How Early Prisoners Were Held and Guarded

Mamie Jones wrote that early jails were crudely built, often of logs or rough planks, and were poorly secured. Locks were weak, construction was careless, and jailers had little help. Prisoners were often held only briefly, awaiting court, and escapes were common enough that they did not always cause surprise. When escapes occurred, the fault was usually laid on the condition of the jail, not on negligence or violence.

Source: Mamie Jones.