In 1929, Al Capone was sentenced to a year in this Philadelphia prison. A life of crime doesn’t seem all that bad.
Featured above is Al Capone ’s prison cell at the now - closed Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . Capone spend nine month of his life there starting in May 1929 , after he was convict of carrying a concealed , lethal weapon .
An August 1929 takings of thePublic Ledgerimplied that Capone received extra status in his oriental rug and armchair - fill cell , but to this day ESP challenges that lay claim . According toESP reportsand news article of the time , Capone was “ concord no more privileges or acknowledgment than any other captive ” and “ had no skilful tail than scores of other men … even cell may be ornament and furnished by the prisoners with the few luxuries obtainable at the prison house store . ”
conceive it or not , those at ESP said that Capone was a “ model con ” who ferment hard at his portion occupation and register a issue of good rule book , including a biography of Napoleon Bonaparte .
Capone made six attempts to exit while at ESP , which challenges the narrative that Capone intentionally had himself arrested in Philadelphia to quash fallback from theSt . Valentine ’s Day Massacrein Chicago . enounce Capone in a 1930 newspaper article , “ If I require to go to jail , I certainly would n’t beak one in Pennsylvania . I would have looked around for one where there were more conveniences . ”
It was also at ESP thatAl Caponedonated $ 1,500 to a fresh children ’s hospital and to the family unit of other inmates . enunciate one anonymous official at the time :
“ Through the prison chaplain he has send money to aid poor families out of doors . One char with eight tiddler who was about to be evict from her plate receive $ 200 . He paid another ’s hospital broadsheet and offer her husband a job ! This was declined with thanks , nobody make love just what the ‘ job ’ would be . ”
Capone ’s motivations for doing things like this are n’t entirely certain , but many would subsequently look to Capone as a innovative - daytime Robin Hood ( after all , hedidstart his own Chicago soup kitchen during the Great Depression ) , which aided in increasing his popularity among those struggling — and stoke their resentment of officials who tried to put Capone back in the slammer .
On March 16 , 1930 , Capone was channelise to Graterford , where he was release a twenty-four hours later . Over the next decade , Capone would be in a near constant state of imprisonment .
