Explore the History of Eastern State Penitentiary Philadelphia - America's Most Historic Former Prison

The Eastern State Penitentiary is one of the oldest American prisons situated at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located at 2027 Fairmount Avenue between North 22nd Street and Corinthian Avenue. The jail was in operation since 1829 to 1971.

The prison had a special arrangement of incarceration which is the pioneering step for today's jail accommodation policy of separate confinement. Theoretically, the system of isolation was implemented, as declared by authority, to discover the inner-self of the convicts whereas in reality the system used to drive a sane person into madness.

According to the statistics only the obstinate and incorrigible convicts were sent to this place. Dangerous convicts like Al Capone, Willie Sutton were poisoned in unique wagon wheel design.

Eastern State Penitentiary

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_State_Penitentiary

It is estimated that more than 300 prisons are based on the Penitentiary wagon floor plan concept or radial floor plan concept which was introduced not only for ensuring rigorous punishment for the convicts but to influence their inherent ability to reformation.

After 142 years of service life the jail was left abandoned in the year 1971 and now it stands as a colossal building full of reminiscence; the empty guard towers and cellblocks whisper the tale of old days for the tourists and researchers.

Eastern State Penitentiary history

http://www.easternstate.org/history/

According to history the records of punishment imposed by this jail for their prisoners were harsh and rigorous. Some of the notorious punishments were mad chair, water bath, torture some iron gag a punishment session etc. Placing the convicts into the hole area,(in a pit at basement) where the obstinate convicts were compelled to stay with innumerable rats and roaches and the convicts were kept almost without food and other human facilities even for weeks.

The horrors of the Eastern State Penitentiary

http://crime.about.com/od/prison/a/easternstate.htm