Clinton Correctional Facility

Clinton Correctional Facility
Location Village of Dannemora,
Town of Dannemora,
Clinton County, New York
Coordinates 44°43′25″N 73°43′15″W / 44.7236°N 73.7208°WCoordinates: 44°43′25″N 73°43′15″W / 44.7236°N 73.7208°W
Status Operational
Security class Maximum
Capacity 2,959
Population 2,865 (as of December 2003)
Opened 1845
Managed by New York State Department of Correctional Services

Clinton Correctional Facility is a New York State Department of Correctional Services state prison for men located in the Village of Dannemora, New York.[1][2] The prison itself is sometimes colloquially referred to as Dannemora, although its actual name is derived from its location in Clinton County, New York. The southern perimeter wall of the prison borders New York State Route 374. Church of St. Dismas, the Good Thief, a church built by inmates, is located within the walls. The prison is sometimes referred to as "New York's Siberia" due to the cold climate in Dannemora and the isolation of the area. It is the largest maximum security prison and the third oldest prison in New York.

History

Built in 1844, it originally served as a site where prisoners were used to work in local mines in both Dannemora and nearby Lyon Mountain. This enterprise would not be profitable, and by 1877, mining had ended, and the prisoners were put to work on other trades. With this change, the prison experienced growth, and in 1887 it was given new concrete walls more than 60 feet (18 m) tall that still stand. In 1892, the first prisoner was executed in the electric chair at the prison, beginning the use of capital punishment at Clinton Correctional. Twenty six men were executed between 1892 and 1913. This period also saw many prisoners cured of tuberculosis due in part to the clean air in the Adirondacks, leading to the importation of prisoners with this disease from other prisons.

In 1899, a mental health facility, the Dannemora State Hospital, was built on the grounds to house prisoners who became insane while serving their sentence. Such prisoners were retained in the facility if they remained insane following the completion of their sentence.[3]

In 1929, Clinton Correctional witnessed a riot which, coupled with riots in other prisons in that year, led to prison reform in New York State. This led to the building of schools in the prison, and the renovation or rebuilding of most of the structures within the prison walls, making the facility more modern. The Church of St. Dismas, the Good Thief was built from 1939 to 1941; it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.[4] In the later half of the 20th century, the prison's mental institutions closed and were converted into an annex to house more prisoners.

Notable inmates

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Dannemora village, New York." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on September 2, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Dannemora town, Clinton County, New York." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on September 2, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Facility Profile: Clinton". DOCS/TODAY. NYCHS. January 1999. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  4. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  5. ↑ Gooley, Lawrence P. (2009). Terror in the Adirondacks: The True Story of Serial Killer Robert F. Garrow. Peru, NY: Bloated Toe Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9795741-3-9.
  6. ↑ Gado, Mark. "Slavemaster". Crime Library. p. 12. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  7. ↑ "March 7, 2006 Press Release" (Press release). Suffolk County, New York. March 7, 2006. Retrieved 2007-05-17.
  8. ↑ http://nysdocslookup.docs.state.ny.us/GCA00P00/WIQ3/WINQ130

External links