3 Comments Posted by GG

this place looks creepy

there was one purpose and one purpose only for showers like this- to shower people. Old school places like this were always very understaffed and people with mental illness or physical or mental disabilities were treated as objects rather than people they do not use communal showers like these in institutions here anymore ( aus) and thankfully they don't hang people with challenging behaviours in gunney sacks on the walls either- we've come a long way baby!

Pennhurst was a state institution for children and adults w/ developmental disabilities and mental health issues from severe to high functioning. Not a place for troubled kids. It was a place (in those days) for parents or family memebers to place there sibling or child w/ mr/mh. Some actually thought that it would be the best solution. Back then when they would think someone was mentally or physically retarded the docters would almost force parents into putting their children there. And this happened all over not just here in Pa. Ignorance and fear kept those places running. It is really a shame too because I work w/ some individuals that come from there and you can tell they will never recover from what they were put through there. Its very sad........