Episode Transcript
[00:00:24] Speaker A: Hey there, creepy crawlies. And welcome back to Spooky Season of Colorado Crime, where we are currently exploring the eerie, the haunted, and the downright terrifying. Today, we're diving into a place where shadows still linger and the past refuses to stay silent. The infamous Joliet Prison in Illinois.
[00:00:47] Speaker B: Joliet Correctional center, or Joliet prison, opened in 1858. And for more than 150 years, it was home to some of the country's most dangerous criminals.
Al Capone himself is rumored to have spent time here.
But now, long after the prison closed its doors, some say its most infamous inmates have not left.
[00:01:15] Speaker A: This place has a dark, violent history. Riots, murders and executions.
Is it any wonder that those who lived and died here might still be wandering at cell blocks? Ghosts of prisoners, guards, and perhaps something even more sinister are said to haunt the crumbling walls. Today we'll take you inside Joliet Prison, where not everyone gets out.
[00:01:45] Speaker B: Before we dive into the ghost stories, let's talk about prison history. Juliet Prison was one of the largest maximum security prisons in the country when it opened. It was built using limestone from a nearby quarry quarried by the prisoners themselves. Can you imagine? You're in prison, you have to build your own prison.
[00:02:06] Speaker A: I was just thinking that, like, oh, wow, that's like a punishment in and of itself.
[00:02:11] Speaker B: It's like one of those Bugs Bunny cartoons where they're all out smashing up stones, right?
The walls are 25ft high and the cells tiny. We're talking 4 by 7ft. Housing two prisoners at a time.
[00:02:29] Speaker A: The conditions were brutal. Overcrowding was constant, and there were reports of unspeakable violence between inmates.
Executions were a regular occurrence, both by the state and, let's just say, by other means. Joliet was home to some of the toughest and most dangerous criminals in American history. And the violence left its mark on the prison. There were some famous inmates here as well.
One of Joliet's most infamous inmates was Richard Speckled. Speck was convicted of the brutal murders of eight student nurses in Chicago in 1966. Speck's crimes shocked the nation and he spent several years at Joliet before being transferred to other facilities. The notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy, responsible for the murders of 33 young men and boys, spent a short time in Joliet for a different offense before he became infamous for his later crimes.
James Earl Ray, who assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Briefly stayed at Joliet during his criminal career, though he later escaped from another prison before committing the assassination in the early years of the prison's operation, Joliet also housed women. Before the construction of dedicated women's prisons, Female offenders were incarcerated in separate wings or sections of Joliet.
They faced similar brutal conditions, with overcrowding, lack of medical care, and violence being rampant.
[00:04:13] Speaker B: And it wasn't just prisoners who suffered. Guards faced constant danger, Often caught in riots or targeted by angry inmates. In fact, one of the most famous riots in 1917 left four guards dead, and the prison was nearly burned to the ground.
After that, some say, the energy of the place changed, like the walls themselves had absorbed all the rage and death. But it's also been said that the guards inflicted torture on inmates in the early years as well.
[00:04:43] Speaker A: So with all that suffering, it's no surprise that the prison is now considered one of the most haunted locations in Illinois. In its final years, Joliet's conditions became so deplorable that even state officials acknowledged that the prison was no longer safe or humane for its inmates or staff.
The facility's infrastructure deteriorated, with crumbling walls, leaks, broken windows, and outdated plumbing, making it nearly unlivable.
In 2002, the prison was officially closed, Though its dark legacy lingers to this day.
[00:05:25] Speaker B: Can you believe it was open for that long? Till 2002. And then they were finally like, maybe we should close it.
[00:05:31] Speaker A: No, that's a really long time.
[00:05:33] Speaker B: Right? That's. I mean, technically, it's only been closed for over 20 years. 22 years.
[00:05:39] Speaker A: Right.
[00:05:40] Speaker B: All right, let's get to the good stuff. The ghost stories. Juliet is full of them. One of the most famous tales is that of an inmate known only as, quote, old smokey. End quote. He was one of the last prisoners executed in the electric chair at Juliet.
And the legend has it that his ghost still haunts the execution chamber. Visitors have reported seeing a shadowy figure standing in the corner watching them.
[00:06:07] Speaker A: Why do all these ghosts stand in the corner?
[00:06:09] Speaker B: I don't know.
[00:06:09] Speaker A: I think if I ever become a ghost, I'm just going to be in the middle.
[00:06:13] Speaker B: Just standing in the middle.
[00:06:15] Speaker A: Yeah, just like, hey, what's up? You want some coldstone passing by somebody? Me, too. I love cold stone. Hey, Target.
