

Media reports indicate that a member of the Bureau’s elite Special Operations Response Team (SORT) was convicted of stealing and selling flash-bang grenades on the black market. At least one inmate has committed suicide, fellow prisoners have murdered three inmates, and numerous inmates have mutilated themselves at the facility. Multiple class-action lawsuits have also been filed, alleging a lack of medical and psychological treatment.

ADX Florence Prison Rankings

  • InmateSurvival.com named the Colorado supermax prison one of the ten worst, toughest, deadliest, and most dangerous prisons in America.
  • Trendrr named the facility one of the 11 most dangerous prisons in the United States.
  • The Richest named the institution one of America’s 15 most dangerous prisons.
  • News One named ADX Florence Prison one of the ten most notorious prisons in the United States.

Inmate Housing

ADX Florence inmates live in one-person cells. They shower, participate in programming through a TV, and have all other human interactions in their ADX Florence cell. The only exception is for recreation and some health care needs.

The ten housing units range in formats and types. They include a control unit, special housing unit, high security, general population, and pre-transfer unit. The general experience of ADX Florence prison inmates is that of solitary confinement.

Health Services

Sick calls, dental sick calls, physical examinations, medications, eyeglasses, chronic care, preventive health services, emergency services, diagnosis and treatment of chronic conditions, and mental health care are provided to inmates. Mandatory HIV testing is performed when there are risk factors, the test is clinically indicated, or surveillance testing is required.

Inmates are screened for MRSA and TB annually. Paper sick call requests must be filed for evaluation of healthcare needs. Health Services staff perform these clinical evaluations primarily through video cameras in inmate cells.

Psychology Services

Psychology Services representatives interview inmates within 14 days of arrival at ADX Florence. The department offers a variety of programs through the in-cell closed-circuit TV, in coordination with the inmate’s Unit Team, in place of group counseling. These programs include Stress Management, Anger Management, and various other topics.

These classes are sometimes completed using paper packets that inmates fill out and return. If an inmate successfully completes a formal program, he will receive a certificate. For psychiatric care, inmates have the services of a psychiatrist at MCFP Springfield via teleconferencing equipment. Tele-psychiatry clinics are held twice a month.

Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP)

ADX Florence does not house a Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). A Drug Education Program, the Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP), and other drug abuse programming are available. All education programming and testing are conducted in inmate cells. Closed-circuit television facilitates this instruction.

ADX Florence Colorado Supermax Prison Educational, Library, and Recreation Offerings

Education Services

ADX Florence provides GED and English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) programs. Adult Basic Education (ABE) and Adult Continuing Education (ACE) classes are also available. High school diplomas and post-secondary programs are available through paid correspondence programs. All classes are facilitated via a TV screen in the inmate’s cell.

Advanced Occupational Education

The supermax prison in Colorado offers an advanced occupational education program in Restaurant Management/Culinary Arts.

Vocational Training

ADX Florence does not provide vocational training besides its advanced occupational education courses.

Apprenticeship

USP Florence ADMAX does not provide any apprenticeship training.

Library Services

Leisure and law libraries are available through the Education Department, though most programming is available only through closed-circuit televisions in the inmate’s cell. Inmates can file a paper request for an item to be retrieved and delivered to their cell if it is not available on the TV network.

UNICOR

ADX Florence Prison does not house a UNICOR facility.

Commissary

Spending limits are $90.00 per week and up to $360.00 per month. Inmates can purchase various commissary items, though some restrictions are in place due to the facility’s security level.

Prisoners shop by turning in their commissary form from their cell. Inmates receive their commissary items in their cells. While inmates can first only purchase hygiene items, they can work their way up to food and other items.

Recreation Services

The Florence supermax Recreation Department provides a variety of approved, organized, and free-form activities. According to the BOP, some of these activities are basketball, handball, and special holiday activities such as table games, tournaments, and contests. In contrast to the official position, inmates at the facility describe being chained to a poll where they can walk in circles but not reach any other inmates. Staff highly control communal recreation.

Visitation Information for ADX Florence Prison

Visitation is on Sunday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. On federal holidays visitation is held between 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. See our page on prisoner visitation rules for more information.

ADX Florence | Supermax Prison Colorado

ADX Florence Prison Culture Information

Prison Politics at United States Penitentiary Florence ADMAX

ADX Florence Prison is very political, but due to most inmates being in total isolation, this isn’t an issue.

