MSP offers student tours


Pam Boggs, a former corrections officer at the old Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City, tells students about life in "A" Hall. Students toured the multi-story prison dorm and concluded the tour with a stop at the old gas chamber.
Pam Boggs, a former corrections officer at the old Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City, tells students about life in "A" Hall. Students toured the multi-story prison dorm and concluded the tour with a stop at the old gas chamber.

Living conditions inside a prison in the 1800s were far from pleasant, maybe even "gross."

As Michael Groose discussed the hardships of life for inmates at the Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP), students from Simonsen Ninth Grade Center were quick to "whoa" and "ick" at some of the details.

For the 740 inmates it housed from 1868 through the turn of the century, "A" Hall had no plumbing and only a bucket for the six inmates per cell.

"Prison is awful," said student Nathan Sackman.

When Kael Upschulte walked into one of the small, damp cells ....

Upcoming Events