Supermax, nation's most secure prison, gives art a chance

FLORENCE — For the first time in its 25-year history the nation’s most secure prison, Supermax, is undergoing a transformation spurred by the creative arts and a new warden who is allowing inmates out of their cells to paint murals on the austere prison walls.

Inmates painting murals in the prison known as the Alcatraz of the Rockies is a big deal. Supermax has developed a reputation as being a grueling environment where the worst of the worst inmates in the country are housed on 23-hour lock down.

At the request of bureau officials, inmates who agreed to talk to The Pueblo Chieftain will not be identified by their real names. One of those inmates, “Cody” said, “Not everybody is like that — the worst of the worst.

“I am in here for trying to escape. A lot of these guys are salvageable,” Cody said.

And indeed, a great percentage of the inmates will be released from prison some day, said Dr. Paul Zohn, a psychologist who helps oversee the Creative Arts Platform.

Read more: https://www.chieftain.com/news/20190309/supermax-nations-most-secure-prison-gives-art-chance