Virginia Crime

August 4, 2004 — We have seen quite a bit of discussion over the past few months on the abuse in Abu Ghraib and how this relates to the current state of affairs in U.S. prisons here at home as well as the criminal justice system as a whole. Many Americans have been enlightened with the true statistics, which demonstrate that 85% of, virginia Crime, those incarcerated in the United States are nonviolent offenders. Some individuals have even been surprised to learn that we send people to prison for traffic violations in the United States and even give mandatory minimum terms to those who have driven without a license.

The truth is that, across the country, we spend billions and billions of dollars each year to incarcerate members of our society who pose absolutely no risk to public safety.

Groups working to shed light on the need for smart laws and more responsible justice in America have begun a campaign to educate the public on the monetary waste of the prison industrial complex and to gain support for H.R. 4752, the Literacy, Education, and Rehabilitation Act currently before Congress. The campaign called The Two Million Signature Campaign is primarily operating through internet connections at http://groups.

yahoo.com/group/LERAlegislation/ with an online petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/LERA/petition.html.

Formers of the movement have stated, ???If Howard Dean can bring so many people together under one party, certainly we can bring the citizens together on this issue that clearly crosses all political, social, economic, and ethnic lines. Everyone is affected, whether their families are directly involved, their communities are being broken, or their tax dollars are simply going to support a system that has not proven to be very effective.

It is time for being smart on crime and increasing public safety with positive criminal justice reform.??

The letter to Congress supporting the campaign, which organizers intend to have delivered to state officials as well, reads as follows:

******

To: U.S. Congress

Dear Representatives of the People:

We, the undersigned, ask for your support of H.R. 4752 (the Literacy, Education, and Rehabilitation Act) in Congress, introduced by Representative Bobby Scott (D-Virginia 3rd). This bill would amend title 18, United States Code, to award credit toward the service of a sentence to prisoners who participate in designated educational, vocational, treatment, assigned work, or other developmental programs, and for other purposes.

We must ask ourselves how we expect our economy to survive when we continue to incarcerate larger numbers of nonviolent, first-time offenders, who pose no public safety risk. Cost per prisoner to incarcerate in a federal prison is approximately $28,000 with geriatric prisoners (55 years and older) costing as much as $80,000 per year. Yet, the cost of community supervision or drug court supervision is in the area of $3,000 to $5,000 per year.

The cost of incarceration is just the tip of the iceberg.

For every nonviolent offender (approximately 84% of the Bureau of Prisons’ population), who could otherwise be gainfully employed under an alternative sentence, we not only lose tax revenues, virginia Crime, and add entire families to the list of those receiving public assistance, but we shift the dollars being spent from local and small businesses to those large industries handling the federal contracts. In addition, we create an even larger group of children more at risk to incarceration themselves.

Statistics show that as many as 70% of those incarcerated had a parent incarcerated before them. The overall negative economic impact is just as staggering as the destructive effect on families and communities.

This is not just a serious moral issue, but a potentially disastrous financial position as well. It is time to think about how to be ???Smart on Crime?? rather than just ???Tough of Crime??.

Recent findings incorporated into proposed legislation introduced by Congressman Portman supported by President Bush reflect that:

??? In 2002, 2,000,000 people were incarcerated in Federal or State prisons or in local jails.

Nearly 650,000 people are released from incarceration to communities nationwide each year.

??? There are over 3,200 jails, virginia Crime, throughout the United States, the vast majority of which are operated by county governments. Each year, these jails will release in excess of 10,000,000 people back into the community.

??? Nearly two-thirds of released State prisoners are expected to be rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor within three years after release.

??? In his 2004 State of the Union address, President Bush correctly stated: `We know from long experience that if [former prisoners can’t find work, or a home, or help, they are much more likely to commit more crimes and return to prison.

. . . America is the land of the second chance, and when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life.’

??? Successful reentry protects those who might otherwise be crime victims. It also improves the likelihood that individuals released from prison or juvenile detention facilities can pay fines, fees, restitution, and family support.

??? According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, expenditures on corrections alone increased from $9,000,000,000 in 1982 to $44,000,000,000 in 1997.

