# How would the Guantanamo inmates fare in a regular federal prison? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 6, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-guantanamo-inmates-fare-in-a-regular-federal-prison/577345 "2011-04-06T01:37:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-guantanamo-inmates-fare-in-a-regular-federal-prison/577345/1 "2011-04-06T01:37:08Z")
Let’s say Guantanamo Bay was closed, as many people seem to want, and all the inmates there were tried in the civilian courts and sentenced to a federal prison like ADX Florence or Terre Haute. How would these guys be treated there? Would they be quickly killed or otherwise attacked by patriotic prisoners who viewed them as terrorists? Or would they be absorbed by the Black Muslims and treated as heros? ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-guantanamo-inmates-fare-in-a-regular-federal-prison/577345/2 "2011-04-06T01:38:16Z")
My guess is neither…they would probably be isolated and not subject to the general population. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-guantanamo-inmates-fare-in-a-regular-federal-prison/577345/3 "2011-04-06T02:16:03Z")
In ADX Florence, nobody’s treating anyone else like much of anything. Even at the least restrictive security levels inmates are under near total isolation and constant supervision. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-guantanamo-inmates-fare-in-a-regular-federal-prison/577345/4 "2011-04-06T02:22:02Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Let’s say Guantanamo Bay was closed, as many people seem to want, and all the inmates there were tried in the civilian courts and sentenced to a federal prison like ADX Florence or Terre Haute. You are assuming that they would actually be convicted. I see no reason to assume they are guilty of anything. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-guantanamo-inmates-fare-in-a-regular-federal-prison/577345/5 "2011-04-06T03:07:24Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > You are assuming that they would actually be convicted. I see no reason to assume they are guilty of anything. It’s called a “hypothetical”. Look it up. For a couple of things, they’d get halal meals and their prayer times would override anything else the prison would normally schedule for them. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-guantanamo-inmates-fare-in-a-regular-federal-prison/577345/6 "2011-04-06T04:55:28Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > It’s called a “hypothetical”. Look it up. > > For a couple of things, they’d get halal meals and their prayer times would override anything else the prison would normally schedule for them. I’d imagine they get halal meals and prayer times at Gitmo too, though. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-guantanamo-inmates-fare-in-a-regular-federal-prison/577345/7 "2011-04-06T11:53:52Z")
I’d hope the Black Muslims wouldn’t consider them heroes, but I guess you never know. I can’t imagine that terrorists would fair well in an American prison. I’d think that if they weren’t isolated from the general population, then they would probably get killed. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-guantanamo-inmates-fare-in-a-regular-federal-prison/577345/8 "2011-04-06T12:43:38Z")
There’s no way that they’d be thrown into the general population at San Quentin or anything, they’d go to a supermax prison just like the [other terrorists](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramzi_Yousef#Arrest.2C_conviction_and_prison_life) that we’ve convicted, which means little to no direct human interaction so they’d probably fare just fine. But, just for the sake of argument, if they were fed to the machine like anyone else would be they’d be eaten by that machine. If you don’t possess explosive upper body strength and a willingness to fight anyone at any time any inmate will find themselves likely subjected to the very worst parts of the particular hell that is the US penal system. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-guantanamo-inmates-fare-in-a-regular-federal-prison/577345/9 "2011-04-07T07:50:21Z")
> [@](#): > > …will find themselves likely subjected to the very worst parts of the particular hell that is the US penal system. The prison system in the US is far better than in most other countries. What makes any prison hell is the amoral, barbaric, scum-of-the-Earth people contained therein. That moron flunky arab who was convicted in the WTC bombing, Mohammed Salami, is in a US prison and still alive. There is no honor amongst hardcore felons. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-guantanamo-inmates-fare-in-a-regular-federal-prison/577345/10 "2011-04-07T13:01:30Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > The prison system in the US is far better than in most other countries. Cite? > [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > What makes any prison hell is the amoral, barbaric, scum-of-the-Earth people contained therein. Cite? > [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > There is no honor amongst hardcore felons. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-guantanamo-inmates-fare-in-a-regular-federal-prison/577345/11 "2011-04-10T02:41:58Z")
My cites for them all would be _ **common freakin’ sense!** _ ---
**Author:** ![pinklintango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aeb1de/32.png) [@pinklintango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinklintango)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-guantanamo-inmates-fare-in-a-regular-federal-prison/577345/12 "2011-04-10T02:46:52Z")
They would fare better than anywhere else in the world, which is kind of telling. ---
**Author:** ![Sri\_Theo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Sri\_Theo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sri_Theo)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-guantanamo-inmates-fare-in-a-regular-federal-prison/577345/13 "2011-04-10T16:18:57Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > The prison system in the US is far better than in most other countries. What do you mean by better? The US has higher recidivism rates and greater violence within prisons then most other developed countries(EU, Canada, Aus, NZ) so many would argue that US system is in fact worse. ---
**Author:** ![regginbrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ba9def/32.png) [@regginbrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/regginbrow)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-guantanamo-inmates-fare-in-a-regular-federal-prison/577345/14 "2011-04-10T17:15:41Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > My cites for them all would be _ **common freakin’ sense!** _ I also would be interested in a cite for this, at least that the US has a better prison system than most other countries. I’m also interested in how you define ‘better’ in that statement. Edit: Not that I necessarily doubt the US has a ‘superior’ system, just that the American public has little sympathy for any convicted felon, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see that reflected in the inmates’ treatment, in a broad sense.