What is named the most famous or notoriously known prison and why?

star_gazer

This is a difficult question, one of the more famous prisons worldwide is Alcatraz. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz Aug 17 07, 7:40 AM

Mugaboo

The first place that sprung to mind was was the Bastille, mainly because of it's connection with the French Revolution. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastille Aug 17 07, 7:53 AM

BungeeAZ

I would have to agree that it's Alcatraz, because being on an island surrounded by water with rough current and sharks, it would be nearly impossible to escape. The famous inmates include Al Capone, and the "Birdman of Alcatraz", Robert Stroud. Aug 17 07, 8:23 AM

Baloo55th

Could be the Bastille, could be Alcatraz - could also be the Tower of London...... Many reasons why, including several famous executions, Lord Haw Haw and so on, not forgetting Beefeaters. Aug 17 07, 4:05 PM

talbotbruno

I've no idea what prison you're refering to, but here's an interesting article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changi_Prison PT Aug 17 07, 5:09 PM

robraw

Alcatraz may have been difficult to escape from but does that make it notorious. Lets think about Bang Kwang jail – notoriously known as the ‘Bangkok Hilton’ Dabei Prison in Shenyang City http://clearharmony.net/articles/200403/18403.html São Paulo jail http://www.hrw.org/reports98/brazil/ Burma’s notorious Insein Prison And so on and so on Aug 17 07, 9:55 PM

star_gazer

But the question does ask for the most famous and that would seem to put Alcatraz on top, considering the two block buster movies "Escape From Alcatraz" and "The Rock". Aug 17 07, 10:26 PM

McGruff

In old movies, they always sent them to Sing Sing. Sing Sing: Warehouse for society's worst criminals, was one of America's most repressive institutions. http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/sing_sing/index.html Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison in Ossining, New York, USA. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sing_Sing The History of Sing Sing Prison http://www.hudsonriver.com/halfmoonpress/stories/0500sing.htm Aug 17 07, 10:31 PM

star_gazer

Recently, The Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq has been come both famous and notorious due to the abuse of prisioners by American soldiers. http://www.antiwar.com/news/?articleid=2444 Aug 17 07, 10:39 PM

BungeeAZ

Correct, and the phrase "Up the River" is a direct reverence to Sing Sing. Abu Ghraib is only famous for it's recent activities that have been reported in the news. But, this is not a political discussion, and this is not the forum for such a discussion. Alcatraz, and the others mentioned surpass Abu Ghraib in terms of fame, notoriety, history and lore. Aug 18 07, 7:48 AM

McGruff

Then there's Folsom Prison, made famous in the Johnny Cash tune. You'd really have to poll people from all over the world to find which prison might be named most often. Folsom Prison. Includes famous inmates, photo journal, and Johnny Cash's famous visit. http://www.myfolsom.com/folsomprison.shtml Folsom State Prison (FSP) California's second oldest prison, Folsom primarily houses Level II and Level III inmates. In addition, it has a minimum security unit. http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Visitors/fac_prison_FSP.html Folsom State Prison, sometimes known as Folsom State Prison, Represa, is one of 33 prisons operated by the California Department of Corrections. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folsom_State_Prison Aug 18 07, 9:37 AM

sdorph

The most notorious prison would have to be Dachau I would think Aug 24 07, 3:32 PM