These figures do not include the cost of arrest and prosecution, nor do they take into account the cost to victims.

??? Increased recidivism results in profound collateral consequences, including public health risks, homelessness, unemployment, and disenfranchisement.

??? One of the most significant costs of prisoner reentry is the impact on children, the weakened ties among family members, and destabilized communities. The long-term generational effects of a social structure in which imprisonment is the norm and law-abiding role models are absent are difficult to measure but undoubtedly exist.

??? According to the 2001 national data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 3,500,000 parents were supervised by the correctional system. Prior to incarceration, 64 percent of female prisoners and 44 percent of male prisoners in State facilities lived with their children.

??? Between 1991 and 1999, the number of children with a parent in a Federal or State correctional facility increased by more than 100 percent, from approximately 900,000 to approximately 2,000,000. According to the Bureau of Prisons, there is evidence to suggest that inmates who are connected to their children and families are more likely to avoid negative incidents and have reduced sentences.

??? The National Institute of Justice has found that after one year of release, up to 60 percent of former inmates are not employed.

??? According to the National Institute of Literacy, 70 percent of all prisoners function at the two lowest literacy levels.

??? The Bureau of Justice Statistics has found that 27 percent of Federal inmates, 40 percent of State inmates, and 47 percent of local jail inmates have never completed high school or its equivalent. Furthermore, the Bureau of Justice Statistics has found that less educated inmates are more likely to be recidivists.

Only 1 in 4 local jails offer basic adult education programs.

??? Participation in State correctional education programs lowers the likelihood of reincarceration by 29 percent,, virginia Crime, according to a recent United States Department of Education study. A Federal Bureau of Prisons study found a 33 percent drop in recidivism among federal prisoners who participated in vocational and apprenticeship training.

Last month the American Bar Association issued their findings after conducting extensive research and hearings surrounding today’s sentencing guidelines.

In federal prison alone we have over 179,000 men and women incarcerated of which 85% are first time, nonviolent offenders. The ABA recommended: ???The resolution urges states, territories and the federal government to ensure that sentencing systems provide appropriate punishment without over-reliance on incarceration. Lengthy periods of incarceration should be reserved for offenders who pose the greatest danger to the community and who commit the most serious offenses. Alternatives to incarceration should be provided when offenders pose minimal risk to the community and appear likely to benefit from rehabilitation efforts.

??

Further, events during June 21-25, have the potential to affect the lives of many of the 176,000 men and women who are incarcerated in federal prisons:

??? The Second Chance Act was introduced by a bipartisan group of members of the House of Representatives. Provisions of the bill will offer a number of opportunities to prisoners following their release.

??? The decision (Blakely v. Washington) of the Supreme Court threatens the very existence of the federal sentencing guidelines.

??? U.S. District Judge William Young called the government’s sentencing guidelines unconstitutional. This has been reiterated by several district court judges since the Blakely deicision; and

??? H.R. 4752 (Literacy, Educational, and Rehabilitation Act of 2004) was introduced in the House. LERA calls for awards of ???good time?? to prisoners who are progressing with preparations to lead productive lives.

The federal prison population has increased more than 7-fold over the past 20 years.

In 1984, the population was about 25,000 prisoners. Today, there are more than 175,000 prisoners, and the population is growing. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), the primary reasons for this tremendous growth have been longer sentences resulting from the 1984 Sentencing Reform Act and mandatory minimum sentences. The Sentencing Reform Act established determinate sentencing, abolished parole, and dramatically reduced good time credits. Other sentencing policy by Congressional or administrative action has increasingly limited the discretion of judges and prison officials to impact sentence lengths or confinement options.

During the same period, the annual number of prisoners returning to communities has also increased several fold. Currently, about 40,000 prisoners leave federal prisons each year. The question is whether they leave prison better prepared to lead law-abiding lives, or in a worse position to do so. The addition of a felony record and a federal prison stay is not, in and of itself, likely to add to a person’s job or social development prospects.

