Arkham Asylum

## History

In 2012, the criminal Bane made headlines again, when he orchestrated another mass release of inmates at the Blackgate Prison and then blew it up, leaving Gotham with a surplus of criminals and nowhere to put them. Stryker's Island took a portion of the burden for a time, but the real relief came when the Wayne Foundation financed an expansion to Arkham Asylum, transforming it from an aging mental health institution into a state-of-the-art prison complex, now partnered with ARGUS.

Task Force X is based out of Arkham Asylum due to the facility now belonging to ARGUS. The team was created in Belle Reve, they've just been relocated. The reasons for this move have been explained as being tied to ARGUS' headquarters in New York City, the proximity of the Hall of Justice, the population density of suitable Task Force X recruits housed in Arkham, and having a saturation of crimefighters (particularly the Batman) located in Gotham.

Each Patient is assigned a Patient Number, a threat level and treatment ranking. "M" in the Arkham Patient Number stands for metahuman, "XT" stands for extraterrestrial, "S" stands for supernatural, "B" stands for brain, and "J" stands for juvenile. The threat levels are: low, moderate, high and severe. The treatment rankings are: 1-Compliant, 2-Responsive, 3-Ambivalent, 4-Resistant, 5-Defiant and 6-Hostile.

Patient can be housed (depending on their condition, status and threat level) in a Trustee Housing, Therapeutic Care Area, General Population Area, Intensive Care Area, Maximum Security Area, Solitary Confinement, Basement and Black Wing. Patients can be temporary housed when waiting for transfer. Besides that Arkham has a research center, a botanical garden, a woodworking shop, a laundry and a computer lab.

## Staff

* Chairman of the Board of Directors: Quincy Sharp
* Board of Directors: Bruce Wayne, Wesley Dodds
* Director: Jeremiah Arkham
* Warden: Lyle Bolton
* Psychiatrists:
	+ Intake Interviewer: Roy Westerman
	+ Patient Coordinators: Alyce Sinner, Simon Hurt, Byron Meredith, Chase Meridian, Edgar Cizko, Joan Leland, Mahreen Zaheer, Penelope Young
* Medical Researcher: Hugo Strange
* Special Agent: Lock-Up
* Special Agent: Rick Flag
* Security Captain: Aaron Cash
* Security Sergeant: Emily Parker
* Security Officers: Peter Whang, Phil Cho
* Nurse: Kiana Barnes
* Other Employees: Bart Wolper, Ruth Adams, Charlie Cavendish, Mike Stone, Frank Boles
* Former Employees: Nurse Tammie Westerman, Head of Research Jonathan Crane, Psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel, Security Officer Ann Carver, Botanist Pamela Isley, Medical Intern Thomas Elliot, Resident Doctor Victor Fries, Steve Dayton, Directors Burton and Schumacher, Doctor Unity Kinkaid, Surgeon Lazlo Valentin

## Others

* Kay Challis (Patient, not inmate, 1998 - 1999)
* Byron Lewis (Transferred and housed in Arkham for security reasons, 1997 - 2009)
* Unity Kinkaid (Patient, not inmate, 2001 - 2007)

## Trivia and Notes

### Trivia

* If Case File Photos are found, you should contact Lt. Harvey Bullock of GCPD or Lt. Beni Shiolin of MPD.
* One of its employees is a member of the Light.
* Kay Challis was brought to Arkham by Steve Dayton after he killed her father. Steve discovered many of her personalities. At one point one of the personalities, Dr. Harrison, created a cult and took over Arkham.
* Thanks to Amanda Waller patients can take part in experiments to take off years off their sentence. According to Natalia Mitternacht inmates in the Basement are subjected to experiments against their will.
* Byron Lewis was transferred to Arkham for security reasons after schematics for intrinsic bombs were discovered in his cell. In 2009, on the eve of the twenty-second anniversary of the Manhattaning, Byron snapped out of his catatonic state, scaring his cellmate Drury Walker. Byron grabbed Drury, stared in his eyes, and shouted "I give you my knowledge! My legacy shall be endless! Find the Mothman! Become the moth! The moth cannot die!" before he was subdued by orderlies and dragged off to the infirmary, all the while screaming "Into the blue flame I go!" Two days later, Byron was pronounced dead. His autopsy revealed a stroke had caused him to snap out of his catatonic state, but his sudden violent behavior prevented Arkham staff from recognizing that at the time.
* Underneath Arkham is a secret Spyral facility.
* After ARGUS took over Arkham the Board of Directors has been routinely stonewalled.
* Riddler claims to have devised over forty ways to escape his cell. It could be a lot of cheap bragging, but he has an impressive escape record.
* Some of the inmates could be Scourges.

### Notes

* Previous directors of Arkham are mentioned named "Burton" and "Schumacher". These are nods to directors of Batman movies.
* The majority of characters listed understaff were doctors and staff associated with Arkham Asylum. Some of them were villains.
	+ Jeremiah Arkham, Alyce Sinner, Mahreen Zaheer and Aaron Cash were affiliated with Arkham in the main continuity.
	+ Quincy Sharp, Frank Boles and Penelope Young come from *Batman: Arkham Asylum* video game.
	+ Lyle Bolton and Joan Leland were from *Batman: The Animated Series*.
	+ Simon Hurt was the leader of the Black Glove.
	+ Byron Meredith was a villain called Merrymaker.
	+ Chase Meridian was from *Batman Forever* Movie.
	+ Roy Westerman, Peter Whang, Phil Cho and Emily Parker are original characters.
	+ Hugo Strange was a psychiatrist in *The Batman* TV series.
	+ Bart Wolper was a psychiatrist in *Dark Knight Returns*.
	+ Directors Burton and Schumacher are nods to Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher.
	+ Ruth Adams and Charlie Cavendish were from *Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth.*
	+ Mike Stone was employed in *Arkham Manor*.

## Links and References

* Appearances of Arkham Asylum
* Location Gallery: Arkham Asylum
* Staff of Arkham Asylum
* Inmates of Arkham Asylum

1. ↑ Arkham's High Profile Patient Roster
2. ↑ VOX Box: What Do You Say?
3. ↑ VOX Box: Blood Brothers
4. ↑ Arkham Files: Firefly
5. ↑ Network Files: Foxglove
6. ↑ Network Files: Angelica Turing
7. ↑ Network Files: Kay Challis 4
8. ↑ Network Files: Kay Challis 5
9. ↑ VOX Box: Monster Mash 1
10. ↑ NFX: Byron Lewis
11. ↑ VOX Box: Dream a Little Dream 1
12. ↑ VOX Box: Behind the 8 Ball - Jonas 1
13. ↑ Network Files: Edward Nygma 1
14. ↑ Coffee Talks: Bruce and John