There are 28 prisons in Illinois, and one is considered the worst in the nation. It's also been home to some big-name mobsters and celebrities you might have heard of.

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According to Money INC, Marion Prison is among 20 of the worst prisons in the nation. Built in the early 1960s this prison has been "home" to some big names in American history. Including a baseball athlete, a lot of famous crime bosses, and spies. The prison, known as a supermax prison, is located in Marion, Illinois (Southern Illinois) and was built to replace Alcatraz.

Money INC. says,

United States Penitentiary Marion opened in 1963, and within 15 years, it had become the country’s highest security prison. It is one of only two facilities in the country to have a Communication Management Unit, and episodes of violence have forced the facility into long-term lockdown.

 

Famous Celebrities and Crimes Bosses

• John Gotti - American mobster and head of the Gambino crime family.
• Pete Rose - athlete charged with filing false income tax returns (incarcerated from August 8, 1990, through January 7, 1991)
• John Anthony Walker - Soviet spy
• Robert Lee Willie - Serial Killer in the 1980s
• Thomas Silverstein - most dangerous inmate in federal prison

It looks like Gotti and Rose were not there at the same time, but you have to wonder if they would have been what conversations would they have? Marion Prison also has female inmates which makes this prison one of the largest in the nation.