The Jail’s main gate is protected by  a  barred entrance. Now I’ve never been inside a prison of any kind, but I am told by family members who studied “Corrections” in college and university that when you enter a Jail, you get a feeling of complete loss and devastation when you hear those doors clang shut behind you. You get that feeling of loss even though you’re getting out as soon as you finish your business.

Now, enter the Jail again, but this time as a newly arriving inmate!  Can you just imagine what a newly arrived inmate feels like when he hears those doors clang shut behind him and he knows it won’t be opening for him anytime soon.

The Jail was originally built in 1911 and, at the time, represented the state of the art in prisons. It was simply the best that money could buy. It represented the best very best of American technology and knowledge of Corrections at the time.

The place was initially built to accomodate as many as 1,200 inmates, if you can believe it. When it was closed in 2006 it was handling upwards of 2,000 and that number was constantly increasing, hence the need for a larger facility.

Here are the photos we used in our presentation.

(click on any photo to view it in larger format)