Hello, target shoppers. Today's special is on corn.
That would be me as a ghost.
Even creepier. Some say they hear the faint hum of electricity in the air, like the chair is still waiting for its next victim.
Imagine walking into that room and the lights start flickering. There's no electricity running through that part of the prison anymore. But the lights, they flicker.
[00:06:55] Speaker B: And let's not forget the ghostly Guards. There have been numerous reports of visitors hearing heavy footsteps, as if someone in boots is walking down the cell block. When they look, no one's there. It is said that the spirit of a long dead guard still makes his rounds checking on the inmates even though they've been gone for years.
[00:07:18] Speaker A: That's the other thing. If I become a ghost, you. If I'm gonna be haunting my workplace.
[00:07:25] Speaker B: I would just to be an asshole.
[00:07:28] Speaker A: Yeah, like I don't wanna be sexy.
[00:07:29] Speaker B: And not my current workplace. I would haunt my old workplace. Congratulations, everyone.
[00:07:33] Speaker A: Right, you're welcome.
I got. I'll stop in for a visit.
[00:07:38] Speaker B: But like, I would be funny.
[00:07:39] Speaker A: I don't want to be stuck at work. That's terrible.
[00:07:42] Speaker B: I wouldn't want to be stuck at work either. I wouldn't haunt there. I would probably haunt my family.
[00:07:49] Speaker A: And I think I'd haunt work for a minute.
[00:07:52] Speaker B: Your old work? Our old work.
Me too.
[00:07:56] Speaker A: And then there are the voices. Former guards and paranormal investigators have recorded faint whispers on their devices.
They've asked questions like, who's there? Only to hear a raspy voice respond, get out.
You can't help but wonder who or what is telling you to leave.
[00:08:19] Speaker B: One story that really creeps me out is the solitary confinement wing. That place was known for driving prisoners insane. They were locked in a small windowless cell for weeks, even months and probably years with no human contact. Now, people who go in there claim they feel a crushing sense of dread. Like they're being watched. Some even say they've been touched by unseen hands grabbing at their clothing or pushing them back.
[00:08:50] Speaker A: Yeah, there are stories of people running out of there, unable to shake the feeling that something followed them. And there are plenty of photos people have taken inside the prison where you can see strange figures, figures that weren't there when the photos were taken.
[00:09:09] Speaker B: And last, but certainly not least, the prison's chapel, meant to be a place of solace and redemption, has its own dark energy. Over the years, numerous inmates who were housed near the chapel reported hearing strange noises. And visitors today claim that the area is haunted by restless spirits. People have reported hearing organ music playing faintly, though nor organ remains. And seeing figures dressed in robes, perhaps echoes of long dead priests or spiritual counselors.
The chapel is also known for having sudden, inexplicable draughts and a heavy atmosphere.
[00:09:50] Speaker A: Probably all those Catholic priests.
It's wild to think about how much energy must still be trapped in Joliet. I mean, when you have that much pain and fear concentrated in one place, it's almost like it leaves A dark mark. Do you think the prison is haunted because of the violence? Or do you think some places are just cursed from the beginning?
[00:10:18] Speaker B: It could be both. I've read a lot of these old prisons and asylums were built on land that already had bad energy. There are rumors that Joliet's land was cursed before the prison was even built.
And of course, it just got worse from there.
[00:10:35] Speaker A: And now, with ghost tours and paranormal investigations happening, people are saying that stirring up the energy might be making things worse. They're waking up whatever's there. I've read stories of people who visited Joliet and then had strange experiences, follow them home.
[00:10:55] Speaker B: That's the thing. Sometimes these spirits latch on, right? There are stories of people who felt fine inside the prison, but once they left, they started having nightmares or even seeing shadowy figures in their homes. It's like Juliet didn't want to let them go.
[00:11:11] Speaker A: So is Joliet prison truly haunted? With its dark history, the countless lives lost within its walls, and the restless spirits that seem to linger? I'd say there's more than enough evidence to make you wonder.
[00:11:26] Speaker B: Next time you're in the area visiting me because I live here, maybe you'll take a tour. Or maybe you'll think twice before stepping inside those haunted wells. I know I'm going to go soon. It's actually not that far from where I live.
[00:11:40] Speaker A: But if you do, keep an eye out for the shadows that move in the corners. And listen closely for the footsteps echoing behind you. Because at Joliet, even though the prisoners are gone, not everyone has left.
Thank you for joining us for another spooky episode of Colorado Crime. We'll be back soon with more tales of haunted places, restless spirits, and the mysteries of the supernatural.
[00:12:10] Speaker B: Until next time, podcastians. Sleep well if you can.
Ra.
