Status Operational Population 780 Phone +1 719-784-9454 | Security class High-security Warden Charles A. Daniels Opened 1993 | |
 | ||
Location Fremont County,
near Florence, Colorado Managed by Federal Bureau of Prisons Address 5880 CO-67, Florence, CO 81226, USA Hours Open today · 8AM–3PMSaturday8AM–3PMSunday8AM–3PMMondayClosedTuesdayClosedWednesdayClosedThursdayClosedFridayClosedSuggest an edit | ||
The United States Penitentiary, Florence High (USP Florence High) is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Colorado. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. USP Florence High is part of the Florence Federal Correctional Complex (FCC Florence), which is situated on 49 acres of land and houses different facilities with varying degrees of security. It is named "Florence High" in order to differentiate it from the United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX, the federal supermax prison located in the same complex.
Contents
FCC Florence is located in Fremont County, Colorado, 90 miles south of Denver.
History
USP Florence High was built in 1993 in response to the growing need for a place to house high-security federal inmates. It was designed by DLR Group, a leading architectural firm specializing in correctional facilities. Before the complex was built, the city of Florence was experiencing an economic crisis with an unemployment rate of 17%. When the citizens were polled by mail about building the complex in Florence, 97% of respondents were in favor of the project. It was estimated that the Florence Federal Correctional Complex was going to provide approximately 1000 temporary jobs and 900 permanent jobs. In anticipation of these jobs the community raised $160,000 to purchase the 600 acres (240 ha) needed to build the prisons.
Facility
USP Florence High houses approximately 600 male inmates. It is approximately 390,020 square feet (36,234 m2). The doors of the cells and corridors are all controlled from a central control room and the cells are positioned so that inmates are unable to see the exterior building line in order to reduce the possibility of escape. A perimeter fence, seven guard towers, and a patrol road ensure the security of the prison. The prison includes health services, educational program areas, visitation, laundry, a barbershop, commissary, chapel, Special Housing Unit (SHU), and an exercise area. Inmates work in a Unicor wood chair and desk drawer assembly factory.
Notable incidents
In 2000, seven federal correctional officers who the union called "The Cowboys" were charged with committing misconduct which occurred between January 1995 and July 1997, which included beating and choking handcuffed inmates, mixing waste into the inmates' food, and threatening other officers who objected to their actions. The case went to trial in 2003 and three of the officers, Mike Lavallee, Rod Schultz and Robert Verbickas, were convicted of violating the civil rights of inmate Pedro Castillo by beating him while he was in restraints. Lavallee and Schultz were also convicted of engaging in a conspiracy to commit civil rights violations. All three were sentenced to prison terms.
On April 20, 2008 a large-scale riot occurred between white and black inmates, during which several inmates were stabbed with homemade knives known as "shanks." Correction officers who were posted on watch towers shot and killed two of the armed inmates. A subsequent investigation found that the riot began when a group of inmates belonging to multiple white supremacy groups celebrated the birthday of Adolf Hitler, which sparked a dispute with black inmates.