Colorado Supermax Prison About to Turn 30: Inside the Prison that Holds El Chapo & the World's Most Prominent Criminals

In eastern Colorado, about 100 miles south of Denver lies a federal prison in which the United States puts its worst criminals to punishment. The ADX Florence, sometimes known as the "Alcatraz of the Rockies" is a maximum security prison in Fremont County, Colorado where some of the most violent and prominent criminals in the world are housed.

The "ADX," short for "administrative maximum," was constructed by the Bureau of Federal Prisons for the most dangerous inmates. The construction of the prison was overseen by then-director of the Bureau Norman Carlson, after the murders of two correctional officers at the United States Penitentiary, Marion.

There are currently 340 male inmates at ADX Florence all essentially living in perennial solitary confinement. The cells are 7ft x 12ft and contains a desk, stool, and bed, made of concrete. They also contain a toilet that shuts off if it is clogged in some way, a shower on a timer to prevent flooding, and a button-controlled sink.

The cells also contain a steel mirror bolted to the wall and inmate-controlled lights. The prisoners are offered a TV set as a reward for good behavior that has access to 50 channels as well as some Netflix content.

They are kept in their cell 23 hours a day and spend their one hour outside of their cells shackled either for exercise or a phone call, which is a privilege to be earned.

The prison is divided into six security levels from a general population unit to its most secure level, Range 13, which reportedly only holds four prisoners. Members of terrorist groups or those whose communication to the outside world could result in further crimes being committed are held in the Special Security Unit, the fourth most secure level.

The prison also has 1,400 steel remote-controlled doors and is surrounded by pressure pads and barbed wire fences.

Officially constructed in 1994 and opened on January 10, 1995, ADX Florence has become known for both its draconian security measures as well as its infamous inmates.

Some of its most notable inmates include:

• Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán: the infamous Mexican drug lord who was the leader of the Sinaloa cartel. Sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years after multiple escapes.
• Juvenal Ovidio "Simón Trinidad" Ricardo Palmera Pineda: high-ranking member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) convicted of conspiracy to commit terrorism for his involvement in the kidnapping of three American military contractors. Currently serving a 60-year sentence.
• Dzhokhar Tsarnaev: co-conspirator in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Sentenced to death.
• Terry Lynn Nichols: the co-conspirator in the Oklahoma City bombing. Serving 161 consecutive life sentences
• Larry Hoover: Chicago gang leader charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and racketeering, who has reportedly been rehabilitated and is seeking to shorten his sentence. Serving six consecutive life sentences.
• Zacarias Moussasoui: French Al-Qaeda operative convicted of conspiracy to commit terrorism for his role in planning the September 11th attacks. Serving six consecutive life sentences.
• Richard C. Reid: British Al-Qaeda operative infamous for trying to smuggle a bomb in his shoe on a Paris flight and became the reason TSA asks passengers to take their shoes off. Serving three consecutive life sentences.

Eight inmates are suspected to have committed suicide behind bars throughout ADX Florence's 30-year history and the facility has faced numerous controversies for its conditions.

In 2012, eleven inmates sued the Federal Bureau of Prisons for abuse and a failure to diagnose mentally ill prisoners, as well as claims that the strict rules within the prison are severely detrimental to the inmates' mental health.

However, due to the severity of the crimes of an inmate to end up at ADX Florence, the prison has never faced any issues of overpopulation and has a high staff to inmate ratio.