These 7 Deadly Prisons Can Only Be Found In New York
New York State has always been a population center in the United States, and wherever there is a lot of people, there’s also going to be a lot of crime, and to deal with those crimes, there will also be a lot of jails and prisons. New York has some of the most famous correctional facilities in the country within its borders, and some of them have been operating for well over a hundred years. As a result, many famous prisoners have lived in New York’s prisons, and almost all of them were very rough people, many of them murderers. These are the toughest prisons with the roughest people inside. Read on to learn more about these very deadly prisons – these are people you certainly don’t want to be mixing with for your own safety!
1. Fishkill Correctional Facility; Beacon, NY
Fishkill Correctional Facility, 18 Strack Dr, Beacon, NY 12508, USA
This correctional facility began as the Matteawan State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in 1892 and it housed many dangerous, insane criminals until 1977 when it was renamed as Fishkill Correctional Facility. Today it is a minimum security prison with a maximum security wing that houses 200 criminals. Notable inmates from the past include Izola Curry, who tried to assassinate Martin Luther King, Jr., serial killer Lizzie Halliday, and New York City's "Mad Bomber" Joseph Metesky.
2. Clinton Correctional Facility; Dannemora, NY
Clinton Correctional Facility, 1156 Cook St, Dannemora, NY 12929, USA
This maximum security prison is better known as Sing Sing. It opened in 1826 and today houses 1,747 prisoners at full capacity. 614 men and women were executed by electric chair at this prison before the death penalty was abolished in New York State in 1972. So many famous criminals did time in this prison including serial killer Albert Fish, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, numerous members of the Murder, Inc. crime syndicate, and others.
4. Attica Correctional Facility; Attica, NY
Attica Correctional Facility, 639 Exchange St Rd, Attica, NY 14011, USA
Attica is a famous prison in western New York that is known for being very tough. Many people remember the 1971 prison riot that took place here that resulted in 43 deaths. Many well-known criminals have spent time in Attica, including serial killers David Berkowitz, Joel Rifkin, and Kendall Francois.
Riker's Island is one of the most well-known jails in the world. It is also one of the largest; on any given day, as many as 10,000 prisoners are held here. Almost anyone in New York City who has committed a violent crime has spent time in Riker's Island.
6. Auburn Correctional Facility; Auburn, NY
Auburn Correctional Facility, 135 State St, Auburn, NY 13024, USA
Auburn was New York's second state prison when it opened in 1818 and it is one of the oldest continuously operating prisons in the United States. Today it is a maximum security facility and it holds 1,821 prisoners. Over the years, it has been the home to numerous mafia hit men, McKinley assassin Leon Czolgosz, serial rapist and murderer Robert F. Garrow, and William Kemmler, the first man executed by electric chair.
7. Green Haven Correctional Facility; Stormville, NY
Green Haven Correctional Facility, 594 NY-216, Stormville, NY 12582, USA
Green Haven opened in 1949 and today is a maximum security prison that hols 2,170 inmates. Famous prisoners include mafia boss John Gotti, gangster Joey Gallo, John Lennon assassin Mark David Chapman, and murderer Ronald DeFeo, Jr.
Correctional facilities certainly aren’t attractions when it comes to exploring New York State, but it’s good to know where they are so you can stay as far away from them as possible. It’s interesting to learn about them, though, and to know a little bit more about the famous criminals who were punished behind their walls.
