The correctional system has attempted to determine the best method of dealing with criminals, particularly criminals considered the "worst type of criminal." Two different models have been suggested, the dispersion model and the consolidation model. To define it simply, the dispersal model “disperses offenders with unusually dangerous backgrounds or disruptive behavior patterns throughout the correctional system, thereby avoiding a concentration of these offenders in a single location” (Hickey, 2010, p. 208 ). The consolidation model “involves placing all high-dangerous inmates in one location and controlling them using enhanced security procedures” (Hickey, 2010, p. 209). Of course, each of these models has advantages and disadvantages, but it is the concept of supermax prisons that has sparked debate. Maximum security prisons, which fall under the consolidation model, are associated with a number of ethical problems. A number of issues need to be considered when considering the use of maximum security prisons. Hans Toch, a specialist in the prison system, stressed that the methods used in supermax prisons do not constitute new penal techniques. In fact, these types of prison conditions have been adopted in the past and rejected due to the increased rate of inmates developing mental illness (Hickey, 2010). Maximum security prisons have been associated with past attempts, such as Eastern State Penitentiary, where 24-hour solitary confinement was used and there were no self-improvement programs. The two main problems associated with supermax prisons are conditions and transfer procedures/criteria (Pollock, 2010). Pelican Island in California was the target of a lawsuit, Madr...... middle of paper ...... had numerous defects that may or may not be corrected. Furthermore, it does not appear to have had a positive effect on the rate of violence. Until these issues are resolved, there seems no point in implementing installations based on the consolidation model that are inefficient and costly. References: Hickey, TJ (2010). Taking Sides: Opposing Views on Crime and Criminology, 9th Edition. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Pollock, J. M. (2010). Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions in Criminal Justice, Sixth Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.Riveland, C. (1999). Supermax Prisons: Overview and General Considerations. Retrieved August 25, 2010 from http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:1a1pkDvbgh0J:nicic.gov/pubs/1999/014937.pdf+Supermax+prisons+consolidation+model&hl=en&gl=us.