Correctional officers at Supermax are booted and uniformed in a military fashion different from the rest of the force. Correction Commissioner Stan Taylor explained one reason is they are required to kneel down in searching for contraband. That's also the reason for restricting belongings such as books, because they often are used to hide things. Visitors must arrive one hour before their scheduled meeting with a prisoner, cannot wear any jewelry and may carry only one key. Only five names are allowed on a list of potential visitors.
Prisoners undergo strip searches before and after visits.
Taylor says these restrictions are needed because visitors for the entire Smyrna complex, not just Supermax, pass through a single new visitors center and officers must guard against smuggling. President Bush was not a Navy veteran like his father, as a recent column stated. This president was a pilot in the Texas Air National Guard. Harry F. Themal has been writing for The News Journal since 1959.