Nevada state prison is a deserted penitentiary in Carson City Nevada. Constructed in 1862, Nevada State Prison operated for one and a half-century before it was closed in 2012. The former prison now lies rotting with no hope of ever being used as a correctional institution soon.

The birth of Nevada State prison

Nevada state prison was built in 1862 as a designated maximum prison of Nevada state. It had a capacity of 800 but over the years it was expanded by the department of correction including an execution chamber within the prison (was the first and only prison with an execution chamber during that time). In 1867 and 1870, a fire outbreak destroyed some sections of the prison prompting the government to rebuild almost the whole prison into a better and more fortified prison. It is also in Nevada where prisoners were used to manufacturing number plates for the state of Nevada until when it was closed and the license was offered to another prison in the state.

Gambling at the prison

The prison management opened a casino for the inmates within the prison called Bullpen when gambling became legal in the state of Nevada. The Bullpen which was constructed with no windows (a simple stoned room from ground to top), employed prisoners to run the activities in their casino. They also introduced a currency for them to use in place of dollars. Carl Hocker closed the bullpen when he was appointed as new warden and replaced gambling with activities such as playing sports and skill development like painting and woodwork.

Execution at the prison

At the time Nevada state prison was the only prison in the whole state with an execution chamber. Although they did not have an official method of conducting executions. At one point they conducted death by shooting and changed to lethal gas. Execution by shooting was inhumane that the warden at the time resigned as he never wanted to be part of it. Only one prisoner was ever executed by shooting. Lethal gas though it was not effective was used in most of the executions until lethal injection was introduced. Four guards also resigned when lethal gas was introduced as a form of execution method in the prison**.**

Benefits of the prison

Over the years the prison ran smoothly with inmates doing productive activities. Inmates who felt like improving their education levels were given the opportunity as the prison offered collegiate courses through collaboration with local colleges. It also offered employment opportunities at the number plate manufacturing factory located within the facility. The prison was the licensed manufacturer of Nevada state number plates from 1920 to 2012.

What remains of the prison?

The prison was closed permanently in 2012 after its debt of 880 million US dollars was too much for the institution to settle. Inmates were transferred to other facilities within the state and the prison was left to decay. The prison buildings still stand strong and are used as tourist attraction sites. Nevada state prison is open to the public to visit anytime.