United States · Elmira
Elmira Prison
Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.
For families
How to send mail, money, and visit Elmira Prison
Step-by-step guidance using the United States system — addresses, money services, visit booking, what to bring on your first visit.
_(14760407854).jpg)
Gallery
From Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA where not otherwise stated).
Photo by Moulton & Larkin, photographer via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Gladstone Collection of African American Photographs via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Jayu from Harrisburg, PA, U.S.A. via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Photo by Moulton & Larkin, photographer via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by SMU Central University Libraries via Wikimedia Commons (No restrictions)
Photo by Internet Archive Book Images via Wikimedia Commons (No restrictions)
Photo by Internet Archive Book Images via Wikimedia Commons (No restrictions)
Photo by Internet Archive Book Images via Wikimedia Commons (No restrictions)
Background
Elmira Prison was originally a barracks for "Camp Rathbun" or "Camp Chemung", a key muster and training point for the Union Army during the American Civil War, between 1861 and 1864. The 30-acre (120,000 m2) site was selected partially due to its proximity to the Erie Railroad and the Northern Central Railway, which crisscrossed in the midst of the city. The Camp fell into disuse as the war progressed, but its "Barracks #3" was converted into a military prison in the summer of 1864. It was the prison holding the largest number of Confederate POWs. Its capacity was 4,000, but it held 12,000 within one month of opening.
Source: Wikipedia article lead, CC-BY-SA.
Capacity
—
Current population
—
Occupancy
—
Year opened
1864
Operational
Figures from official sources · verified 29 May 2026 · methodology
Facility profile
Operator
Union ArmyPopulation held
Mixed/unknown
Opened
1864
Region
Elmira
Security level
—
Death-row facility
No
Conditions
No conditions summary available yet.
Visiting
No visiting information available.
Mailing
No mailing information available.
Practical info
Contact the operator's website for inmate-specific procedures.
Known issues
No major issues documented in our database.
Contact & address
No public contact details available.
Conditions Risk Score
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
Related facilities
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
- Rikers IslandEast Elmhurst, NYMixedLocal jail42% occupancy
- Franklin County Detention FacilitySt. AlbansMaximumCounty jail660% occupancy
- Gallia County JailGallipolisCounty jail336% occupancy
- Noble County JailCaldwellCounty jail542% occupancy
- Woodman State JailGatesvilleMaximumState prison720% occupancy
- Stark County JailToulonCounty jail3446% occupancy
Data completeness
14%How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Wikimedia Foundation
- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation
- Wikidata (Q5366816)
- Wikipedia
- Wikimedia Commons
- See /data-sources for our overall methodology.
Cite this page
Under CC-BY-4.0. Include the URL and access date; the site is a living reference and entries can change.
World Prisons. (2026). Elmira Prison. Retrieved October 23, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/elmira-prison
"Elmira Prison." World Prisons. Accessed October 23, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/elmira-prison.
@misc{worldprisons-elmira-prison,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {Elmira Prison},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/elmira-prison},
urldate = {2026-10-23}
}