At the time of closure the Alton prison had a total of two-hundred-fifty-six cells.

Female prisoners endured the same degrading conditions as men while their gender exposed them to added indignities and abuses.

[5] The Alton prison closed again in 1865 and was later demolished; all that remains of the structure is a section of a wall.

[2][5] The prison site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 31, 1974.

[1] It is also part of the Christian Hill Historic District, which was listed on the National Register in 1978.