If you’ve been following this blog lately, you won’t be surprised that I love touring places related to the history of law and criminal justice. Last month, my older daughter and I did a 10-state, 4500-mile road trip. And as we were zooming through Wyoming (at a gloriously legal 80 mph) I was delighted to see a sign advertising the Wyoming Frontier Prison. We exited the freeway in Rawlins so we could take a tour, and I’m so glad we did.

 From 1901 until 1981, this was the Wyoming State Penitentiary (a new state pen eventually opened in the same town; that’s where Wyoming’s felons are now incarcerated). It must have been a miserable place to do time. In the early years, there was no electricity or running water, and our guide said the temperature inside was never more than 20 degrees warmer than the outside temp. Picture that during a Wyoming winter, when the thermometer regularly drops below 0F. Two or even three men would share a single 5 by 7 cell—which at least might have added a bit of body heat.

The state also executed people here. At first they hung them using an interesting—and pretty horrifying—contraption called the Julian gallows. Later they switched to the gas chamber. Which I got to sit in. Yes, some of us have weird vacation thrills.

As you might suspect, many of the prison’s inmates had colorful histories. Train robbers, gunslingers, outlaws of all stripes, the desperate and the downtrodden. Women were housed here too. Some inmates escaped or were released, only to end up back behind these walls. Others were murdered by their fellows.

Nowadays it makes for a fascinating tour. As a bonus, we even got to see a couple of the marmots that live in the exercise yard.

Here are some more photos. If you’re ever in Rawlins, Wyoming, I recommend a stop.

I’m nearing the end of a 10-state road trip with my older daughter. And these are big Western states. So my regular posts will be on hiatus until July. In the meantime, I thought I’d share some photos of historical criminal justice practices. This is the final Wednesday vacation posting.

Humans are very creative about finding ways to harm one another. This carries over to capital punishment, which has been inflicted a variety of ways. Here are some historical examples.

 Garrote. This was used as an execution method in Spain and some Spanish colonies. The criminal’s neck was secured in the loop and the screw was tightened into the spinal cord.

 The gibbet. This was used in a variety of ways. A living prisoner could be locked inside until he died of dehydration, exposure, or starvation. Or the body of an executed prisoner could be displayed. This was often used for pirates.

 The rack. Technically, this was used to torture people rather than execute them. But death was a common result, either immediately or eventually, since the device dislocated limbs.

 The wheel. Criminals were tied to the wheel and usually all their limbs were broken. If they didn’t die right away, they might be left to die of exposure, shock, or dehydration.

 It’s debatable whether the iron maiden was ever actually used. This replica has rubber spikes, fortunately for me.

 Decapitation. Quick and easy, and doesn’t require much equipment. (I’m thankful to various Croatian tour guides and museum employees for encouraging me to play with their exhibits.)

I’m in the middle of a 10-state road trip with my older daughter. And these are big Western states. So my regular posts will be on hiatus until July. In the meantime, I thought I’d share some photos of historical criminal justice practices. I’ll be posting those on Wednesdays until July.

Torture was widely used in most European criminal justice systems, largely because you couldn’t convict someone without a confession. Some torture devices would eventually kill the prisoner, but all of them were intended to look terrifying—all the better for extracting confessions. Here are some examples.

 This is a restraint device called a scavenger’s daughter. The head went through that ring at the top, hands through the middle arches, and feet through the bottom loops. A few hours spent in that position would get very uncomfortable.

 The throne. A suspect could be attached to it in a variety of positions and then flogged or otherwise tortured.

 Interrogation chair. Okay, not the comfiest of seats, but not as awful as it looks. But it does look scary, and a suspect’s legs or arms could be smushed into the spikes.

Head crusher.

 And the thumbscrew.

I’m in the middle of a 10-state road trip with my older daughter. And these are big Western states. So my regular posts will be on hiatus until July. In the meantime, I thought I’d share some photos of historical criminal justice practices. I’ll be posting those on Wednesdays until July.

Prisons are a relatively new form of punishment. For much of human history, criminals were executed for more serious offenses. People who committed minor offenses were often given some form of public humiliation. Not only was this inexpensive, but it meant the miscreant could return to work instead of leaving his family destitute. A lot of creativity went into these punishments. Here are photos of a few.

 See that pillar to the right of Spike? In Roman times, people would be tied to it and flogged; that space around it was essentially the main square. I took this photo in Zadar, Croatia.

 Branks were metal masks, often in the shape of animal heads. Some had metal flanges that went into the mouth. Branks were often used on women who were considered quarrelsome.

 Some people who violated religious norms might be required to wear these vests. I don’t know what the jellyfish-looking things are supposed to be.

 Branding was a more permanent way of identifying criminals.

 This is a pillory. Some were stationary but some, like this one, could be driven around town. The offender might be flogged while he was locked in it.

 These are stocks. Which would actually be pretty ineffective for a prisoner with no legs.

I’m about in the middle of a 10-state road trip with my older daughter. And these are big Western states. So my regular posts will be on hiatus until July. In the meantime, I thought I’d share some photos of historical criminal justice practices. I’ll be posting those on Wednesdays until July.

Over the last two weeks I posted photos of old jails. Here’s something slightly different:

 This is Alcatraz, perhaps one of the most famous prisons in the world. It was a federal prison, housing those who were especially dangerous or high escape risks. But it was very expensive to run, so it operated as a federal prison for less than 30 years. We toured when my kids were younger, and they enjoyed. The littler one was especially taken with Al Capone’s story.

 This is a recent photo of what was once the largest mental hospital in California, the Stockton Asylum. It opened during gold rush times and remained in use as a mental hospital until 1995. It’s now a university campus.