The station was located in their region of space of the Delta Quadrant in the 24th century. The fact that the prison was in space was largely unknown to the inmates, most of whom believed that the prison was underground. Life in the detention center was harsh and brutal. Prisoners were left without guards or medical services, they lived in squalor, and were fitted with a synaptic stimulator called a "clamp" which induced them to kill each other by inducing aggression and paranoia.