Up the River

In the 1820s prison reformers believed that prisoners had to be isolated from the rest of society in order to be reformed.  It was only through quiet reflection that a prisoner could come to terms with his criminal deeds and acknowlege his guilt.  Prisoners were confined to their cells at night but labored in silence during the day.  The no-talking rule was enforced by flogging, which was considered the most humane punishment.

In 1825 the New York State legislature purchased land to build a modern prison on the shores of the Hudson River in Westchester County.  Inmates from Auburn prison excavated marble from a nearby quarry to build the prison.  They also excavated marble for the State Capitol, New York University, Grace Church and the U.S. Treasury Building. 

The 476-foot long Sing Sing prison was completed in 1828.  The Big House held 800 prisoners, each in a cell that was seven feet long, three feet, three inches wide, and six feet, seven inches high.  Among the notables held in Sing Sing were Lucky Luciano, Willie Sutton and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.  The prison currently holds 1700 inmates.  The original cell block hasn't held prisoners since 1943

The Rosenbergs were executed at Sing Sing in 1953.  Between 1891 and 1963, 613 men and women were executed by electrocution at Sing Sing.

You can get a good view of the prison from across the river at Nyack Beach State Park.

Comments

[tien]

i believe if you went to prison, you could also get a good view.