Level of Violence

There is only staff-on-inmate violence because most inmates are isolated from one another.

Vulnerable Populations

Sex offenders, informants, and LGBT inmates can remain at the facility because they are isolated from one another.

Good at ADX Florence

“You’re alive and away from all politics.” “Reputation from being there.”

Bad at ADX Florence

“Lonely existence, very limited contact with the outside world, only legal calls allowed, letters are read through a television screen in the cell, and the guards treat everyone the same (poorly) regardless of why you are there.”

Other Inmate Comments

“Do not go. You now have to attack a prison guard to go.” “Very safe since you are isolated from everyone else.”

Notable ADX Florence Prison Inmates

ADX Florence has housed numerous infamous inmates. These inmates have ranged from domestic and international terrorists to organized crime bosses and defendants convicted of espionage. The following tables present several notable ADX Florence Prison inmates.

Foreign Terrorists at ADX Florence

ADX Florence InmateInmate NumberCrime of ConvictionRelease Date
Zacarias Moussaoui51427-054An Egyptian cleric and associate of Osama bin Laden. He masterminded the 1998 kidnapping of Westerners in Yemen.Life
Ramzi Ahmed Yousef03911-000The terrorist who assisted in the 1993 World Trade Center bombings. He was also convicted of planning to bomb twelve passenger airplanes.Life
Khalfan Khamis Mohamed44623-054An Al-Qaeda operative who assisted in the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, Africa.Life
Mostafa Kamel Mostafa67495-054An Egyptian cleric and associate of Osama bin Laden. He masterminded the 1998 kidnapping of westerners in Yemen.Life
Richard Colvin Reid24079-038An Al-Qaeda operative who attempted to use bombs in his shoes to blow up an airplane. He is known as the “Shoe Bomber.”Life
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab44107-039An Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operative who attempted to blow up a plane with a bomb in his underwear. He is known as the “Underwear Bomber.”Life
Ahmed Ressam29638-086A terrorist convicted of planning to bomb Los Angeles International Airport in 1999.7/1/2032
Simon Trinidad27896-016A Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) militant convicted of aiding in the 2003 kidnapping of American military contractors.2/17/2055
Sulaiman Abu GhaithThe Al-Qaeda spokesman convicted of conspiring to kill Americans and providing material support to a terrorist organization.Life
Mamdouh Mahmud Salim42426-054Al-Qaeda co-founder convicted for his involvement in the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings.Life
Shain Duka61284-066A terrorist convicted of conspiring to kill U.S. Army servicemembers at Fort Dix, New Jersey.Life
Mahmud Abouhalima28064-054An Egyptian terrorist who assisted in the 1993 Word Trade Center bombing.3/8/2060
Mohammed Mansour Jabarah06909-091A Canadian citizen convicted of plotting to bomb U.S. embassies in the Philippines and Singapore.Life
Amor M. Ftouhi55707-039A terrorist convicted of participating in the 2017 Bishop International Airport attack in Flint, Michigan.Life
Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy75868-054A terrorist who plotted bombing attacks on the New York City subway system and Times Square.5/11/2051

Domestic Terrorists Housed at ADX Florence

ADX Florence InmateInmate NumberCrime of ConvictionRelease Date
Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev95079-038A domestic terrorist who placed pressure-cooker bombs at the 2013 Boston Marathon.Death Sentence converted to life imprisonment.
Wadih el-Hage42393-054A terrorist convicted of assisting the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, Africa.Life
Terry Lynn Nichols08157-031Co-conspirator of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing targeting the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.Life
Jose Padilla20796-424Al-Qaeda operative convicted of terrorism conspiracy and providing material support to a terrorist organization.4/10/2026
Eric Robert Rudolph18282-058Army of God member convicted of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta, Georgia.Life
Faisal Shahzad63510-054Tehrik-i-Taliban operative convicted of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction for an attempted 2010 Times Square car bombing.Life
Naser Jason Abdo80882-280Former U.S. Army soldier who plotted to detonate a bomb at a restaurant near Fort Hood. He had intended to kill U.S. servicemen.Life
Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh85795-053Al-Qaeda operative who attended terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. He supported the 2009 attack on Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost.8/5/2053
Tarek Mehanna05315-748An American pharmacist convicted of providing material support to Al-Qaeda.8/20/2024

