The Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) located on 71 West Van Buren Street in downtown Chicago is a 27-floor skyscraper prison built in a unique triangular design. The prison was established in the 60s and 70s as a response to the wave of inmate disturbances and suicides that led to increased scrutiny of the Chicago prison system. Unlike other prisons, the MCC was built to strike a balance between harsh confinement and treating inmates with basic humanity. Hence, the design made it possible to provide more comprehensive services in a compact space while ensuring maximum security. In this blog post, we will take a closer look at this unique prison that is renowned for its architectural design, houses many notable prisoners and meets all basic human needs.
The Design and Unique Services of MCC
The MCC is designed to meet the basic and special needs of inmates while ensuring that they stay in secure confinement and maximum surveillance. Since the MCC is meant for the detention of pre-trial prisoners and individuals with short sentences, it has private rooms for each detainee. By doing this, the prisoners’ privacy is respected, and it reduces the chances of unnecessary conflict between inmates. One of the most significant aspects of the prison is the rooftop recreation area and exercise yard encircled by a nine-meter tall concrete wall with fenced openings around the perimeter. MCC’s design in the brutalism style is meant to evoke a sense of separation from the city while keeping everyone inside and under maximum surveillance. Additionally, the center offers medical facilities, education, staff, and law and leisure libraries while providing debit card-operated copiers for public use.
The Notable Prisoners of MCC
The MCC has housed many notable prisoners throughout its history. In 1985, two convicted murderers famously escaped from MCC by breaking open a slit window and climbing down a 70-foot electrical cable. The leader of the Sinaloa cartel was also held in solitary confinement for two years at MCC. In 2010, Matthew Nolan attempted to escape from the prison, but it was foiled. Also, musician R. Kelly was held at the facility on federal charges of sex crimes and obstruction of justice. For female prisoners, Piper Kerman, who wrote the memoir “Orange is the New Black,” was one of those held in MCC. She served 13 months at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, before being transferred to MCC for the last two months.
The Layout and Functioning of MCC
The MCC has different floors that serve distinct purposes in the functioning of the prison. The first floor of the center houses the public lobby, the prisoner’s control room, and the employee check-in area. The second floor houses the U.S. magistrate courtroom, while the third and fourth floors are administrative offices. The center’s admission and discharge area is located on the fifth floor, and the sixth-floor houses prisoners and detainees, which the prison processes and assigns to a permanent location. The seventh and eighth floors of MCC have medical housing for inmates requiring treatment, and the ninth floor houses the education department, staff offices, and classrooms. The prisoner-housing units from the 13th to the 26th floor were designed to house 44 people in each unit, and the segregation unit (solitary confinement) is located above the mechanical equipment level.
The Balance Between Security and Human Treatment
The creation of MCC was aimed at providing detainees and inmates with a secure space that also ensured their basic human needs are met. Over the years, the prison has shown a willingness to learn and adopt new approaches to ensure inmates have better living conditions while inside MCC. For instance, before 2005, all prisoners who needed to be isolated were held in secure housing elsewhere, subsequently male prisoners were held in isolation at MCC while female prisoners were taken to Cook County Jail. Although MCC is built to evoke maximum surveillance and security, it continues to adapt to better achieve its goal of balancing confinement with treating inmates with basic humanity.
Conclusion
The Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago provides services to prisoners in a unique setting that provides basic humanity and security. MCC’s design allows for a more comprehensive use of space, and it is renowned for ensuring maximum surveillance and security for all prisoners. The prison has been home to many notable prisoners throughout its history, and it continues to provide services that meet the basic needs of people while ensuring they do not pose a danger to society. Indeed, the MCC is a unique prison built to strike a balance between harsh confinement and treating inmates with basic humanity.