Washington State Penitentiary

Last updated
Washington State Penitentiary (WSP)
USA Washington location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in Washington
Location Walla Walla
Coordinates 46°4′41″N118°21′32″W / 46.07806°N 118.35889°W / 46.07806; -118.35889
StatusOperational
Security classMinimum, Medium, Close, Maximum
Capacity2,439
Opened1886
Managed by Washington State Department of Corrections
Warden Rob Jackson, Superintendent
Street address1313 North 13th Ave.
City Walla Walla
County Walla Walla County
State/province Washington
ZIP Code99362
CountryUnited States
Website www.doc.wa.gov/corrections/incarceration/prisons/wsp.htm

Washington State Penitentiary (also called the Walla Walla State Penitentiary) is a Washington State Department of Corrections men's prison located in Walla Walla, Washington. With an operating capacity of 2,200, it is the largest prison in the state and is surrounded by wheat fields. It opened in 1886, three years before statehood.

Contents

It was the site of Washington State's death row and where executions were carried out, until the Washington Supreme Court ruled the state's death penalty statute unconstitutional on October 11, 2018, thereby abolishing capital punishment in the state. Methods for execution were lethal injection and hanging.

Located at 1313 N. 13th Avenue, it is commonly known as "the Walls" among inmates and "The Pen" to the locals. The penitentiary is sometimes known as "Concrete Mama", from a book with the same title by Ethan Hoffman and John McCoy. Elsewhere within Washington, and also to an extent in the surrounding states, the name Walla Walla is a metonym for the penitentiary. The penitentiary was the subject of the song "Walla Walla" by American punk rock band The Offspring.

History

Washington State Penitentiary is the oldest operational prison in Washington state and among the oldest operational prisons in the US. [1]

During the 1880s, Washington's territorial legislature sought to build a state prison to satisfy a requirement for eventual statehood. [2] The territory's prison at the time, the privately-owned Seatco Prison, had "poor living conditions" and was nicknamed "The Seatco Dungeon" and "Hell on Earth". Its inmates performed penal labor and manufactured goods while being denied visitation rights and access to clergy. [2] [3] Walla Walla's city government began lobbying for a territory-funded institution, and after Levi Ankeny, a local wealthy business man, donated 160-acres for the site in 1886, the legislators approved the Washington Territorial Prison. [2] [4] On May 11, 1887, the first 10 prisoners arrived from Seatco. [5] [2]

Guards were placed on the facility's walls after two prisoners escaped shortly after it was opened, on July 4, 1887. They only made it a few miles before being recaptured. [5] There have been several more escapes since, including a seized supply train in 1891, a riot that left nine dead in 1934, [6] 10 who tunneled under the wall in 1955, [7] and John Allen Lamb, who sawed his way out in 1997. [8]

In 1887, the facility had its first incarcerated woman, a housewife who had committed grand larceny, but there were no accommodations suitable for a woman. [2] The prison later converted the hospital quarters to accommodate four women, and later built a separate facility. [9] The remaining Seatco inmates were transferred in 1888, and the facility was shut down, and the town changed its name to "Bucoda". When Washington became a state in 1889, the facility officially became the Washington State Penitentiary, but inmates nicknamed it "The Hill", "The Joint", "The Walls", and "The Pen". [2] The first execution was carried out in 1906, [10] and the final in 2010 of Cal Coburn Brown. [11] Capital punishment in Washington became illegal in 2018. [12] The most notable inmate at Walla Walla is Gary Ridgway, a serial killer known as the "Green River killer," who pleaded guilty in 2003 to the murders of 48 women to avoid the death penalty. [13] He was still incarcerated there as of December 2023. [14]

Over a one-year period, starting in March 2002, more than one hundred inmates and staff at the Washington State Penitentiary were infected with Campylobacter jejuni . During this period, five clusters of the infection were identified, and genetic testing indicated that all of the bacteria were indistinguishable from each other. The source of this outbreak is not known, but contamination via pigeon feces, as well as unsafe food handling procedures, were examined. [15] [16] [ clarification needed ]

In June 2021, dozens of inmates were subjected to extreme heat when the air conditioning stopped working in the solitary confinement unit. Temperatures rose to over 116 °F (47 °C) in the area surrounding the prison. [17] [18]

