History: "The Alley"

At the center of each tier in the cellblocks, in between the two ranges of cells, is a door that opened to an area known as “The Alley.” Pictured here is one of the alleys on the East Cell Block. The alley contains all the utilities for the cells. This space made it convenient for maintenance personnel to inspect the utilities and was also used as a method for guards to maintain discipline amongst inmates. For example, guards could walk through the alleys and listen in on inmate conversations, monitoring for any misbehavior. Once during each shift, a guard was required to walk the length of the alley down a narrow catwalk for security purposes.