The SHU stands for "Special Housing Unit". This is essentially solitary confinement. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, the SHU is being used to quarantine inmates, regardless of security classification.

What is the SHU in jail?

In the US Federal Prison system, solitary confinement is known as the Special Housing Unit (SHU), pronounced /ˈʃuː/. California's prison system also uses the abbreviation SHU, but it stands for Security Housing Units. In other states, it is known as the Special Management Unit (SMU), pronounced /ˈsmuː/.

Where is the SHU?

Built in the 1980s, the solitary wing at Pelican Bay State Prison near the Oregon border is considered the toughest "secure housing unit" in California. The SHU is divided into concrete windowless cells, which have perforated doors that allow small streaks of light inside.