The Lorton Reformatory was a prison built for the District of Columbia, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It was operated by the District of Columbia Department of Corrections

District of Columbia Department of Corrections

The District of Columbia Department of Corrections is a correctional agency responsible for the adult jails and other adult correctional institutions in the District of Columbia.-History:...

.
It was opened in 1916 as a facility for more serious offenders in the Lorton Correctional Complex. It is located in nearby Lorton

Lorton, Virginia

Lorton is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population is 27,709 as of the 2008 census estimate.-History:...

 in southern Fairfax County, Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

. In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...

 appointed a special Penal Commission to investigate deplorable conditions of the District of Columbia's jail and workhouse in Washington.