Most state prisons and federal facilities have Special Needs Yards, also called Sensitive Need Yards, for inmates who for one reason or another must be kept isolated from the general population. Inmates who are assigned to the Yard typically use an entirely different outdoor area than general population and are also housed in a special needs section of the building. Who Goes There? Historically, inmates assigned to these Yards were snitches. A snitch in a prison is almost immediately in danger as word spreads that he told on others for things they did wrong. In prison, snitching is considered a breaking of the inmate code of honor. Today, however, the Special Needs Yards contain more than just the inmates who snitched. They also house gang members who renounced their gang affiliations. Once a gang member “puts down his colors,” his former comrades could attack him for walking away. In addition, inmates who feel fearful for their lives from other inmates can request to be placed on the Special Needs Yard. Problems with Going As long as the inmate has no plans to ever go back to general population, being on the Special Needs Yard is not typically a problem, but if he ever wants to be included in the general population anywhere in the state, he should probably avoid the Special Needs Yard. Once a prisoner is labeled SNY, that label will follow him not only throughout his current home prison, but if he is transferred to another facility, word of his Special Needs status will reach the new prison before he ever steps onto the Yard the first time. This is a problem because it usually means he snitched on someone or he renounced his gang. Prisons have a network of communication so word travels quickly. Final thoughts: Special Needs Inmates, also referred to as Sensitive Needs Inmates, must sometimes prove their need to be classified as such. For example, a gang member claiming to renounce his gang might just be trying to get to the special needs yard to attack a former gang member who really did leave the gang. Administrators have a process that inmates are put through before they are allowed to transfer into the Special Needs Yard. You may be interested in this gang-related blog: