Chicago House of Corrections Also known as: The Bridewell

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Mentioned in (6)
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Chicago Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Houses, "Newsboy Conditions in Chicago," 1903

Charity and Social Justice, May 19, 1910

Charity and Social Justice, May 19, 1910

Charity and Social Justice, June 11, 1910

Jane Addams to Roger Nash Baldwin, June 11, 1918

What Prohibition Has Done for Disadvantaged Communities, May 1932

Comments

Founding Date

1871

Ending Date

1969

Description

The Chicago House of Corrections was built in 1871, replacing an older building at 26th and Californa replacing the city's "Bridewell". In 1928, the city built the Cook County Jail, which performed many of the same duties as the House of Corrections, and the following year the city completed the adjoining Criminal Courthouse.

The Chicago House of Corrections was built mainly to house petty criminals pending the outcome of their trials. When it opened, only 7% of the prison's population was sentenced to a long-term stay. By the end of the 1950s, however, over half of the jail's prisoners were sentenced to a stay of five years or longer, over crowding the County Jail and the House of Corrections. Conditions in these two facilities deteriorated as inmate populations began to rise above capacity.

In 1969, the City created the Cook County Department of Corrections, combining the Cook County Jail and the Chiago House of Corrections. Although they had been run separately for 40 years, the two buildings continue to perform roughly the same tasks.

Collection

Organizations

Map

Edited By

Sciancalepore, Victoria

Rights

Rightsholder being researched

Bibliography and Links

26th and California, Calumet 412

Cook County Jail History, Cook County Sheriff's Office

The House of Correction of the City of Chicago: a retrospect covering a half century of endeavor from the founding of the institution to the present time, 1871-1921; by Claussenius, G. A, 1922

Citation

“Chicago House of Corrections,” Jane Addams Digital Edition, accessed August 5, 2025, https://digital.janeaddams.ramapo.edu/items/show/309.