Labelled the most dangerous inmate ever held within the United States prison system, Thomas Silverstein spent an astonishing 36 years in solitary confinement, a fate born from a spree of violence that reshaped American incarceration.
A Life Defined by Extreme Violence
Of his 67 years, Silverstein spent the final 42 imprisoned. His notoriety stemmed from multiple murders committed behind bars, which led authorities to deem him so lethal he was reportedly placed under a 'no human contact' status for decades. The ceiling light in his cell was said to be left on 24 hours a day, and guards often refused to speak to him.
His most consequential crime occurred in 1983 at the Marion prison in Illinois. Despite being locked up for 23 hours daily, a brief moment outside his cell was all he needed. While handcuffed and returning from the shower, Silverstein approached fellow Aryan Brotherhood member Randy Gometz. Gometz produced a stolen key, unlocked the cuffs, and passed Silverstein a shank (an improvised knife). Silverstein then stabbed correction officer Merle Clutts 20 times, killing him.
Hours later, another gang member, Clayton Fountain, used the same method to murder a second officer, Robert Hoffmann. These killings prompted Marion prison to enter an 'indefinite lockdown' that lasted 23 years.
The Birth of the Supermax Prison
The brutality of these murders directly inspired the federal government to create the 'supermax' prison, the Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX) in Florence, Colorado. Designed to house the nation's most dangerous inmates, Silverstein was among its first occupants. The facility would later hold infamous figures like drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Before killing Officer Clutts, Silverstein had murdered two other inmates. In 1981, he strangled fellow prisoner Robert Chappelle with a wire. A year later, he and Clayton Fountain stabbed Raymond Lee 'Cadillac' Smith 67 times. Silverstein claimed the second killing was pre-emptive, telling an author that Smith had threatened him and guards did nothing to intervene.
From Bullied Child to Prison Gang Legend
Thomas Silverstein's journey to infamy began in Long Beach, California. Described as a shy, bullied child, he was in trouble with authorities by 14 and imprisoned for armed robbery at 19. Paroled, he committed further robberies, receiving a 15-year sentence.
Inside, he joined the Aryan Brotherhood, a neo-Nazi prison gang and organised crime syndicate. His status within the gang and his violent acts made him a legend within the prison system. Author Pete Earley, who corresponded with Silverstein for over a decade, noted the prisoner claimed the system cultivated hate, saying: 'I didn't come in here a killer, but in here you learn hate.'
Prison officials maintained his extreme conditions were a direct result of his behaviour. However, after Silverstein's death in May 2019 from heart surgery complications, a former federal prison director reportedly conceded his treatment had been cruel, but argued there was no alternative for a man with 'nothing to lose' in the absence of the death penalty.
