Jessica Gavora

The super maximum security prison—or supermax prison— is a recent trend in the American penal system. Supermaxes are separate, highly controlled facilities designed to house inmates that are too violent to be held safely in the general prison population. In the following viewpoint, Jessica Gavora describes one such program in Maryland. Supermax prisons are effective, she argues, because they protect other inmates and prison staff. She opposes federal efforts to restrict their use. Gavora is the director of the New Citizenship Project, a nonprofit public policy group.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Gavora, what are the three types of offenders housed in Maryland’s supermax prison"
2. What “constitutional rights” of inmates were allegedly being violated in Maryland’s supermax"
3. According to the author...