Massachusetts Jail Named Oldest In U.S.

Massachusetts is surely on the bottom half of the list when it comes to the number of incarcerated people in the country. There are currently 1.9 million people confined in this country, more than any other nation in the world. Massachusetts has an inmate population of about 11,000, where as Texas currently houses about 133,000.

This Massachusetts jail is one of the oldest operating jails in the country

The Ash Street Jail and Regional Lock-Up in New Bedford, MA opened in 1888 and houses on average 200 inmates at a time awaiting trial in Bristol County. The alleged crimes can range from low level to murder.

One notable inmate of the Ash St. jail in New Bedford was Lizzie Borden, albeit for just 12 days, was Lizzie Borden who was accused of the axe murders of her father and stepmother. She was acquitted in 1893.

Jails vs. Prisons

Jail is meant to house short term, either people awaiting trial or doing minimal time; prison is where convicted population go to serve longer time respective to the level of crime. There are private jails and public jails.

Joliet Correctional Center in IL

This prison also ends up on the one of the "Oldest in America". One of my favorite movies, "The Blues Brothers" (1980) starts with shots of this historic, gothic style prison that opened in 1858 but has been closed since 2002.