The Ohio State Reformatory

Images of America: Ohio

by Nancy K. Darbey

In the state of Ohio, before 1884, most first-time offenders between the ages of 16 and 30 were housed in the Ohio Penitentiary, where they were likely to be influenced by hardened criminals. That changed when the Ohio Legislature approved the building of a reformatory, a new type of institution that would educate and train young, first-time offenders. Construction was halted three times due to lack of funding, but on September 17, 1896, the first 150 inmates were transferred to the new facility. Over the years, the reformatory expanded its training programs and became a self-sustaining institution--the largest of its kind in the United States. By 1970, the reformatory had become a maximum-security prison with a death row but no death chamber. It closed on December 31, 1990, but preservation and restoration efforts are ongoing. The reformatory has appeared in numerous television shows and feature films, including The Shawshank Redemption.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 2016

Reviews

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doesn't really presented much in the way of new to me information, but I loved looking at the historical photos of the reformatory. Personally I was hoping for more photos from the earlier days there but it was still interesting to see photos featuring the place from the 1970s. If you are in the Mansfield, OH area, you may want to take a tour - it's well worth the trip there.

[Ghoul Von Horror · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having just visited I found the book to tell me some stuff threat I was curious about butt wasn't given the info when I went on a self guide tour. Loved the pictures.I just wish these books didn't always jump around timeline wise.

[Pug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spectacular pictures of the Reformatory! The building is so beautiful, yet so very spooky! I recognized much of it from my visit to Mansfield , and I learned a lot about the prison's past, (I wish the captions provided more detail, though). Sounds like it was a surprisingly decent place that did succeed in reforming people. Too bad it's in such disrepair now. :(

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and interesting! I read this book before going to visit the Ohio State Reformatory during the Shawshank Redemption's 25th anniversary weekend. It really made the visit much more enjoyable.

[Shannon Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the information presented in this book, but felt the writing style and quality of pictures were both lacking. Some images were so dark that it was hard to distinguish exactly what the reader should've been looking at.

[KilaViking · Rating 2 out of 5]

Repetitive

Author was disorganized in presenting the facts and jumped around a lot only to repeat things later. And then never finish the original storyline.

[kaitlyn speed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting

[Trena Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information about the Ohio State Reformatory, along with pictures.

[Abby Humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read yet very informative and detailed!!

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for back ground research for my book club. Easy to read, a little repetitive, great pictures.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative! I had no idea!