High Security Unit
Encyclopedia
High Security Unit was a "control" unit for women within the Federal Correctional Institution in Lexington, Kentucky
. In the less than two years that the HSU was operational it became a focus of national and international concern over human rights abuses.
It was opened in 1986 by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). This special unit of 16 isolation cells was sealed off in a basement from the other prisoners. Reports from different human rights organization including Amnesty International
brought the attention to the existence of the unit and the inhumane treatment of prisoners.
In August 1987, Dr. Richard Korn, a clinical psychologist and correctional expert issued a report for the American Civil Liberties Union
's National Prison Project. Dr. Korn concluded that HSU was designed to force "ideological conversion".
concluded that the extreme isolation of the unit was cruel and unusual punishment. A 38 page report by Amnesty International said that the HSU was violating the international standards of treatment of prisoners.
A lawsuit was filed in behalf of prisoners Silvia Baraldini
and Susan Rosenberg
. It challenged regulations that allowed the isolation of prisoners based on their political beliefs or affiliations. Judge Parker said in his ruling that: '"The treatment of the plaintiffs has skirted elemental standards of human decency. The exaggerated security, small group isolation and staff harassment serve to constantly undermine the inmates' morale." He ordered the Bureau of Prisons to rewrite its regulations and transfer the prisoners into the general prison population .
In response to mounting opposition the Bureau of Prisons closed the facility in 1988.
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. In the less than two years that the HSU was operational it became a focus of national and international concern over human rights abuses.
It was opened in 1986 by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). This special unit of 16 isolation cells was sealed off in a basement from the other prisoners. Reports from different human rights organization including Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
brought the attention to the existence of the unit and the inhumane treatment of prisoners.
Conditions
The HSU prisoners lived in constant artificial lights 24 hours a day. Personal property was forbidden. Twenty four hours camera and visual surveillance recorded every activity. There were periods when the guards experimented with sleep deprivation: waking the prisoners every hour during the night. When prisoners filed complaints, the guards started waking them every half hour. Contact with the outside world was sharply restricted: Visitations were limited. There were frequent cavity searches done by male guards considered "constant sexual harassment" by the reports.In August 1987, Dr. Richard Korn, a clinical psychologist and correctional expert issued a report for the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
's National Prison Project. Dr. Korn concluded that HSU was designed to force "ideological conversion".
Political and legal opposition
A report by the United Methodist ChurchUnited Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
concluded that the extreme isolation of the unit was cruel and unusual punishment. A 38 page report by Amnesty International said that the HSU was violating the international standards of treatment of prisoners.
A lawsuit was filed in behalf of prisoners Silvia Baraldini
Silvia Baraldini
Silvia Baraldini was active in both the Black Power and Puerto Rican independence movements in the United States in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s...
and Susan Rosenberg
Susan Rosenberg
Susan Lisa Rosenberg is an American radical political activist, author and advocate for social justice and prisoners' rights. Rosenberg was active in many radical movements of the 1960s and 1970s...
. It challenged regulations that allowed the isolation of prisoners based on their political beliefs or affiliations. Judge Parker said in his ruling that: '"The treatment of the plaintiffs has skirted elemental standards of human decency. The exaggerated security, small group isolation and staff harassment serve to constantly undermine the inmates' morale." He ordered the Bureau of Prisons to rewrite its regulations and transfer the prisoners into the general prison population .
In response to mounting opposition the Bureau of Prisons closed the facility in 1988.
Inmates
The facility never housed more than six women. They were officially labeled "high risk," though none of them was convicted of a "violent" act while in prison. Some of them were chosen because of their radical political beliefs:- Marie Haydée Beltrán TorresMarie Haydée Beltrán TorresMarie Haydée Beltrán Torres is a Puerto Rican nationalist who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the 1977 bombing of the Mobil Oil Building in Manhattan that killed one person and injured several others. Torres was linked to the Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional , which...
: Puerto Rican activist indicted for the 1977 bombing of the Mobil Oil Building in Manhattan. - Silvia BaraldiniSilvia BaraldiniSilvia Baraldini was active in both the Black Power and Puerto Rican independence movements in the United States in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s...
: She was active in both the Black Power and Puerto Rican independence movements in the United States in the 1960s thru 1980s. - Susan RosenbergSusan RosenbergSusan Lisa Rosenberg is an American radical political activist, author and advocate for social justice and prisoners' rights. Rosenberg was active in many radical movements of the 1960s and 1970s...
: A former member of the weather underground (sentence commuted by presidential order in 2001). - Alejandrina TorresAlejandrina TorresAlejandrina Torres is a Puerto Rican nationalist who was convicted and sentenced to 35 years for seditious conspiracy to overthrow the government of the United States. Torres was linked to the Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional , which claimed responsibility for numerous bombings...
: A former member of FALNFuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional (Puerto Rico)The Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional was a Puerto Rican clandestine paramilitary organization that, through direct action, advocated complete independence for Puerto Rico. At the time of its dissolution, the FALN was responsible for more than 120 bomb attacks on United States targets between...
(granted clemency by President Clinton in 1999).