Eastern State Penitentiary Research Paper

Monetary Confinements of the Eastern State Penitentiary
Patricia E. Roath
Criminal Justice Administration 201
American Military University
Ekwuniru Nwokeji
Abstract
In recent years, the lawmakers and criminal justice experts have conveyed alarm regarding the growing prison population in elder prisons, along with the crumbling prison structures housing these inmates. While a majority of individuals agree this issue warrants immediate attention, the concurrence diminishes about how to attack this problem. A review of decisions set into place with laws, it has become clear that monetary confinements of elder prisons have become invisible barriers to the bargaining table. The paper compares the cost of renovating elder prisons
Suspected or guilty criminals awaited their death sentence or command to become a slave in underground facilities labeled dungeons. The Ancient Romans adopted even harsher methods of incarceration by building prisons exclusively underground with tight walkways and cells in pitch darkness. (Prison History. n.d.). Time gave way to incarceration reform and the world’s first true prison, the Eastern State Penitentiary, was opened in 1829. Abandoning corporal punishment and harsh treatment of the inmates, the Eastern State Penitentiary was designed with complete and solitary confinement in mind to help the criminal move to reflection and change their criminal
This prison opened its doors in 1831 and was fully operational for 168 years. (Longer than the Eastern State Penitentiary.) It finally closed its doors in 2004. The monetary confinements by the state prevented any type of serious renovations and public tours began in 2006. (As of 01 October 2013, the public tours have been suspended due to a site assessment finding mold in sections of the prison.) Due to the state of Missouri holding the title to the property and a dwindling economy, the future looks very bleak for “the bloodiest 47 acres west of the Mississippi.” Lastly, the West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville, W.V. opened for operations 1876. Through its history, the West Virginia State Penitentiary made the United States Department of Corrections Top Ten Most Violent Correctional Facilities. In 1986, the West Virginia State Supreme Court ruled that the 5x7 foots cells were deemed cruel and unusual punishment. 9 years later, in 1995, the West Virginia State Penitentiary closed its doors for good. Today, public tours of the facility are the only operations occurring at this once notorious