Clinton Correctional Facility

Clinton Correctional Facility is a maximum-security New York state prison located in the Adirondack village of Dannemora. It is sometimes colloquially referred to as Dannemora, although it takes its name from being in Clinton County. Its walls go right up to streets in Dannemora's main business district. A church built by inmates - St. Dismas - is located within the walls. It is sometimes referred to as "New York's Siberia" due to the cold climate in Dannemora, and the isolation of the area.

Related Topics:
New York - Prison - Adirondack - Village - Dannemora - Clinton County - Business district - Church - Dismas

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Built in 1845, the site originally served as a site where prisoners were used to work in local mines in both Dannemora and nearby Lyon Mountain. This enterprise would not be profitable, and by 1877, mining was ended, and the prisoners were put to work on other trades. With this change, the prison experienced growth, and it was given new concrete walls that still stand in 1887. In 1895, the first prisoner was executed in the electric chair at the prison, beginning the use of capital punishment at Clinton Correctional. This period also saw many prisoners cured of tuberculosis due in part to the clean air in the Adirondacks, leading to the importation of prisoners with this disease from other prisons.

Related Topics:
1845 - Lyon Mountain - 1877 - 1887 - 1895 - Electric chair - Capital punishment - Tuberculosis

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In 1929, Clinton Correctional witnessed a riot, which coupled with riots in other prisons in that year led to prison reform in New York state. This led to the building of schools in the prison, and the renovation or rebuilding of most of the structures within prison walls, making the facility more modern. The aforementioned church of St. Dismas was built in 1941. In the later half of the 20th century, the prison's mental institutions closed and were converted into an annex to house more prisoners.

Related Topics:
1929 - 1941 - 20th century

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Past celebrity inmates have included Tupac Shakur, Ol' Dirty Bastard,Hell Rell, and Robert Chambers, the "preppy murderer," who served much of his sentence for the killing of Jennifer Levin here, as well as a later sentence for drug possession after heroin was found in his cell and new criminal charges were brought. The prison also houses New York State's death row.

Related Topics:
Inmate - Tupac Shakur - Ol' Dirty Bastard - Hell Rell - Robert Chambers - Jennifer Levin - Heroin - Death row

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