Arkham Asylum

{{DC Database:Location Template
 * Image                  = Arkham 02.jpg
 * OfficialName           = Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane
 * Aliases                = Arkham; Arkham Hospital; Arkham Sanitarium; Mercey Mansion


 * Universe               = Earth-One; New Earth; Arkhamverse
 * Galaxy                 = Milky Way
 * StarSystem             = Sol
 * Planet                 = Earth
 * Country                = United States
 * City                   =
 * State                  = New Jersey
 * Province               =
 * Locale                 = Gotham County
 * Creators               = Denny O'Neil
 * Dimensions             =
 * Population             =
 * First                  = Batman #258


 * Quotation              = Arkham Asylum is not just any institution for the criminally insane. It's the Ivy League of insanity. A "Harvard" for Psychopaths. Anything not described on the new inventory is contraband. Do not bring these items inside, no matter how small or commonplace they may appear. Bits and pieces do not fall through the cracks here. They fall into the hands of the best, the brightest and the sickest.
 * Speaker                = Jeremiah Arkham
 * QuoteSource            = Arkham Asylum: Living Hell Vol 1 2

Arkham Asylum is located on the outskirts of Gotham City, and is where those of Batman's foes considered to be legally insane are incarcerated (other foes are incarcerated at Blackgate Penitentiary). Although it has had numerous administrators, its current head is Jeremiah Arkham. The Asylum does not have a good record, at least with regard to the high profile cases; escapes are frequent (on at least one occasion, an obsessive-compulsive multiple murderer was signed out of Arkham into the care of an incompetent, alcoholic vagrant, on the grounds that he "looked like a responsible citizen"), and those who are 'cured' and released tend to re-offend. Furthermore, several staff members, including at least one director, have ended up as residents, notably Dr. Jeremiah Arkham, Dr. Harleen Quinzel, Lyle Bolton and even the founder Dr. Amadeus Arkham and, in some incarnations, Doctors, Jonathan Crane and Hugo Strange.
 * HistoryText            =

Originally known as Mercey Mansion, the hospital was run by Amadeus Arkham. Arkham himself was slowly driven insane shortly following the grisly murder of his wife and child by a lunatic named Martin "Mad Dog" Hawkins. Dying inside his own hospital, custodianship of Arkham Asylum was passed down to his nephew, Jeremiah.

Jermiah Arkham took a hardline approach towards the care of his patients. He completely renovated the interior of the hospital, tearing away the old Victorian-style architecture, replacing it with newly designed interconnecting corridors patterned in the style of old classical labyrinths. With little regard for the hospital's dark history, Jeremiah was certain to destroy old remnants of the old asylum, including his uncle's private journal. Arkham hired Hiram Contractors to handle the renovations. What Jeremiah didn't realize however was that the company foreman, Zolly Hiram, had been blackmailed by patient Victor Zsasz into building  a secret corridor that connected to several padded rooms, including his own. This later enabled Zsasz to affect a temporary escape from the asylum.



Years ago, the original Arkham Asylum suffered massive structural damage when the criminal Bane orchestrated a large-scale break-out, setting dozens of patients free. As a result, Jeremiah Arkham was forced to close its doors and relocate. He established a new Arkham Asylum at the site of the abandoned estate of Eric Mercey on Mercey Island.

Security
Jeremiah Arkham installed the most state-of-the-art security measures when he took control of the asylum. Video recorders were installed in every room and corridor with two guards stationed on every level twenty-four hours a day to discourage bribery. Even Arkham himself was required to present identification to access various levels of the hospital. All exterior windows at Arkham were installed with heat detectors and microwave motion detectors. Magnetic foils in the walls were used to block radio waves from penetrating locked cells. Although security protocols were highly efficient, they were not foolproof. Within weeks of the renovations both Mister Zsasz and Batman succeeded in breaking out of the asylum. Additionally, Batman's former partner, Nightwing even succeeded in breaking into Arkham.

Although nobody actually lives in Arkham permanently, it being an asylum, it has an infamous list of frequent residents. It's most notorious inmates throughout the years include:
 * PointsOfInterest       =
 * Residents              =
 * Abattoir
 * Alberto Falcone
 * Amadeus Arkham
 * Amygdala
 * Black Mask
 * Blockbuster
 * Calendar Man
 * Cavalier
 * Charlatan
 * Clayface
 * Cornelius Stirk
 * Crazy Quilt
 * Dancer
 * Deadshot
 * Death Rattle
 * Doctor Destiny
 * Doctor Double X
 * Doctor Phosphorus
 * Doodlebug
 * Egghead
 * Film Freak
 * Firefly
 * Harley Quinn
 * Hugo Strange
 * Humpty Dumpty
 * Hush
 * Jane Doe
 * Jason Woodrue
 * Jean Loring
 * Joker
 * Killer Croc
 * Killer Moth
 * Kobra
 * Lock-Up
 * Mad Hatter
 * Magpie
 * Maxie Zeus
 * Mister Freeze
 * Poison Ivy
 * Professor Milo
 * Psycho-Pirate
 * Riddler
 * Scarecrow
 * Solomon Grundy
 * Tweedledum and Tweedledee
 * Two-Face
 * Ventriloquist
 * Great White Shark
 * Mister Zsasz
 * No-Face
 * Everard Mallitt
 * Employees:
 * Aaron Cash Head of Security
 * Alyce Sinner Director
 * Jeremiah Arkaham former Director


 * Notes                  =
 * The first appearance of Arkham Asylum is often mis-credited as . This was actually the first issue where it was referred to as Arkham Asylum. In previous appearances, it was known as Arkham Hospital.
 * According to Bob Rozakis:
 * Actually, Denny O'Neil introduced the asylum in 1974's BATMAN #258, which established the Joker and Two-Face as residents. Here and in #260, it was referred to as Arkham Hospital, "a polite name for an asylum which houses the criminally insane." These early stories also placed the building in Arkham, New England, not Gotham. City.


 * The Name is based on the imaginary City of Arkham, Massachussettes from the Stories of Howard Philips Lovecraft


 * Trivia                 =
 * CustomSection1         = Recommended Reading
 * CustomText1            =
 * Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
 * Batman: Knightfall
 * Batman: The Last Arkham
 * Arkham Asylum: Living Hell
 * The Joker's Asylum

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 * Links                  =
 * Arkham Asylum at Wikipedia
 * Arkham Asylum article by Bob Rozakis