The Tough Times & Punishments

The Tough Times

While they were locked up all day, the prisoners had a toilet, table, bunk, and Bible in their cells. When the prisoners leave their cells, their head will be covered with a black hood so they could not see any other prisoners as they walked through the halls of the prison. Inmates lived a life in a solitude and gets a glimpse of sunlight, it's called "The Eye of God" which came through a slit in the prison's ceilings. The Prisoners will tap on the pipes or whisper through the vents to each other. When they do get caught, their penalty was brutal.

The Punishments

The punishments they did at the Eastern State Penitentiary was so horrible. Here are the harsh punishments:

1. The Water Bath
The inmates who broke the rules risked being dunked in a bath of ice cold water then hung from the wall for the night. When this punishment was most popular, during the winter months and days, the water on the inmate's skin would form into a layers of ice before the morning. Some prisoners will not survive this punishment.

2. The Mad Chair
This was named because it was not uncommon for an inmate to go mad before his punishment ended. The prisoner will be strapped into the chair with leather stripes so tightly that it was impossible for them to make the smallest of movements. They would sit for days and nights without any food until the circulation in their body almost stopped from the tightness of the straps.

3. The Iron Gag
This punishment was the most deadly of all. Specifically designed for those inmates who refused to obey the no communication policies. An iron collar was clamped onto the tongue then chained to his wrists which were strapped high behind their back. Any movement will tear their tongue and caused a severe bleeding. Many prisoners who suffered this torture died from loss of blood before their torture ended.

4. The Hole
In Block #14, the hole was nothing but a pit in the ground where inmates would stay locked for weeks. There was no lights, little air, and thrown into its tortuous grip would receive water and a slice of bread before the rats and roaches, if they get there on time.

Here's the video to watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xRrxsvxdDw