Unfortunately, the elimination of incentives such as parole, good time credits and funding for college courses, means that fewer inmates participate in and excel in literacy, education, treatment and other development programs.

LERA provides incentives and recognitions for achievement by giving the BOP Director the discretion to grant up to 60 sentence credit days per year to an inmate for successful participation in literacy, education, work training, treatment and other development programs. LERA will not only prevent crime victimizations, but also save taxpayers money. Many sentences are excessively long because mandatory sentencing policies do not allow sentencing judges the discretion to distinguish between hardened criminals and those amenable to rehabilitation and preparation for successful re-entry.

LERA allows offenders to distinguish themselves.

The Literacy, Education, and Rehabilitation Act (LERA), H.R. 4752, would address all these issues by increasing educational and program requirements and providing valid incentives for participation as well as success. The proposed legislation would provide a cost effective means of providing these increased programs by utilizing the current pool of incarcerated individuals who can teach, doing so by providing credit towards their sentence rather than financial rewards.

In addition, money would be saved through a decrease in the length of incarceration as well as the rate of recidivism. This adds up to healthier families, increased public safety, and a stronger economy.

With all this in mind, we ask you to support the upcoming LERA legislation.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

http://www.petitiononline.com/LERA/petition.html

******

This campaign could prove to be truly successful and mark the turning point for positive reform. After all, the atmosphere surrounding criminal justice has really started to change.

On 20 January 2004, in the State of the Union Address, President Bush stated, “In the past, we’ve worked together to bring mentors to children of prisoners, and provide treatment for the addicted, and help for the homeless. Tonight I ask you to consider another group of Americans in need of help. This year, some 600,000 inmates will be released from prison back into society. We know from long experience that if they can’t find work, or a home, or help, they are much more likely to commit crime and return to prison.

So tonight, I propose a four-year, $300 million prisoner re-entry initiative to expand job training and placement services, to provide transitional housing, and to help newly released prisoners get mentoring, including from faith-based groups. America is the land of second chance, and when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life.”

Then, while accepting the nomination for Democratic presidential candidate in Boston, John Kerry stated, ???When, virginia Crime, I was a prosecutor, I met young kids who were in trouble, abandoned by adults.

And as President, I am determined that we stop being a nation content to spend $50,000 a year to keep a young person in prison for the rest of their life ??” when we could invest $10,000 to give them Head Start, Early Start, Smart Start, the best possible start in life.??

Both of these statements mark the change from the ???tough on crime’ propaganda to a focus on smart laws that should help improve the system.

For more information on The Two Million Signature Campaign, contact: The Federal Prison Policy Project, P.

O. Box 742552, Riverdale, GA 30274, 770-477-9814, www.fppp.org; or AdvoCare, Inc., P.O. Box 133, Hancock, MD 21750-0133, 202-271-1623, www.advocareflash.org.

???Today’s prisoners are tomorrow’s neighbors.??

August 4, 2004 — We have seen quite a bit of discussion over the past few months on the abuse in Abu Ghraib and how this relates to the current state of affairs in U.S. prisons here at home as well as the criminal justice system as a whole. Many Americans have been enlightened with the true statistics, which demonstrate that 85% of those incarcerated in the United States are nonviolent offenders. Some individuals have even been surprised to learn that we send people to prison for traffic violations in the United States and even give mandatory minimum terms to those who have driven without a license.

The truth is that, across the country, we spend billions and billions of dollars each year to incarcerate members of our society who pose absolutely no risk to public safety.

Groups working to shed light on the need for smart laws and more responsible justice in America have begun a campaign to educate the public on the monetary waste of the prison industrial complex and to gain support for H.R. 4752, the Literacy, Education, and Rehabilitation Act currently before Congress. The campaign called The Two Million Signature Campaign is primarily operating through internet connections at http://groups.

yahoo.com/group/LERAlegislation/ with an online petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/LERA/petition.html.

Formers of the movement have stated, ???If Howard Dean can bring so many people together under one party, certainly we can bring the citizens together on this issue that clearly crosses all political, social, economic, and ethnic lines. Everyone is affected, whether their families are directly involved, their communities are being broken, or their tax dollars are simply going to support a system that has not proven to be very effective.

