Solitary confinement, secret locations,
and allegations of prison guard violence. Here's what James Holmes' life in prison is like now.
On July 20, 2012, James Holmes killed 12 people and injured dozens more during a
screening of "The Dark Knight Rises," in one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history.
Holmes was given a life sentence for each of the 12 people he had killed, plus another 3,318 years
for those he injured and for the explosives he had wired in his apartment, per CNN.
Holmes was subsequently sent to the Colorado State Penitentiary. Reports quickly emerged
that Holmes was allegedly being treated unfairly well, with a fellow inmate writing to Westword,
"Holmes has been placed in a sixteen-man pod all by himself. He gets out of his
cell two hours in the a.m. and two hours in the p.m. Whenever he is out of his cell,
a guard sits in a chair in front of the pod and watches him. I thought you might be interested to
know the amount of resources [the department of corrections] is expending on this dude."
The DOC confirmed that Holmes had a whole section to himself,
but claimed that the prison was under capacity at the time. They also alleged that Holmes was
receiving the same treatment afforded to all prisoners of the same classification.
"Separated from the rest of the male population, we're told, for his own safety."
Colorado Prisons Director Steve Hager told ABC News it had been decided that Holmes
should be isolated from every other inmate, and only have interactions with prison staff.
However, on October 8, 2015, Holmes was leaving a meeting with his case manager
when an opened door left him face-to-face with an inmate named Mark Daniels.
Daniels, who had been convicted of car theft and forgery, reportedly lunged at
Holmes. The confrontation was broken up by officers fairly quickly, with at least
one getting hit in the process. Daniels later wrote a letter to a Denver newspaper, saying,
"I'm so sorry I couldn't wipe him out and sent him
packing to Satan's lake of fire. It was just impossible to do by myself with so
many cops. I did get him six or seven good ones [...] He was very scared."
Daniels was moved to another area of the prison and lost his privileges. However, according to ABC
News, Daniels received letters of congratulations, money, and support as a result of the attack.
Then, Daniels made some serious allegations, claiming that some prison guards had been
in on the attack, per CBS News. The Colorado Department of Corrections denied the claims,
but also revealed that there was no video or photographic record of the incident whatsoever.
In December 2015, Reuters reported that James Holmes had been moved to the maximum
security San Carlos Correctional Facility, on the campus of the Colorado Mental Health
Institute in Pueblo. A spokesperson for the Department of Corrections revealed,
"He is now in more of a general population setting. It's a normal progression move."
San Carlos is a fairly small prison with a capacity of about 255 inmates,
and that's because they provide more specialized care.
The facility mostly houses inmates with specific requirements and mental health issues,
which is in line with Holmes's diagnosis of schizotypal personality disorder, per CNN.
"And that was the case with my son. Severe case of schizophrenia."
However, it wasn't long before Holmes was moved again, and his new location was kept
secret for almost two years. According to The Washington Post, Holmes had been
moved somewhere outside of Colorado, and there was a massive push from survivors,
families, and prosecutors to know where he had been taken.
In September 2017, it was revealed that Holmes had been transferred to a high-security prison
in Pennsylvania. According to Colorado officials, attempts to keep him in-state had failed,
because Holmes was still considered a high-risk prisoner. As a result,
he had been transferred to a federal-level facility at Allenwood.
In 2016, a report issued by the attorney general's office tried to quash claims that
Holmes was receiving special treatment, per The Denver Post. Perhaps the most
significant confirmation was that Holmes spent his days in solitary confinement,
with the document revealing that he was confined to his cell for 23 hours a day.
It was also revealed that Holmes could only watch television for one hour per day. During that hour,
Holmes reportedly had no contact with other inmates, and he wasn't allowed to go outside.
The report also explained that Holmes wasn't allowed access to exercise equipment,
which is usually a pretty standard right for most inmates. Instead,
he was only permitted to do calisthenics, a form of exercise that requires no equipment.
A lot of restrictions are placed on physical and electronic mail for inmates. According to
the inmate handbook issued by USP Allenwood, access to mail and the
mailroom is considered a pretty basic right, along with communication with the outside.
However, according to the 2016 document released to prosecutors
detailing James Holmes' treatment in the then-undisclosed location,
it seems as though it may be a little different for him, per The Denver Post.
The Department of Corrections confirmed that Holmes had no access to email or the internet.
It was also revealed that no actual, physical mail had been forwarded to him,
either. Physical interaction is strictly limited for Holmes, too. In fact,
he reportedly isn't allowed to marry, and he isn't permitted conjugal visits.
The inmate handbook for USP Allenwood might shed some light on what Holmes' day-to-day
life is really like. In particular, the handbook mentions the services and rules
that apply to those in "Special Housing," which likely includes solitary confinement.
Prisoners placed in these conditions are allowed a daily consultation with a
member of the prison's medical staff, and a full physical examination once a year,
which includes an annual screening for tuberculosis.
According to the handbook, inmates confined in "Special Housing" also have a right to fresh air
and outdoor time, correspondence with friends and family, and enrollment in educational programs.
However, judging by the report released in 2016, it would seem that some of these
rights are off the table for Holmes. However, as details about his life in prison remain scarce,
it seems unlikely that Holmes is living the privileged prison life reports once suggested.