A Day In The Life Of a SUPERMAX Prison Guard

This Is The Most Dangerous Prison On Earth

An ordinary day starts with waking up the inmates with the loudest and most annoying bell at 7:00 a.m. sharp. Even an inmate in deep sleep mode will lose any bit of peace after the bell rings. The guards do a count by 7:05 a.m. which ends around 8 a.m. after which the inmates are given food in their cells. A small food tray is passed through a slot in their cell with no choice of seconds. In total, the inmates spend 23 hours a day inside the cell.  
That one-hour left is dedicated to yard time which is when they can either make phone calls, work out, or shower. Inmates who choose to make phone calls are forced to do 15 minutes calls only, because of limited phones and the number of groups present. The guards have to make sure that the calls run short. After this hour, the guards must bring all the inmates back into their cells and conduct a recount, after which they’re locked and left to be alone. For visits, the guards must ensure they are no-contact visits that can take place either through video conferencing or meetings separated by a glass partition. There are very few rehabilitative programs, but when it is offered, the guards are instructed to make sure the service is one-to-one and is conducted with bars separating the inmate from the service provider. According to the Supermax Prison rules, each inmate is escorted by two officers to ensure nothing happens. While the job certainly has a bad effect on the guard’s mental health, they get to bring home around $60,000 to $70,000 a year.