The Big House (1998)
Season 4
TV-PG
History channel goes inside some of the toughest prisons in America
Where to Watch The Big House (1998) • Season 4
10 Episodes
- Central PrisonE2
Central PrisonCentral Prison in Raleigh, is the first stop for all of North Carolina's male felons with sentences of 20 years or longer. It's also the last stop for men and women sentenced to death. Today, Central is a modern state-of-the-art prison, but it began as a dark dungeon built nearly 120 years ago. - ParchmanE3
ParchmanState Prison, Parchman Mississippi... A land without visible boundries... Originally a slave plantation ruled by the whip... Today its most important crop is neither food or cotton... but prisoners. 75 percent are African-American. During its hundred-thirty year history, Parchman has embodied the traditions and folk wisdom of the American south in a way no other prison ever has. Its legacy includes brutal executions in the State's gas chamber and conjugal visits for the best behaved convicts. A large number of "lifers" have prepared themselves to die here. A few hold out hope of early release. - Maine StateE7
Maine StateThe Maine State Prison in Thomaston was built in 1823 to resemble other "dark and comfortless abodes of guilt and wretchedness" of the day, was closed in February of 2002 after 178 years of housing inmates, and 461 prisoners were moved to a new facility in the neighboring town of Warren. Institution was opened officially in July, 1824 to serve as a penitentiary where convicts were sentenced to hard labor and had always been a maximum security facility for adult felons. Over the years, the prisoners became well known for their woodworking skills, and handmade wood items like ship models have become collectibles. - Colorado StateE9
Colorado StateIt is Colorado's oldest penitentiary, nestled at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Southern Colorado.It can trace its roots back to the days of frontier justice. Welcome to the State Prison in Canon City, Colorado. It's more than just a penitentiary--today, it's a clearing house for most of the convicted male felons in the state. Their ages range from 19 to 66 years old. Their sentences, anything from one year to life in prison. Institution has housed prisoners ranging from cannibal Alfred Packer to a heavyweight boxing contender.
