Prisons Trivia

1. Russia's toughest prison may have a nice name, but allegedly the only way out is to die. What is it called?

From Quiz Where Do You Want Your Porridge?

Answer: Black Dolphin

Black Dolphin, on the border with Kazakhstan, is one of the oldest prisons in Russia and gained notoriety in 2000 when it began taking in criminals serving life that other prisons felt unable to accept, such as child molesters, cannibals and serial killers. It houses approximately 700 inmates, who between them are estimated to have killed over 3,500 people and all are under constant video surveillance. Prison rules dictate that inmates are only allowed to use their bed for sleeping, and strict punishments are given out if one is caught sitting or leaning on the bed during non sleeping hours. Whenever a prisoner is moved to another area of the prison, they are blindfolded and forced to walk bent double at the waist, in order to make looking at surroundings, and therefore formulating a map impossible. One of the prison's most notorious inmates is Vladimir Nikolayev, convicted of murder, cannibalism and selling human flesh to unsuspecting buyers, saying it was kangaroo meat.

From Quiz Ida's Historical Peek at the Dungeon

Answer: The Great Keep (main tower)

The word dungeon comes from the French word for "lord" - "don-jon". It referred to the the Great Keep, a freestanding, central fortified tower in a castle complex. It was the inner tower or stronghold of the castle. It was originally not meant for use in keeping prisoners; only later did this association develop, around the 11th-13th centuries. Before that, as it was the most fortified place of the castle, it was where the nobles lived. Over time, however, the families moved to nicer areas of the castles, rooms with warmth and comfort. Valuable possessions were kept in the Great Keep, and eventually, prisoners. As more time passed, the term moved further away from its original meaning. By the 14th century, "dungeon" had come to refer prison cells beneath the castle keep, in cold, damp storerooms, or indeed almost any undesirable place within the castle.

From Quiz The Tower of London

Answer: William I

William I, also known as William the Conqueror was King of England at the time, he reigned from 1066 to 1087. The exact date the building of "The White Tower" began is unknown but is traditionally given as 1078, what is known is that it certainly was started during the reign of William I.

From Quiz 10 Most Interesting Facts about Alcatraz

Answer: Pelican

Alcatraz was given its name by a Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala. In 1775 he discovered the San Francisco Bay, mapped it and named one of the islands Isla de los Alcatraces, after the birds that inhabited it.

From Quiz San Quentin Prison: The Home of Death

Answer: San Francisco, California

San Quentin is a very well-known and old prison. Its cell bars were opened for the first time in July 1852, covering 432 acres.

From Quiz Leavenworth: Yesterday and Today

Answer: Kansas

Leavenworth U.S. Penitentiary was built near Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The town originated in 1827 when Colonel Henry Leavenworth was charged with the task of establishing a fort that would serve as a stopping point for wagon trains heading west on the Santa Fe Trail and the Oregon Trail.

From Quiz Alderson Federal Prison Camp

Answer: West Virginia

According to Newsday.com, Alderson opened in 1927. It was the vision of Eleanor Roosevelt and Mabel Walker Willebrandt, the first woman appointed to run federal prisons.

From Quiz The Tower of London

Answer: The White Tower

The building of the White Tower was ordered by King William I in 1078. Before that, since 1066, William had erected a temporary castle on the site. The White Tower was completed in around 1097 and was then the tallest building in London, standing 90 feet. It is the oldest surviving building in the Tower. For centuries the White Tower was an armoury. Between 1810 - 1815 arms were no longer manufactured at the Tower. Arms and armour were stored in the tower until the 1950's when many of the pieces were moved to museums around the country. Pieces connected to the Tower's history were kept and the removal of most of the collection allowed the people in charge to display the remaining pieces in a very effective way. The White Tower has some fascinating artefacts of war. Henry VIII's armour alone is worth a look. He was a BIG man! The exhibition in the White Tower has clearly been put together with a lot of thought and is one of the most interesting things in the Tower of London. Now...some interesting facts about the other options (don't worry, I'll be brief). The Medieval Palace is the outer part of the Tower beside the Thames and was added by King Henry III in 1220. Traitor's Gate was added by King Edward I (Henry III's son) in the 13th century. It is a gate that leads out onto the river Thames and this is how traitors entered the castle by boat. The Queen's House is the official residence of the Tower's governor and is right near the main entrance to the Tower.

From Quiz The Tower of London

Answer: William the Conqueror

Building was begun on The White Tower during the 11th century. It was built on the same site that Claudius, the Roman Emperor built a fort more than 1,000 years before. Parts of the Roman wall can still be seen in The Tower.