Notable prisoners

Inmate nameRegister numberStatusDetails
Gary Ridgway 866218Serving 49 life sentences without the possibility of parole.Serial killer known as the "Green River Killer" who was convicted in 2003 of 48 murders he did between 1982 and 1998. [19] [20] [21] In 2011, he pleaded guilty to a 49th murder. [22]
Jack Owen Spillman 938784Serving a life sentence with paroleSerial killer who murdered three people in 1994–1995. [23]
Joseph McEnroe384102Serving a life sentence.A perpetrator of the 2007 Carnation murders in which McEnroe assisted his girlfriend, Michele Kristen Anderson, in killing six of her family members. [24] [25] [26]
Robert Lee Yates 817529Serving two life sentences and an additional 408 years.Serial killer who was convicted in 2000 of murdering 13 people. [27] In 2002, he was sentenced to death for 2 additional murders. [28]
Naveed Afzal Haq337762Serving a life sentence without parole.Perpetrator of the 2006 Seattle Jewish Federation shooting in which he murdered Pamela Waechter and injured five others. [29] [30] The first legal proceedings ended with a mistrial, before he was sentenced for his crimes. [31] [32]
Robert Douglas Hitt840918Serving a life sentence. [33] Convicted on kidnapping and burglary charges after breaking into a home of 7 people. [34] [35] [36] [37]

Executed

Organization

The penitentiary has five custody levels:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Quentin Rehabilitation Center</span> Mens prison in California, US

San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQ), formerly known as San Quentin State Prison, is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated place of San Quentin in Marin County.

Florida State Prison (FSP), otherwise known as Raiford Prison, is a correctional institution located in unincorporated Bradford County, Florida, with a Raiford postal address. It was formerly known as the "Florida State Prison-East Unit" as it was originally part of Florida State Prison near Raiford. The facility, a part of the Florida Department of Corrections, is located on State Road 16 right across the border from Union County. The institution opened in 1961, even though construction was not completed until 1968. With a maximum population of over 1,400 inmates, FSP is one of the largest prisons in the state. FSP houses Florida's one of two male death row cell blocks and the State of Florida execution chamber. Union Correctional Institution also houses male death row inmates while Lowell Annex houses female death row inmates.

Green Haven Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison in New York, United States. The prison is located in the Town of Beekman in Dutchess County. The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision lists the address as Route 216, Stormville, New York 12582. This prison housed New York's execution chamber during the time the state briefly had the death penalty in the post-Furman era. It was originally a federal prison and now houses maximum security inmates. Green Haven Correctional Facility also operated a Hot Kosher Foods Program; but no longer does as of 2020. However, because of this, the prison had a large Jewish population. Yale Law School operates the Green Haven Prison Project, a series of seminars among Yale law students and Green Haven inmates on law and policy issues concerning prisons and criminal law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Jersey State Prison</span> State prison for men in Trenton, New Jersey

The New Jersey State Prison (NJSP), formerly known as Trenton State Prison, is a state men's prison in Trenton, New Jersey operated by the New Jersey Department of Corrections. It is the oldest prison in New Jersey and one of the oldest correctional facilities in the United States. It is the state's only completely maximum security institution, housing the most difficult and/or dangerous male offenders in the inmate population. NJSP operates two security units and provides a high level of custodial supervision and control. Professional treatment services, such as education and social work, are a priority at the facility. The Bureau of State Use Industries operated the bedding and clothing shops that were once located in Shop Hall at the facility. These industries have been relocated to South Woods State Prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Lee Yates</span> American serial killer

Robert Lee Yates Jr., also known as the Grocery Bag Killer, is an American serial killer from Spokane, Washington. From 1975 to 1998, he is known to have murdered at least 11 women in Spokane. He also confessed to two murders committed in Walla Walla in 1975 and a 1988 murder committed in Skagit County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greensville Correctional Center</span> State prison in Greensville County, Virginia

Greensville Correctional Center is a prison facility located in unincorporated Greensville County, Virginia, near Jarratt. The prison, on a 1,105-acre (447 ha) plot of land, is operated by the Virginia Department of Corrections. Greensville houses the execution chamber that was used to carry out capital punishment by the Commonwealth of Virginia until the death penalty in Virginia was abolished in 2021.

The Riverbend Maximum Security Institution (RMSI) is a prison in Nashville, Tennessee, operated by the Tennessee Department of Correction. The prison opened in 1989 and replaced its 100-year-old neighbor, the Tennessee State Penitentiary. RMSI, which is made up by 20 different buildings, sits on 132 acres (0.53 km2) located off Cockrill Bend Boulevard in Nashville. Riverbend's designated capacity is 714 offenders. Of that number, 480 are classified as high risk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potosi Correctional Center</span> Maximum security prison located in Missouri, US

Potosi Correctional Center (PCC) is a Missouri Department of Corrections prison located in unincorporated Washington County, Missouri, near Mineral Point. The facility currently houses 800 death row, maximum security and high-risk male inmates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stateville Correctional Center</span> Maximum security prison near Joliet, IL