It is time for being smart on crime and increasing public safety with positive criminal justice reform.??

The letter to Congress supporting the campaign, which organizers intend to have delivered to state officials as well, reads as follows:

To: U.S. Congress

Dear Representatives of the People:

We, the undersigned, ask for your support of H.R. 4752 (the Literacy, Education, and Rehabilitation Act) in Congress, introduced by Representative Bobby Scott (D-Virginia 3rd). This bill would amend title 18, United States Code, to award credit toward the service of a sentence to prisoners who participate in designated educational, vocational, treatment, assigned work, or other developmental programs, and for other purposes.

We must ask ourselves how we expect our economy to survive when we continue to incarcerate larger numbers of nonviolent, first-time offenders, who pose no public safety risk. Cost per prisoner to incarcerate in a federal prison is approximately $28,000 with geriatric prisoners (55 years and older) costing as much as $80,000 per year. Yet, the cost of community supervision or drug court supervision is in the area of $3,000 to $5,000 per year.

The cost of incarceration is just the tip of the iceberg.

For every nonviolent offender (approximately 84% of the Bureau of Prisons’ population), who could otherwise be gainfully employed under an alternative sentence, we not only lose tax revenues and add entire families to the list of those receiving public assistance, but we shift the dollars being spent from local and small businesses to those large industries handling the federal contracts. In addition, we create an even larger group of children more at risk to incarceration themselves.

Statistics show that as many as 70% of those incarcerated had a parent incarcerated before them.

The overall negative economic impact is just as staggering as the destructive effect on families and communities.

This is not just a serious moral issue, but a potentially disastrous financial position as well. It is time to think about how to be ???Smart on Crime?? rather than just ???Tough of Crime??.

Recent findings incorporated into proposed legislation introduced by Congressman Portman supported by President Bush reflect that:

??? In 2002, 2,000,000 people were incarcerated in Federal or State prisons or in local jails.

Nearly 650,000 people are released from incarceration to communities nationwide each year.

??? There are over 3,200 jails throughout the United States, the vast majority of which are operated by county governments. Each year, these jails will release in excess of 10,000,000 people back into the community.

??? Nearly two-thirds of released State prisoners are expected to be rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor within three years after release.

??? In his 2004 State of the Union address, President Bush correctly stated: `We know from long experience that if [former prisoners can’t find work, or a home, or help, they are much more likely to commit more crimes and return to prison.

. . . America is the land of the second chance, and when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life.’

??? Successful reentry protects those who might otherwise be crime victims. It also improves the likelihood that individuals released from prison or juvenile detention facilities can pay fines, fees, restitution, and family support.

??? According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, expenditures on corrections alone increased from $9,000,000,000 in 1982 to $44,000,000,000 in 1997.

These figures do not include the cost of arrest and prosecution, nor do they take into account the cost to victims.

??? Increased recidivism results in profound collateral consequences, including public health risks, homelessness, unemployment, and disenfranchisement.

??? One of the most significant costs of prisoner reentry is the impact on children, the weakened ties among family members, and destabilized communities. The long-term generational effects of a social structure in which imprisonment is the norm and law-abiding role models are absent are difficult to measure but undoubtedly exist.

??? According to the 2001 national data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 3,500,000 parents were supervised by the correctional system. Prior to incarceration, 64 percent of female prisoners and 44 percent of male prisoners in State facilities lived with their children.

??? Between 1991 and 1999, the number of children with a parent in a Federal or State correctional facility increased by more than 100 percent, from approximately 900,000 to approximately 2,000,000. According to the Bureau of Prisons, there is evidence to suggest that inmates who are connected to their children and families are more likely to avoid negative incidents and have reduced sentences.

??? The National Institute of Justice has found that after one year of release, up to 60 percent of former inmates are not employed.

??? According to the National Institute of Literacy, 70 percent of all prisoners function at the two lowest literacy levels.

