New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
By Bailey Bisson.
Bristol County Jail House of New Bedford was built in 1888, with some construction dating back to the 1830s, and is one of the oldest running jails in the country. In fact, the prison is so old that people were hanged in front of the public, who were able to purchase tickets and watch the inmates be put to death. The hangings were done in the middle of “the birdcage” located on the first floor. The last hanging at the New Bedford jail took place in 1894.
“The birdcage” is a visitation caged-room, and is the height of the entire building. Looking up from the floor of the birdcage, facility employees are able to catch a clear view of each upper level, where the inmates are kept. Each floor wraps around the building in a porch-like way. It is possible for someone to be pushed over the edge of the railing, and it has happened before. Anyone could fall to their death by leaping over or being pushed, up to four stories, landing on the first floor into the birdcage.
Visit station #2 photo by Bailey Bisson.
Aside from the dangers of operating an old-fashioned prison, the cost to maintain it is greater than that of a new building with modern technology.
Public Information Officer Jonathan Darling of Dartmouth said, “It would be much cheaper to do the sheriff’s plan.”
Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux’s plan is to transport inmates from the Ash street jail to the Dartmouth prison temporarily, while a new prison is built in New Bedford. This transition will have an impact on about 100 inmates living at the old prison, some of which require isolation.
“It’s an old jail, it wasn’t built with classes in mind, with rehabilitation in mind,” says Darling. “The main goal is to get the inmates back out, better than when they came in.”
Dartmouth House of Corrections was built in 1991, offering classes and training programs for inmates, with 100 hours of combined programs for substance abuse, and various certificate courses. All of this will be readily available to the temporary New Bedford inmates, as well as faster access to medical care.
Photo by Bailey Bisson.
“It will definitely change the culture among the inmates within a new facility. It will certainly help with staffing. It’s a long process,” said Darling. “We’re talking 5-6 years before we move inmates and start closing things down. These projects take a lot of time.”
The next step is for the sheriff to hire engineers and architects to conduct a feasibility study.
“They might say there’s not enough space, or it will cost a fortune,” said Darling.
The attic at the (1888) New Bedford prison is full of old stuff, from the late 1800s and early 1900s, a time when the most common crime was stealing people’s animals. These types of thieves were known as rustlers. Everything from the attic will eventually be preserved at the Whaling Museum of New Bedford.
The green roof portion attached to the old building was burned down in Feb. 1993 and was never fixed up. The women’s unit was burned down not long after that. These parts of the building remain vacant.
