1 of America's 20 Worst Prisons in Illinois

It has been and continues to be the home of the worst of the worst. It's one of the most infamous prisons in America and it's located in southern Illinois with a history of violence, death and has been the home of mob bosses and terrorists.

I don't agree with the internet about much, but I'd say Money Inc declaring this Illinois prison one of the 20 worst in America sounds accurate. It's the United States Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois.

Wikipedia tells about the twisted and evil history of what used to be a super-max prison in Illinois. After it was first built in 1963, it became one of the highest-security prisons in just over a decade. On October 22, 1983, two correctional officers were killed by inmates in two separate incidents on the same day.

United States Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois has experienced some of the most notorious escape attempts on July 21, 1971, October 10, 1975, May 24, 1978 and February 14, 1979. The last one ended with two prisoners who were recaptured after hiding in an Illinois church basement.

Pete Rose spent 5 months at the United States Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois, but he was in a minimum security camp.

One of the things that the United States Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois has been known for is being the home of convicted mob bosses like John Gotti.

Wikipedia says it's currently the home of Philadelphia crime boss Nicodemo Scarfo. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, he's scheduled to go free on January 5, 2033.

To be fair to the United States Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois, it's reportedly gotten better over the years as it was downgraded to a medium-security prison in 2006 after numerous improvements were allegedly made. Still, it's reputation from decades previous continue to bring it to mind anytime violent prisons are mentioned. That likely won't change anytime soon.