328 Comments for Essex County Penitentiary

what are the long things hanging down, light fixtures?

And even funner, there weren't laws limiting the maximum stay in such places until fairly recently.

Like a candle in a cave. One tiny flicker of light and love and warmth in the cold concrete hell.

Know what would have been hilarious? To call the Mayor's office from there and ask for a pardon because you'd been eating rats for years and there was no heat or light in your prison.

...and then to run like hell on wheels.

Wonder what was tormenting him...a person or a drug addiction.

The flag is backwards to the inside so it will look rightwards from the outside looking in.

And I wouldn't be surprised if a former inmate came back to let off a few rounds at the booth.

Interesting that the OLDER wing looks in so much better shape. Modern facilities just are not built to last.

Heh. Counterfeit food stamps. That was back in the days when they gave half a **** about welfare fraud. Would be so interesting to rifle through these files and see different behavior patterns and sentencing and such.

Gives an even grimmer feel to the photo series. Reminds you that real people were kept here, put into orange suits and turned into numbers. Disgusting that they left thousands of these files around, as interesting as they are for the historical content.

Never actually seen an up-close picture of one of the real things. Thanks Motts.

What's with the blue/yellow coloring?

I'd be just waiting for a pair of glowing eyes to peek out of that opened door. Eek/

Don't drop the soap. Or anything else.

Brrr! Sweet dreams after THAT image! This whole photo series in general and this one in particular is so Silent Hill-esque!

This is why I never go UE'ing alone if at all possible, and always bring a hacksaw with multiple blades and a flexible wiresaw. Get locked in there, no cell signal, nobody coming, you're dead.