??? The Bureau of Justice Statistics has found that 27 percent of Federal inmates, 40 percent of State inmates, and 47 percent of local jail inmates have never completed high school or its equivalent. Furthermore, the Bureau of Justice Statistics has found that less educated inmates are more likely to be recidivists.

Only 1 in 4 local jails offer basic adult education programs.

??? Participation in State correctional education programs lowers the likelihood of reincarceration by 29 percent, according to a recent United States Department of Education study. A Federal Bureau of Prisons study found a 33 percent drop in recidivism among federal prisoners who participated in vocational and apprenticeship training.

Last month the American Bar Association issued their findings after conducting extensive research and hearings surrounding today’s sentencing guidelines.

In federal prison alone we have over 179,000 men and women incarcerated of which 85% are first time, nonviolent offenders. The ABA recommended: ???The resolution urges states, territories and the federal government to ensure that sentencing systems provide appropriate punishment without over-reliance on incarceration. Lengthy periods of incarceration should be reserved for offenders who pose the greatest danger to the community and who commit the most serious offenses. Alternatives to incarceration should be provided when offenders pose minimal risk to the community and appear likely to benefit from rehabilitation efforts.

??

Further, events during June 21-25, have the potential to affect the lives of many of the 176,000 men and women who are incarcerated in federal prisons:

??? The Second Chance Act was introduced by a bipartisan group of members of the House of Representatives. Provisions of the bill will offer a number of opportunities to prisoners following their release.

??? The decision (Blakely v. Washington) of the Supreme Court threatens the very existence of the federal sentencing guidelines.

??? U.S. District Judge William Young called the government’s sentencing guidelines unconstitutional. This has been reiterated by several district court judges since the Blakely deicision; and

??? H.R. 4752 (Literacy, Educational, and Rehabilitation Act of 2004) was introduced in the House. LERA calls for awards of ???good time?? to prisoners who are progressing with preparations to lead productive lives.

The federal prison population has increased more than 7-fold over the past 20 years.

In 1984, the population was about 25,000 prisoners. Today, there are more than 175,000 prisoners, and the population is growing. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), the primary reasons for this tremendous growth have been longer sentences resulting from the 1984 Sentencing Reform Act and mandatory minimum sentences. The Sentencing Reform Act established determinate sentencing, abolished parole, and dramatically reduced good time credits. Other sentencing policy by Congressional or administrative action has increasingly limited the discretion of judges and prison officials to impact sentence lengths or confinement options.

During the same period, the annual number of prisoners returning to communities has also increased several fold. Currently, about 40,000 prisoners leave federal prisons each year. The question is whether they leave prison better prepared to lead law-abiding lives, or in a worse position to do so. The addition, virginia Crime, of a felony record and a federal prison stay is not, in and of itself, likely to add to a person’s job or social development prospects.

Unfortunately, the elimination of incentives such as parole, good time credits and funding for college courses, means that fewer inmates participate in and excel in literacy, education, treatment and other development programs.

LERA provides incentives and recognitions for achievement by giving the BOP Director the discretion to grant up to 60 sentence credit days per year to an inmate for successful participation in literacy, education, work training, treatment and other development programs. LERA will not only prevent crime victimizations, but also save taxpayers money. Many sentences are excessively long because mandatory sentencing policies do not allow sentencing judges the discretion to distinguish between hardened criminals and those amenable to rehabilitation and preparation for successful re-entry.

LERA allows offenders to distinguish themselves.

The Literacy, Education, and Rehabilitation Act (LERA), H.R. 4752, would address all these issues by increasing educational and program requirements and providing valid incentives for participation as well as success. The proposed legislation would provide a cost effective means of providing these increased programs by utilizing the current pool of incarcerated individuals who can teach, doing so by providing credit towards their, virginia Crime, sentence rather than financial rewards.

In addition, money would be saved through a decrease in the length of incarceration as well as the rate of recidivism. This adds up to healthier families, increased public safety, and a stronger economy.

With all this in mind, we ask you to support the upcoming LERA legislation.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

http://www.petitiononline.com/LERA/petition.html

This campaign could prove to be truly successful and mark the turning point for positive reform. After all, the atmosphere surrounding criminal justice has really started to change.