From Quiz History of The Tower of London

Answer: King William I

The Tower of London began as a timber fortress, in an earthern enclosure, on the north bank of the Thames in London. In 1078, William I (the Conqueror) replaced this timber fortress with a massive stone fortress called the Great Tower. The Great Tower has also been called the White Tower since it was whitewashed in 1241, during the reign of Henry III. The Great Tower rises 90 feet in height, and measures 118 feet by 117 feet. Gannulf, the Bishop of Rochester, is thought to have designed the Great Tower for William I, who reigned from 1066-1087. Geoffrey de Mandeville was appointed as the first Tower Constable. Not only was the Tower an impregnable fortress, but it also served as a royal residence in London during the reign of several monarchs. Additions, repairs, and improvements to the Tower of London were added over the centuries until is a complex of twenty towers covering an eighteen acre site. Of the other kings mentioned, King Edward (known as the Confessor) was king from 1042-1066, King Harold II was king from January 6, 1066 until October 14, 1066, when he was killed, and his army defeated, by William, the Duke of Normandy, during the Battle of Hastings. Henry I was the son of William I, and reigned after the death of his brother, William Rufus.

From Quiz London Prisons: Time for Roll Call!

Answer: William the Conqueror

When William invaded in 1066 and made his way up to London, he was nervous about the London mobs and so built a stockaded building. He replaced this twenty years later with the White Tower (the main building that stands in the centre of the Tower of London to this day).

From Quiz Escapes From Alcatraz

Answer: James A. Johnston

Before he became the warden of Alcatraz, he was the warden of San Quentin prison. At San Quentin he was given the nickname 'Golden Rule Warden' because he carried with him a reputation as a strict disciplinarian. In 1934, he became the very first warden of Alcatraz, where he was able to hand pick his correctional officers from the Federal Prison System. During Johnston's reign as warden, Alcatraz had a very famous criminal, Al Capone. It was not discovered why Johnston left The Rock in 1948.

From Quiz Alcatraz

Answer: Robert Stroud

Robert Stroud was called the 'Bird Man' because he used to preform experiments on birds. Good and bad!

From Quiz Where Do You Want Your Porridge?

Answer: Rikers Island

In 1965, Rikers Island was at the forefront of "art as therapy" and accordingly invited Dali to the prison. Unfortunately, he became ill on the day he was scheduled to visit, and instead donated a drawing of Christ on the cross, to be hung in the dining hall. In 1985, with the sketch valued at $175,000, it was moved to a more secure area in the jail entryway, which is staffed 24 hours a day. However, despite the constant staffing of prison guards, the drawing was stolen in 2003, by which time its value was over half a million dollars. Later that same year, prison officer Greg Sokol turned himself in and named his co-conspirators, resulting in a trial at which Sokol, fellow officer Tim Pina and assistant deputy warden Mitchell Hochhauser eventually pleaded guilty, receiving sentences of three years probation, five years probation and three years in prison respectively. As for the Dali drawing, it was never recovered and is believed to have been destroyed by the gang in an attempt to hide the evidence.

From Quiz Convict Life In Australia's Early Days

Answer: Cockatoo Island

Cockatoo Island had a large supply of sandstone so the creation of a penal colony was done to harvest the stone for building projects in Sydney, such as the retaining wall at Circular Quay. The penal colony was mainly manned by re-offending prisoners and they were worked hard in quarrying, reaping and storage of grain and ship building. You can still see the extensive dockyard, large workshops, slipways, wharves, residences and other buildings as well as the records of the ship building industry.

From Quiz Ida's Historical Peek at the Dungeon

Answer: oubliette

Again this is a French derivation. Another term for it is cachot. This may be closest to what most moderns think of as a dungeon: a dark, damp, underground prison. But the prisoners often did not access it by walking down stairs. Prisoners were lowered by rope through a trap door in the ceiling. Ofttimes the cell was so narrow they had to remain standing. Here, they were left to rot, starve, or possibly drown when groundwater would seep in. Not all dungeons were oubliettes; this was reserved for prisoners to be left for dead, forgotten. The term did not come into use until late in the Middle Ages, in the 14th century.

From Quiz The Tower of London

Answer: 14th

You can go and see "The Crown Jewels" at the tower. They are held in "The Jewel House" and have been on display to the public since the 17th century but in different locations. The only time the jewels were not at the tower was during the Second World War when they were moved to a secret location and were returned in 1945.

