 Yard view, Albany Penitentiary, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views | |
| Location | Albany, New York |
|---|---|
| Status | Closed |
| Opened | 1848 |
| Closed | 1931 |
| City | Albany |
| State/province | New York |
| Country | United States |
Albany Penitentiary was an American prison in Albany, New York that operated from 1848 [1] until 1931. The prison was designed by Amos Pillsbury, who was also the first superintendent. [2] Before the American Civil War, the main type of for-profit prison labor done at the penitentiary was the "making of coarse boots and shoes for the Southern negroes." [2] After the closure of the Arsenal Penitentiary, Albany became the destination for prisoners of the District of Columbia. [3] In 1910, the State Prison Commission issued a report with "scathing criticism of existing conditions" in the penitentiary. [4] The prison was demolished in 1933, at which time demolition crews found "'dungeons' that were likely used to keep rule-breaking inmates in deep isolation." [5]
The turn-of-the-century Bertillion-system mugshots from the penitentiary are kept in the Albany Hall of Records. [6]
