What Is the Worst Prison in the United States? Find Out the 5 Most Terrible 

A prison is never a place you want to call home. In prison, you lose your freedom, and have to spend many days, months, or years behind bars. While nobody wants to end up in prison, there are some prisons that you really don’t want to get stuck in. 

We’ll take you through a handful of the worst prisons in the United States. The prisons we cover are mentioned because of their poor living conditions, the types of people who live there, and how many people are locked up.

The 5 Worst Prisons in the United States 

The United States is a big country with a lot of prisons. Plus, prison is privatized in the United States, so there are about 158 private prisons in the United States that have some of their own rules. Still, even some of the government’s prisons are bad places to land. 

Learn about the five worst prisons below.

1. ADX Florence Facility 

ADX Florence is the most dangerous prison in the United States. It’s an administrative maximum security prison that’s located in Colorado. The prison is home to some of the most disturbed criminals who have ever walked the Earth. 

Some examples of prisoners who live or lived there include the Oklahoma City Bomber (Timothy McVeigh), the Boston Marathon Bomber (Dzhokhar Tsarnaev), and the organizer of 9/11 (Zacarias Moussaoui). These are some of the worst people in history, and their crimes have killed thousands of people.

2. San Quentin 

San Quentin is a historical prison because it’s one of the oldest prisons in California; in fact, it was the first. Therefore, some of California’s most noteworthy criminals have been held there. Some examples of famous criminals include Charles Manson and the “Freeway Killer” (William Bonin). 

It’s also one of the few places in California that enforced the death penalty. The prison had a gas chamber that was functional until 1996, but now all executions are done with lethal injection.

3. Sing Sing 

Sing Sing may sound like a happy name for a prison, but the institution has a dark history. In fact, it’s home to an electric chair named “Sparky” that has killed about 600 criminals. 

The prison has also been home to some of humanity’s worst individuals. Some notable names include Albert Fish (serial killer and cannibal), Son of Sam (serial killer), and criminals who have committed espionage, like Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.

4. Holman Correctional Facility 

The Holman Correctional Facility is found in Escambia County, which is part of Alabama. What brings this prison to the list is the horrible names that people call it – some examples include the “House of Pain” and the “The Slaughter House.” 

Holman Correctional Facility has also had some notable criminals you wouldn’t want to be around, like Bobby Frank Cherry. He was the leader of a KKK chapter that bombed a church and killed four black women. It’s also important to note that there have been reports of stabbings from the inmates and guards. 

5. Rikers Island

Rikers position on this list is lower than many people think because of its notorious history. However, it’s not as dangerous as it used to be. Still, it’s a famous prison that holds a lot of criminals in New York. The facility was home to some famous criminals, like John Lennon’s killer, but also to some celebrities, like DMX, Lil Wayne, and Tupac. 

While not as dangerous as ADX Florence, many famous people have passed through its walls, and it’s known for having some of the worst living conditions. For example, the New York Times has suggested that the guards at Rikers abuse inmates and that the conditions are barely liveable.

How to Find More info About the Worst Prisons

To find out more about any specific prison you’re curious about, you can perform a search on an address database, like the one on Information.com. When you input an address here, you’ll find a full history of the building, including who has owned it, crimes that have taken place there, etc. 

You can also find out more information about inmates at a prison this way. You can use their prison address to get a full background report on them – you can also look them up by name, phone number, or email address, if you don’t know what prison they’re an inmate at. 

Information.com is also easier to use than most other reverse lookup sites, and it’s a great place for individuals to get started with background checks. It’s a perfect tool to learn more about someone, and you’ll find the following information when you run a search:

• Full name
• Address
• Arrest records
• Criminal records
• Court records
• Dating profiles
• Social media accounts
• Sex offender status
• Relatives
• Marriage or divorce status
• Restraining orders

Some people will have more or less information available about them, so your searches may vary.

Find What You’re Looking for Today

Learning about people has never been easier. The internet makes it easy to find what you’re looking for, so you don’t have to worry about a lack of information. 

While the internet makes finding information easier, you have to find it from the right sources. The wrong sources will give you outdated information or cause more harm than good. When you’re running background checks, always use Information.com for the best results.