The Metropolitan Correctional Center, Chicago (MCC Chicago) is a United States federal prison in Chicago, Illinois, which holds male and female prisoners of all security levels prior to and during court proceedings in the Northern District of Illinois, as well as inmates serving brief sentences. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. History and design MCC Chicago was designed by architect Harry Weese. Construction began in 1971 and the facility opened in 1975. The building is a right triangle shape, is 28 stories high, and has a rooftop exercise yard. The irregularly-spaced windows on each wall are reminiscent of old computer punchcards. Several features make MCC Chicago's design unique from other federal prison facilities. Weese designed each cell with a floor-to-ceiling slit window, long by wide, narrow enough not to require bars, and beveled out to allow natural light to pass inside. The cells were originally designed to feel as comfortable as possible, based on sailboat cabins, with built-in hardwood beds and desks. Most of these features have since been removed. Prison life An exercise yard is available for inmates, located on the roof of the building. This rooftop yard is enclosed by tall concrete walls with fenced openings. A recreation center in the basement provides fitness equipment on a regular schedule, along with a selection of board games. The leisure and law libraries are housed on the ninth floor along with classrooms and offices. There is a security housing unit (SHU) for male prisoners, while female prisoners needing to be isolated, as of 2005, have been taken to the Cook County Jail. women prisoners may visit the exercise room and law library once per week. The prison only allows male inmates, not females, to have prison jobs such as working in the prison kitchen. Piper Kerman, the author of Orange is the New Black, wrote that circa 2005 the institution was not responsive to the demands of the prisoners, who were in "misery", and that the prison guards, who were "often pleasant, if unprofessional", were unable to make meaningful change. Notable inmates Notable events 1985 escapes In 1985, convicted murderers Bernard Welch and Hugh Colomb assembled the materials necessary to break open a window hole and gain egress from the MCC, escaping down a piecework rope to street level. They were eventually recaptured after a months-long nationwide manhunt.