Espionage Inmates at ADX Florence

ADX Florence InmateInmate NumberCrime of ConvictionRelease Date
Noshir S. Gowadia95518-022Former U.S. Department of Defense engineer who provided confidential military information to China.1/31/2033
Robert Philip Hanssen48551-083Former senior FBI counterintelligence agent who provided Russia with classified information. Numerous undercover FBI agents were executed as a result of his leaks.Life
Walter Myers29796-016Former U.S. State Department intelligence analyst who provided classified national defense information to Cuba.Life
Harold J. Nicholson49535-083Former CIA officer who provided classified information to Russia.11/26/2023

Organized Crime Figures Incarcerated at ADX Florence

ADX Florence InmateInmate NumberCrime of ConvictionRelease Date
James Marcello99076-012The former “Front Boss” of the Chicago Outfit. Convicted of racketeering, conspiracy, and directing criminal activities.Life
Luis Felipe14067-074Leader of the Latin King’s New York Chapter. Convicted of murder conspiracy and racketeering.Life
Tyler Davis Bingham03325-091Founder of the Aryan Brotherhood. Convicted of murder, murder conspiracy, and racketeering.Life
Larry Hoover86063-024Gangster Disciples Chicago leader. Convicted of murder, drug conspiracy, extortion, money laundering, and operating a continuing criminal enterprise.Life
Jeff Fort92298-024El-Rukin founder (i.e., Black P. Stones). Convicted of terrorism conspiracy for plotting U.S.-based attacks in exchange for money and weapons from Libya.10/14/2044
Kaboni Savage58232-066Philadelphia drug king convicted of murder in aid of racketeering. He also firebombed the home of a federal witness, killing two adults and four children.Death Sentence
Joaquin Archival “El Chapo” Guzman Lopera89914-053Former Sinaloa Cartel leader. Convicted of drug trafficking, money laundering, and murder.Life
Ronald “Ra Diggs” Herron78527-053Former Brooklyn rapper convicted of murder, racketeering, and drug trafficking.Life
Perry Roark53975-037Dead Man Incorporated co-founder convicted of racketeering conspiracy, trafficking, and murder.Life
Salvador Magluta26012-037Leader of a Miami drug trafficking network. Convicted of money laundering and conspiracy charges.9/28/2166

Suicides at ADX Florence Supermax

  • Jamie Jarold McMahan (2017)
  • Robert Gerald Knott (2013)
  • Jose Martin Vega (2010)
  • John Frierson (2008)
  • Lance Vanderstappen (2006)
  • Lawrence Klaker (2002)
  • Gregory Britt (1999)
  • Kevin Lee Wilson (1999)

Florence Supermax Prison Colorado in the News

In July 2018, prison staff found white supremacist and Aryan Brotherhood leader Barry Mills dead. Media reports indicate it was due to natural causes at Administrative Maximum Security Florence.

In 2013, Mother Jones called ADX Florence Prison one of America’s worst prisons: “pretty close to hell.”

In June 2012, prisoners filed a class-action lawsuit against federal officials for failing to provide basic medical treatment for mentally ill prisoners at the supermax prison in Colorado.

In May 2012, federal prison officials were sued over the suicide of Jose Martin Vega, a prisoner at the Colorado supermax. He hanged himself after failing to receive proper mental health treatment.

Between 2009 and 2010, a guard and member of the Special Operations Response Team (SORT) at Florence Supermax allegedly stole flash-bang grenades from the armory to sell on the black market.

In 2009, Florence supermax banned two of President Barack Obama’s books because they were considered “potentially detrimental to national security.”

In 2005, Manual Torrez was murdered by fellow prisoners at ADX Florence. The Colorado Supermax is the most restrictive and secure section of USP Florence.

Also, in 2005, James Duckett restrained prisoner Gregory Joiner as Dominic Stewart beat him to death in this Colorado supermax.

In 1997, ADX Florence prisoner Maynard Campbell was stabbed to death near his cell. Campbell’s cellmate was also injured in the attack.

More Information About ADX Florence

For a comprehensive look at life in federal prison, pick up a copy of Christopher Zoukis’ Federal Prison Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Surviving the Federal Bureau of Prisons. For more detailed information about Florence Supermax, please buy a copy of the Directory of Federal Prisons: The Unofficial Guide to Bureau of Prisons Institutions by Christopher Zoukis.