Before the abolition of capital punishment in Delaware, the state's death row for men was located here.

[7] In 1996, construction began on a $110 million, 888-bed addition which included 600 maximum security cells in six units.

[citation needed] In 2015, the prison became a subject of an ACLU lawsuit, due to the use of solitary confinement for mentally ill inmates.

[9] On July 12, 2004, 45-year-old inmate Scott Miller, armed with a shank, took a 27-year-old female prison counselor hostage.

[10] On February 1, 2017, inmates took control of Building C, initially holding five correctional officers as hostages according to media reports.