“The present day Pendleton Correctional Facility can trace its origin to the banks of the Ohio River in Jeffersonville, Indiana. The first Indiana State Prison was constructed in Jeffersonville in 1821. In 1861, the facility at Michigan City was established and Jeffersonville became known as the Indiana State Prison South and the institution at Michigan City was designated as the Indiana State Prison North. The housing of offenders was primarily determined by the geographical location of the sentencing court whereby the old National Road (U.S. 40) was established as the dividing line.
In 1897, as a result of the penological reform movement prevalent at that time, the Jeffersonville facility was designated as the Indiana Reformatory.”
IN.gov
IDOC: Facility History
Indiana Infamy 