Michigan’s Jackson prison complex: What’s changed over 100 years

Jack Kevorkian, Ronald Flohrer, and John Norman Collins, just a few of the thousands of names that have passed through the Michigan State Prison in Jackson. And guess what? As that facility turns 100 years old, a lot of attention is turning to the storied history and what happened in those walls. Fox 2's Scott Wolchak takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of some of the prison's oldest buildings. A hundred years ago this was the entrance to the state prison here in Jackson. You can see all these bars. These ones are twisted made here in the prison and this is a little hallway that It's pretty much original. This is how it used to go with inmates and civilians all coming through this entrance. A hundred years of history here at the prison. For a prison to still be standing after a hundred years, I think, is... A feat. Particularly the Jackson area started much around industry, supporting some small industry trades, where now the focus is much more on rehabilitation of the offenders under our care and custody. We're entering cell block seven. Now, nobody who's incarcerated is in here anymore, but this was originally where reception was at the prison. Much of this is original. Maybe some of it's been updated through the years, but basically, if you were entering They'd take off your restraints and you'd have to wait here to get through reception and then on to serve your sentence. Today's world is much different. The intake process, all-encompassing. So we receive the prisoners from the county jails. Certainly the comprehensive review of that prisoner's needs, whether that be educational, programming, health care, mental health needs. I'm going to give you a little tour of one of these cells here. Seven, you can see you got a nice locker, a bed with some blankies, a chair, and a toilet. Not much privacy, though. With 500 prisoners in here, this would have been pretty loud. It was quite a place to be. Full of 500 souls. At chow times, at yard times, there was so much movement that it was kind of a dangerous place. Modern prisons are very different than what we're looking at right now. Now we're here at Parnell Correctional Facility, and you can see this is some of the original 100-year-old wall. Where does this lead to? Well, it's actually leading to the vocational village, which is a trade program where people who are serving time can learn some trades and get certified. Prisoners are selected, placed in those programs, maximum engagement in programs that are relevant so that they can be successful upon release. Scott Wolchek, Fox 2 News.