maximum-security

American  

[mak-suh-muhm-si-kyoor-i-tee] / ˈmæk sə məm sɪˈkyʊər ɪ ti /

adjective

1. designed for or housing prisoners regarded as being very dangerous to society.

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Etymology

Origin of maximum-security

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

The White House, for example, is seeking $152 million from Congress to turn Alcatraz back into a maximum-security prison, an idea the president has talked about for several years.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Bureau of Prisons records show he is housed at a maximum-security federal prison in Florence, Colo., know as the “Alcatraz of The Rockies,” that also houses the “El Chapo” and other high-profile criminals.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026

The decision to pull the segment on an El Salvador maximum-security prison where the Trump administration sent hundreds of Venezuelan migrants drew sharp criticism from one of the network’s most high profile correspondents, Sharyn Alfonsi.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

The oldest prison in California, San Quentin was for decades a maximum-security facility that hosted the nation's biggest death row -- and a famous concert by Johnny Cash in 1969.

From Barron's • Oct. 26, 2025

Nigro had told us about the loaf—a nutritious but awful-tasting bread invented at the Great Meadow maximum-security prison solely for the purpose of feeding the worst inmates.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover