Crime has become an increasingly common activity these days with people whipping out guns and police officers shooting young men in broad daylight. Although none of these said individuals are facing any time in jail thanks to a fair share of privileges, that wasn’t how things were done in the old days. Prison time was hard and it was real. No longer as popular as they once were, there are numerous prisons around the world that are no longer being used. How far can you go down this blood-curdling list of the creepiest abandoned prisons in the world?
The Horrir Aura of Abandoned Prisons
This list of the creepiest abandoned prisons contains real life haunted places which are likely to drive you insane if visited. In some of these places, the sensation of something evil watching over your head is so powerful it totally overwhelms you. You’re bound to feel chills after reading this!
Eastern State Penitentiary
Founded in 1829, violence and torture was a frequently practiced act. Claiming to “improve” the behavior of inmates, many grizzly acts were performed. The staff celebrated the arrival of winter by steeping the prisoners in cold water and leaving them to “dry” in the freezing winter air. Closed in 1971, for a couple of decades, the prison was home to countless inmates who suffered at the hands of the staff.
Today it is a museum and a haunted house. Every Halloween, visitors flock to visit to hear the ghostly shrieks bouncing off the crumbling walls.
Alcatraz Federal Prison
Located on San Francisco Bay, water surrounds the area with sunset views to die for (pun intended). Some of the most notorious American convicts like Machine Gun Kelly (George Barnes) did time in there. Many others faced their ultimate death before the establishment closed in 1963. Perhaps one of the creepiest abandoned prisons in the world, memories of the deceased still haunt the place. Blaring music, shrill screams, and endless weeping can often be heard from the walls. Join the party, boys!
Bodmin Jail
King George III thought it fitting to hold more than 150 criminals between the walls of Bodmin Jail in 1779. With the First World War in motion, death was easier to come by than rain in England. In the 100+ years between 1785 and 1909, 55 executions took place in Bodmin. Not particularly merciful, the most famous execution was of Selina Wadge. She was hung for murdering her smallest boy and her soul still thirsts for more. Extreme and frequent supernatural activity can be heard from the confined walls of the prison. Screams, banging on the walls are regularly heard and reported to the police.
Atlanta Prison Farm
Located in Georgia, the prison was burnt to a crisp in October, 2009. If that isn’t depressing, firefighters did not even attempt to extinguish the wild flames. That day marked the end of the prison farm and the start of one of the many abandoned prisons in world. The place soon became haunted and ghost hunters frequent the place in search of troubled spirits.
Pottawatomie County Jail
The Iowa prison started in 1885 is a true work of art. The fantastic design earned the prison the title of Squirrel Cage Jail. The prison’s cells kept changing places with the mechanism of a water wheel. The wheel frequently malfunctioned and the gears jammed. Often times it got stuck resulting in body parts of the inmates to be crushed and turned to jelly. Lost cells soon became a thing too and on occasion a prisoner found himself trapped. Unable to be retrieved, the corpse rotted away in the same cell. Broken beyond repair and in shambles, this abandoned prison in world it still hosts trapped souls. Some people are never meant to breakout!
Old Salem Jail
The stories and horrors which surfaced from this Massachusetts prison are too gory to be true. Brad Upton, a corrections officer, states “I refrain from retelling any stories, because no one believes them”. He also said “you were either there, or you weren’t”. You can tell by how he constructed these words that the details were too messed up for any of the staff (the ones living) to ever retell them. The institute closed in 1991 and for more than 2 decades haunted tales swam about. Later the place was demolished and transformed into luxury apartment flats. One of the few abandoned prisons in world to be refurbished, the new luxurious place still rings with ghostly cries.
Ararat County Gaol: J Ward
In 1861, Ararat County Gaol began imprisoning culprits during the Victoria gold rush. Although the gold rush spell was over in 1887, the prison was not shut down. It was reformed into a psychiatric ward. No one is really sure whether the moans, shrieking cries, and rapid footsteps are those of the psychopaths or the criminals. When heard, it’s hard to tell the difference as it is.
Vilvoorde Prison
Not much is revealed about this multiuse prison that opened in 1779. The building was created fairly simply. The silhouette was big and rectangular and divided equally into 4 different sections. 12,000 homeless s** workers, drunkards, and tramps were packed in the establishment with minimal comfortable. Forcefully employed to produce artisanal items from cotton, wool, and hemp the individuals soon found that they will never leave.
In the 1900s medical military assistance was required. The building’s inhabitants proved of much use. Shortly afterwards the Germans took over and once more began the unjust worker trade. 2006 was the year when the establishment was finally deemed as a historical monument. Visitors and tourists get to witness the cruel history the building is soaked in from the carvings, drawings and eerie hallways.
Sinop Fortress Prison
A state prison that was built in 1887, it is said to be the oldest prisons in Turkey. Built on the northwestern section of Cape Sinop, it is one of the many haunted abandoned prisons in the world. It lasted a whole decade before it was shut down in 1997. The inmates who survived the deathly halls were moved to a new prison. However, those who lost their souls within have never really left. Although open to the public, many fear to step inside.
Goli Otok Prison
Goli Otok in Italian means a barren island which happened to be one in Croatia. Once lush with greenery and a home for grazing cattle, the land was soon to be barren and flooded with labor camps and prisons. It was a top secret propaganda and was known to only a few. 16,000 political prisoners found themselves trapped within the boundaries of the island and around 600 of them died in the same spot. Islands may be great for tourists but not one that takes a spot in abandoned prisons in world. The horrors of the place are endless.
Carabanchel Prison
The Spanish Civil War that lasted 4 long years forced the Spanish government to build the largest prison in Europe. Political prisoners were detained in there alongside the practice of slave labor. In 1998 the establishment was closed and in 2008 there was a political discussion over what to do with the useless haunted building. It was soon decided that it should be destroyed for no one could tread on those grounds. Although hospitals and apartments deck the area now, you can never tell if spirits are watching you.
HM Pentridge Prison
The HM Pentridge Prison was Her Majesty’s prison and it was a pretty big one. It was meant to hold 650 prisoners and a hundred guards. But things got grisly and soon the number of prisoners reached a thousand. After countless scandals and riots the prison was shut down. A large fraction of the prisoners died within its confines. The prison ground was then razzed to make space for the graves of the deceased. Talk about abandoned prisons in world turned into haunting graveyards. This stuff comes straight out of a nightmare.
Isle of Procida Jail
Once a castle, the Isle of Procida rapidly fell into decline. Built in 1563, it was not until 1815 when King Ferdinand II widened its horizons that it became a prison. Quite a rotten prison, this one was. Quite literally. The Procida prison in Italy was ridden with decay and rot. The inmates lived in gruesome circumstances and left to rot. In 1988, the jail was officially closed but the remnants of its inhabitants still live on.
William Porter Reformatory
Located in Tokai, South Africa the prison was not exactly for adults. The eldest individuals detained in this underage jail were not more than 16 years. Some children were held captive in isolation cells. The prison was said to be “playing a role in the social engineering of the black and white working class community”. The gruesome child abuse does not end here. Whoever had the misfortune of stepping into the abandoned prison can’t help but feel the loneliness and misery of the dead souls of children.
Wyoming Territorial Prison
Built in 1872, the territorial prison was meant to confine the ever-growing number of criminals in the area. But instead, the staff were faced with numerous prison escapees, too many inmates and ghost fires erupting. A failed attempt at a prison did not seem to shoo away the infamous Julius Greenwald who was sentenced for murdering his wife. He had an expert hand when it came to rolling cigars and he made a habit out of smoking a great deal of them. Passing away in 1901 from a heart failure, Julius still lingers about in the place he died. The faint cigar smoke smell that wafts in the corridors echoing with emptiness will lead you to him.
Old Charleston Jail
Feeling adventurous? Well, here is your next visiting spot! The Old Charleston jail is said to be ringing with old souls and the famous convict, Lavinia Fisher. Built in 1802, the fortress-like prison was up and running till 1939. But the hustle and bustle never died out and you can still hear the commotion of the undead through the walls.
Essex County Jail
Rendered out of order in 1970 when a newer version of it was built, the Essex County prison still lives on. Fire damage and endless decay have done the building more harm than good. Drug addicts and the homeless call the abandoned spot home. But any sane person can distinctly make out the shadowy faces that linger in windows and halls.
Moundsville West Virginia Penitentiary
One of the most notorious abandoned prisons in the world, the staff at this penitentiary were exceptional. Started in 1876, the prison was around for more than a hundred years before being abandoned. During the 100+ years that it existed, it earned a famous nametag amongst other jails. It was easily the best when it came to beating inmates to death, electrocuting them and hanging them. The prisoners still hang around in search of much-deserved vengeance.
Holmesburg Prison
Built purely out of stone, the Holmesburg jail was never meant to be escaped from. The guards made the jail even worse by punishing the inmates with heat. A small building with huge steam radiators was created to ‘steam them out’. Prisoners perished as temperature reached 200 degrees inside the small building at times. Later in the 1960s, the inmates had a new job to fulfill. Biochemical, pharmaceutical and dermatological weapons were experimented and researched with the results being tested out on the prisoners. In 1973, the warden and the deputy warden were murdered in cold blood. As a final point, in 1995 the jail was shut down. In one of the most terrifying abandoned prisons in world, the restless souls never really found peace
New Mexico State Penitentiary
The prison was a fairly normal one but not so much on February 2nd and 3rd, 1980. The two days marked the most brutal and violent prison riots in the American correctional system’s history. In those 2 days 200 inmates were sent for medical care while 33 others needed graves. A few weeks after the riot, the prison shut down and since has been titled the Most Haunted Spot in New Mexico. The dead returned to their former home and terrified the former employees with disembodied voices and sudden apparitions.
If you went through the entire list with flinching or feeling one in your spine, you really have some mettle! Most of the places, especially the Eastern State Penitentiary, has been mentioned in several places as the creepiest abandoned prison and it is locally famous for dreadful haunting incidents. Another such place is the Alcatraz Federal Prison; whoever wants to visits this prison has already lost their mind or will lose it when they actually visit the prison. It takes some fearless ones to even pass by these places after sundown.
Abandoned prisons (including asylums) are, in fact, the most haunted places than can be found on earth. Hospitals and the rest come after. It is so because all the prisoners die with such ire, ferocity and hatred in their mind that their spirits get corrupted by the evil intentions. And when they finally pass away, their restless spirits become vengeful ones. People have been warned not to visit such a place. Even if they really have to, they must not stay overnight; because nights are when they spirits gets furious.