From Quiz 10 Most Interesting Facts about Alcatraz

Answer: Military site

The island became a military site in 1850. The U.S. army built there a Citadel, which was transformed into a military prison. The fortress was torn down in 1909, and a new prison was erected. The island remained in possession of the U.S. Army until 1933. One year later, the infamous prison started operation.

From Quiz Leavenworth: Yesterday and Today

Answer: Prisoners from the existing military prison built the new penitentiary

St. Louis architect William S. Eames designed the new penitentiary. Construction began in 1897 and did not end until 1926 when the dome was placed on the top of the central section of the building. Daily, prisoners marched two and one-half miles from Ft. Leavenworth to the new site of the federal penitentiary. The work took a long time because the prisoners were unskilled and (understandably) less-than-enthusiastic workers.

From Quiz Alderson Federal Prison Camp

Answer: Lying to the government

She was convicted of both lying to the government and obstruction of justice. The Securities fraud charge was thrown out by the judge.

From Quiz Escapes From Alcatraz

Answer: Joseph 'Dutch' Bowers

Joseph 'Dutch' Bowers was forty years old when he attempted to escape from Alcatraz. Unfortunately for Bowers he was shot twice and fell head first over a cliff. The fall did not kill him. The cause of his death was a bullet lodged in his lungs.

From Quiz Alcatraz

Answer: 1853

It was first noted on maps in 1776 but it remained a lonely little island.

From Quiz Infamous, Inhumane, Notorious, Horrific

Answer: Hoa Lo Prison

Hoa Lo Prison was originally built by the French in 1896 to house 450 inmates. By the 1930s, its population was in excess of 2,000 prisoners. Disease, starvation, torture, and oh yes, the guillotine were responsible for thousands of deaths under French rule. Almost 600 American POWs were held there.

From Quiz Where Do You Want Your Porridge?

Answer: Maze

Sands was a member of terrorist organisation the Provisional IRA in Northern Ireland, who was imprisoned for 14 years in 1977 for possession of a handgun, following the bombing of businesses in Dunmurry. While in prison, he was made leader of the Provisional IRA prisoners in the Maze and in 1980 he, along with six other men, began to refuse food until they were given political status. This was denied for 53 days, until Margaret Thatcher's government appeared to give in to the striker's demands, but as it became clear the demands had not been met, Sands started a hunger strike again on March 1st 1981. Whilst on strike, a by-election was held in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, which Sands won, thereby winning a seat in the House of Commons. In theory, his new status allowing him better access to lobby for his demands, but they were still not met and he died on May 5th.

From Quiz The Tower of London

Answer: Beefeaters

The Yeoman Warders were installed at the tower in the 15th century during the reign of Henry VII. They were the Kings bodyguards but today they combine their traditional ceremonial role with that of a tourist guide.

From Quiz 10 Most Interesting Facts about Alcatraz

Answer: The Rock

The island was nicknamed so by the U.S. army soldiers, as it consisted mostly of rocks. There was hardly any vegetation and no source of fresh water there. "The Rock" is also the title of a 1996 movie about Alcatraz.

From Quiz Alderson Federal Prison Camp

Answer: Camp Cupcake

It is a Federal Prison Camp and not a walk in the park. Prisoners are treated strictly, but a former inmate had this to say about it: "It looks like a college. There's no bars, no locked doors, no razor wire. If you have to do time, do it at Alderson because it is nice."

From Quiz The Tower of London

Answer: The Water Gate

The name of the Water Gate was changed to the name Traitor's Gate because it was used as the entrance to The Tower for many famous prisoners, who were entered that way for the last time.

From Quiz History of The Tower of London

Answer: 1241

The Tower was strengthened and repaired by both William Rufus and Henry I, but it was during the reigns of Henry III (1216-72) and Edward I (1272-1307) that bastions, towers, gateways, and walls were added. During the reign of Henry III the area enclosed by the outer walls of the fortress buildings extended to more than twelve acres. Further additions to the Tower were added over time until the area enclosed by the outer walls grew to its present eighteen acres. Although the whitewash is gone, the name White Tower still remains.

From Quiz London Prisons: Time for Roll Call!

Answer: St. Paul's Cathedral

Ludgate was one of the gatehouses to the City of London which also served as a prison (thereby creating an extra source of income for the gatehouse keeper). There is a plaque marking the site half way down Ludgate Hill, and directly due east, looming up above you, is St Paul's Cathedral.

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Last Updated Nov 16 2024 5:45 AM

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