Old Idaho Penitentiary

No one really wants to go to jail. Unless, of course, it is an old historic state penitentiary that may or may not be haunted. Then you might not be able to help yourself.  Thankfully you don’t need to be incarcerated to visit the Old Idaho Penitentiary, located near Boise. Open from 1872 to 1973, this historic prison is now open for tours and visits from anyone who wants to take a peek into the past. Our host, Jeff Simpson, visited this location and was able to get an onsite walking tour with Amber Beierle, the Historic Sites Administrator for the Old Pen. Hear stories about unusual inmates, prison life throughout the years, and a prison riot that got a bit…fiery. As Amber says, “Thirteen hundred inmates means thirteen hundred stories to tell.” Also in today’s episode - how would you escape from prison? And if you were on death row, what would you choose your final meal to be? You may get a few ideas as we ask people on the street what their answers to these questions are. And speaking of death row, keep an open ear for stories of stays of execution gone wrong.  Welcome to our first episode of Special Corrections.