Restrictive Housing

Also called the special housing unit (SHU) or “the hole,” adults in custody are sent to this specialized unit when they have been charged with disciplinary infractions, are under investigation, are about to transfer to another prison, or have requested protective custody or “checked in” (voluntarily or at the perception of staff) The latter three reasons are called “administrative detention” and account for most people in the SHU. 

Note that many people use the term “solitary confinement,” but this is a misnomer.  Most AICs have a roommate, except for the highest-security prison, the ADX (Supermax) facility in Florence, Colorado. (Amnesty International authored a scathing report on this extreme form of punishment.)

Although the United Nations’ Mandela Rules prohibit persons from being kept in restrictive housing for more than 15 days, the BOP does not conform to these rules and abuses isolation for periods exceeding six months (sometimes more than a year!). This practice is unacceptable and far too common. . 

In 2014, PERA founder Jack Donson authored a report outlining practical solutions for “fixing” abuses of the SHU. They still hold true today and offer a blueprint for reform. Many of them are echoed in a recent report from the Government Accountability Office.

Types of restricted housing

Communication Management Unit (CM). These are for AICs who, due to reasons such as the nature of their conviction or conduct, require increased monitoring of their communication with other prisoners and persons in the community. Currently, there are two CMs, one at the Terre Haute correctional complex in Indiana, and another at USP Marion (Illinois).

Control Unit (CU). The only existing example of a CU  is the Supermax (ADX) in Florence, Colorado, for AICs the BOP considers too dangerous to be allowed in “general population.” For example, individuals convicted of terrorism are typically housed here.

Protective Custody Unit (PCU), which house individuals participating in the federal Witness Security Program.

Special Housing Unit (SHU). These sections in each prison are for AICs who require temporary separation from the general population for a variety of reasons (see following section).

Special Management Unit (SMU). This unit can be considered one step away from an ADX. It is for AICs who pose unique security and management concerns, such as having participated in or a leadership role in gang-related activity. USP Thomson (Illinois) served as the SMU until it was closed due to charges of AIC abuse. No other facility is currently designated a SMU.

Special Confinement Unit (SCU).  The purpose of an SCU is to house male AICs who have received a federal sentence of death. 

Special Security Unit (SSU). This is a special area of the ADX for AICs who are under restrictions imposed by a Special Administrative Measure (SAM). Such measures are designed to restrict who the AICs can communicate with in the outside world.

Secure Mental Health Unit (SMHU). This is any housing unit dedicated to the treatment of AICs with a mental illness that requires removal from the general population during treatment.  

Special Housing Unit (SHU)

There are two reasons for placement in the SHU: 

1. Violation of institutional rules. Disciplinary segregation is imposed as a sanction for violating a rule. The incarcerated individual is typically placed on disciplinary segregation status for a specific period of time, then either released back to the general population or transferred to another facility.
2. Administrative detention. However, most people in the SHU are there for “administrative” reasons:

• Investigation due to possible involvement in or knowledge of a rules violation.
• Protective custody, due to a fear of being assaulted by other prisoners. This fear may be based on an unpaid debt, exposure of the nature of his or her sentence, or rejection by a gang.
• Pending transfer to another institution.

Note that the conditions of administrative SHU detention are the same as those for disciplinary stays. They both are harsh and punitive. Yet there currently are no limits on the length of stay for any type of SHU detention. (In 2024, the BOP published a proposal to limit disciplinary stays, but it has not yet been finalized.)

BOP policy calls for regular status and health reviews while in the SHU; however, a 2024 OIG report found that:

• The BOP has neither a standard form for BOP personnel to document mandatory SHU rounds nor baseline standards for the information that must be documented.
• Records-retention practices vary by institution.
• Some institutions destroy SHU logs within 30 days.
• Practices everywhere are often inadequate to meet the evidentiary needs of criminal investigations and prosecutions. 

When the SHU policy was last updated, a form was created to capture the outcomes of regular review by a multidisciplinary team that includes the warden, associate warden, captain, unit manager, health services administrator, chief psychologist and case management coordinator.  However, the extent to which  it is actually being used is uncertain, since it cannot be found on the BOP website and  PERA has yet to see an executed form from an acutal case.