Philly’s Oldest Prison Needs To Expand
By Alex Lloyd Gross
When a suspected criminal is arrested, in Philadelphia,they are brought to the Curran Fromhold Correctional Facility to be classified and or relocated to another prison, based on their criminal history and the amount of bail that they are being held on. Inmates that are low custody and are not a large threat are taken to the House of Corrections on State Rd. Built in 1927, this place was designed to warehouse people .
Almost 90 years later, this building is still going strong, but the aspect of corrections has changed. The media were given a brief tour by prison officials and Prison Commissioner Blanche Carney. When she showed a cell block she said “Our maintenance department is great at keeping this old equipment running”. The HOC is designed like a wheel , with a rotunda as the center and different cell blocks as the spokes. Theoretically, when an inmate,s cell is closest to the radiator, they will be the hottest, and those farther away, will be colder. However, , “We make sure that all of the residents here have heat”, Carney said.
Inside the prison, inmates are also given computer classes . When someone is arrested and they cannot make bail, they are held inside the HOC, where the cell blocks are long and narrow. There is not much to do except watch TV and waste away. Inmates can do that but they are strongly encouraged to take advantage of programs designed to help keep them from returning.
To contract what this prison was like say, 50 years ago, inmates were only brought out for food, medical or visits. . There was nothing to do . Today, an inmate has lots of programs to avail themselves. True, some will go just to alleviate boredom, but most make an effort. This place should not close, but rather be added onto, in a more modern room, even a couple of pre fabbed trailers would do wonders for this place. People will always be stupid and commit crimes. That is why there will never be empty ,unused prison cells in the Philadelphia Prison System.
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