On 20 January 2004, in the State of the Union Address, President Bush stated, “In the past, we’ve worked together to bring mentors to children of prisoners, and provide treatment for the addicted, and help for the, virginia Crime, homeless. Tonight I ask you to consider another group of Americans in need of help. This year, some 600,000 inmates will be released from prison back into society. We know from long experience that if they can’t find work, or a home, or help, they are much more likely to commit crime and return to prison.

So tonight, I propose a four-year, $300 million prisoner re-entry initiative to expand job training and placement services, to provide transitional housing, and to help newly released prisoners get mentoring, including from faith-based groups. America is the land of second chance, and when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life.”

Then, while accepting the nomination for Democratic presidential candidate in Boston, John Kerry stated, ???When I was a prosecutor, I met young kids who were in trouble, abandoned by adults.

And as President, I am determined that we stop being a nation content to spend $50,000 a year to keep a young person in prison for the rest of their life ??” when we could invest $10,000 to give them Head Start, Early Start, Smart Start, the best possible start, virginia Crime, in life.??

Both of these statements mark the change, virginia Crime, from the ???tough on crime’ propaganda to a focus on smart laws that should help improve the system.

For more information on The Two Million Signature Campaign, contact: The Federal Prison Policy Project, P.

O. Box 742552, Riverdale, GA 30274, 770-477-9814, www.fppp.org; or AdvoCare, Inc., P.O. Box 133, Hancock, MD 21750-0133, 202-271-1623, www.advocareflash.org.

???Today’s prisoners are tomorrow’s neighbors.??

Federal Prison Policy Project

Board of Directors

When evaluating the scariest places on Earth, I have discovered that the most haunted prisons seem to be most appealing to the individual who is a ghost hunter at heart. True ghost stories, detailed ghost pictures, frightening ghost videos, and unexplained phenomenon are just a few traces of evidence that surround these haunted structures known for misery and confinement. Here, you will learn about some of the most haunted prisons that I have stumbled upon in much personal research. The spooky tales and frightening evidence surrounding these prisons will outline why many refer to them as the scariest places on Earth!

Eastern State Penitentiary

The first haunted prison that we will review is Eastern State Penitentiary.

This particular prison was opened in the year of 1829 in Philadelphia. Prior to the opening of this establishment, the jail on Walnut Street in the area housed individuals who were found to be crime committers. The Quakers of the time established the fact that some major changes needed to occur when it came to incarceration methods. It was established by this particular group of individuals who when an individual broke the laws, they should endure a period of “penitence”. This group believed that being confined in a solitary manner could assist in this time of penitence.

This prison was constructed to reflect the beliefs that confinement and silence by the Quakers could benefit the inmates, as well as society on the whole. Each criminal who entered this facility was issued their own, virginia Crime, room, as well as their own small outside area. The individuals were not permitted to interact with any other inmate while serving their time at Eastern State Penitentiary. Silence was imperative at this prison. Inmates were, virginia Crime, not allowed to talk, sing, read, or communicate in any other manner.

If the individuals failed to adhere to these rules, they were punished and were not permitted to have any type of food or drink.

While the Quakers had a sound concept in mind, and believed that there would be little need to punish outside of the confinement and solitude, the staff, virginia Crime, of the prison thought otherwise. As prisoners reached out to communicate with others, new ways of punishing them were implemented and the methods were relatively harsh. These methods included using a straight jacket, a device called a “mad chair” in which they could be strapped for days, “water baths” that occurred mostly in the winter months where the inmates would be drenched with cold water and chained to a chair for many days, and the “iron gag”.

The iron gag involved tying the tongue of the inmate and then attaching it to the hands behind the back. When the hands were moved, it would pull and tear the tongue.

Many prisoners died while at their stay at the Eastern State Penitentiary. It is believed that the tortured souls of these individuals still roam the haunted prison, only they are not as silent. The average visitor to this haunted prison is likely to hear noises that are chilling to the bone, like screams and cries that display sadness and despair, and a relatively high amount of anguish.

