LIFE IN MAXIMUM-SECURITY Built in 1957, D-Block was used as isolation cell quarters for the prison's most difficult and deadly criminals. Dubbed "the new hole" after the old hole built under the laundry was ostensibly shut down in the 1960's, D Block maximum-security residents had more restrictions than inmates living on death row in Nashville. Prisoners were stripped of all privileges and possessions, except their uniforms and bedding. In reality, D-Block was not a hole, just a smaller version of blocks A and B, with four walks housing eight single cells on each walk. The blocks had triple locks to prevent access to the other three walks. Despite the high security measures, D-Block remained a constant site of violence and bloodshed until the new High Security Annex building opened on the hill in 1989.