Many have actually seen apparitions that appear to be residual hauntings, of the ways in which the inmates were tortured, just like it is happening in the presence. The negative and emotional energy created at this haunted prison definitely qualify it as one of the scariest places on Earth today.

Moundsfield West Virginia Penitentiary

The Moundsfield West Virginia Penitentiary is also considered to be one of the scariest places on Earth. This haunted prison has had a number of sightings, and frightening experiences.

As you approach this immense structure, you are likely to be taken back by the spooky, gothic building style that was used to create the facility. Constructed in the year of 1866, on the outer area of a place called “Moundsville”, this spooky prison housed several different individuals for a period of about one hundred and twenty nine years. A good majority of these individuals lost their lives while staying at the prison. There were some who died of natural causes, others who died due to the shear violence, and many others who were actually executed in the prison.

It is believed, at one point in history, an ancient burial ground for Native Americans stood on the property where Moundsville West Virginia Penitentiary was constructed. This is, in all actuality, how “Moundsfield”, virginia Crime, got its name. The purpose and intent of the facility was to house the most dangerous criminals of the time. This prison also housed women prisoners as well as men prisoners. One of the main things that played an important role in this particular prison was that it actually had what was called a “Death House”.

Throughout the history of the prison, individuals were executed here – typically, by hangings, and then eventually by an electric chair.

There have been a number of scary tales to circulate regarding this particular haunted prison. The violence, the torture, and of course, the murders and suicides that were experienced in this haunted prison all account to the tales that circulate of ominous ghosts and evil spirits. It is not unusual to hear footsteps approaching from an unknown source, frightening noises echoing off of the walls of the structure, screams and cries emerging from every direction, and even an occasional apparition.

Mansfield Reformatory

The Mansfield Reformatory is another haunted prison that is believed to be one of the scariest places on Earth. In the year of 1896, this structure was established in order to provide a location that boys who were sent to be reformed could be completely turned around – in a spiritual way. Unfortunately, things did not work out as well as the original creators may have thought that they would. Stories of torture, despair, sadness, and death have been circulated for years.

As a result of these gruesome stories, it is believed that a number of hauntings have occurred at the Mansfield Reformatory. Here, I will share some of the haunting tales of this haunted prison.

One of the main stories of a haunting in this prison occurs in the wing where administration serves. At one point in history, a Warden’s wife lived in this area with her husband. She was trying to retrieve something from the close when a gun fell and a bullet entered her chest. She died, and many claimed that the Warden actually killed her, despite the fact that evidence pointed a different direction.

Approximately ten years later, the Warden had a heart attack and he passed away. It is believed that the couple still resides in the establishment as ghosts. Scents of roses in the air, as well as cold, ghostly breezes and apparitions have been spotted in this wing.

Many individuals who have visited this haunted prison have had accounts of hearing strange noises, seeing apparitions, smelling unusual scents, and hearing conversations and even screams while there. The lingering sadness and evil seem to linger in every area at the Mansfield Reformatory – both inside and out!

Rawlings Frontier Prison

The Rawlings Frontier Prison is considered to be one of the scariest places on Earth as well.

This haunted prison is located in Rawlings, Wyoming. Many individuals refer to this establishment as “The Old Pen”. Several different accounts of hauntings have been experienced at this particular prison. There seems to be a number of residual hauntings that occur in and around the structure. The spirits that many witnesses have viewed do not seem to actually be aware of the presence of the living. Residual hauntings are more less high levels of energy that are located in certain places. The living sees this energy, or “recording” and it is referred to as a haunting.

While there are many residual type hauntings at the Rawlings Frontier Prison, there are several other types of activities that occur in and around the facility. These include strange smells, devastating wails, screams, and feelings of immense fear, hot spots, cold spots, and more. Several ghost pictures, and ghost videos have been taken here to establish the, virginia Crime, fact that these are real ghost stories

Conclusion

As you can see, there are several haunted prisons that are deemed as the scariest places on Earth.

If you want to experience these hauntings yourself, these establishments allow tours and more! Plan your trip to the scariest places on Earth – the haunted prisons mentioned here!