Stateville Correctional Center (SCC) is a maximum security state prison for men in Crest Hill, Illinois, United States, near Chicago. It is a part of the Illinois Department of Corrections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Coleman</span> High-security United States federal prison in Florida

The United States Penitentiary, Coleman I and II are high-security United States federal prisons for male inmates in Florida. It is part of the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. USP Coleman I was opened in 2001, and in 2004 Clark Construction completed a 555,000-square-foot (51,600 m2) additional component for USP Coleman II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma State Penitentiary</span> Prison in McAlester, Oklahoma, U.S

The Oklahoma State Penitentiary, nicknamed "Big Mac", is a prison of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections located in McAlester, Oklahoma, on 1,556 acres (6.30 km2). Opened in 1908 with 50 inmates in makeshift facilities, today the prison holds more than 750 male offenders, the vast majority of which are maximum-security inmates. They also hold many death row prisoners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Correctional Institution – Rockview</span>

The State Correctional Institution – Rockview is a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections prison located in Centre County, Pennsylvania, 5 miles (8.0 km) away from Bellefonte. The facility is mostly in Benner Township, while a portion of the prison grounds extends into College Township.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mule Creek State Prison</span> California State Prison for men

Mule Creek State Prison (MCSP) is a California State Prison for men. It was opened in June 1987, and covers 866 acres (350 ha) located in Ione, California. The prison has a staff of 1,242 and an annual operating budget of $157 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ripper Crew</span> American cult and organized crime group

The Ripper Crew or the Chicago Rippers was an organized crime group of serial killers, cannibals, rapists, and necrophiles. The group was composed of Robin Gecht and three associates: Edward Spreitzer, and brothers Andrew and Thomas Kokoraleis. They were suspected in the murders of 17 women in Illinois in 1981 and 1982, as well as the unrelated fatal shooting of a man in a random drive-by shooting. According to one of the detectives who investigated the case, Gecht "made Manson look like a Boy Scout."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison</span> Mens prison in Georgia, United States

Opened in 1969, Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison (GDCP) is a Georgia Department of Corrections prison for men in unincorporated Butts County, Georgia, near Jackson. The prison holds the state execution chamber. The execution equipment was moved to the prison in June 1980, with the first execution in the facility occurring on December 15, 1983. The prison houses the male death row, while female death row inmates reside in Arrendale State Prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Correctional Institution</span> State prison in Union County, Florida

The Union Correctional Institution, formerly referred to as Florida State Prison, and also commonly known as Raiford Prison is a Florida Department of Corrections state prison located in unincorporated Union County, Florida, near Raiford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Dakota State Penitentiary</span>

The South Dakota State Penitentiary is a state prison located in South Dakota's largest city, Sioux Falls. The building's industry shop makes several things for the state, including woodwork and license plates. The State Penitentiary also houses South Dakota's death row for men and the state's execution chamber.

Colorado State Penitentiary is a Level V maximum security prison in the U.S. state of Colorado. The facility is part of the state's East Cañon Complex, together with six other state correctional facilities of various security levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Dolphin Prison</span> Correctional facility in Russia

Federal Governmental Institution — Penal Colony No. 6 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in Orenburg Oblast, commonly known as the Black Dolphin Prison and formerly known as NKVD Prison No. 2 is a correctional facility in Sol-Iletsk, Orenburg Oblast, Russia, near its border with Kazakhstan. The prison is one of the oldest in Russia, and one of the first in the Orenburg Oblast to accept prisoners with life sentences. It gets its unofficial name from a prisoner-constructed sculpture depicting a black dolphin, which is set in front of the main entrance.

References

  1. ↑ "Washington State Penitentiary". Archived from the original on 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Freeman, Bob (7 February 2021). "A few memorable tales of the history of the Washington State Penitentiary". Walla Walla Union-Bulletin . Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  3. ↑ Plog, Kari (2019-01-22). "Hell on Earth: A forgotten prison that predates McNeil Island". KNKX . Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  4. 1 2 Wilma, David (February 6, 2003). "First convicts occupy penitentiary at Walla Walla on May 11, 1887". HistoryLink . Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  5. ↑ Gibson, Elizabeth (April 26, 2009). "Nine die in escape attempt at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla on February 12, 1934". HistoryLink . Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  6. ↑ "10 CONVICTS FLEE PRISON BY TUNNEL; Felons in Washington State Escape Through Thirty-Foot Passage Dug Under Wall". The New York Times . 1955-11-04. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  7. ↑ Shapiro, Nina (2017-06-12). "5 of the most daring Washington state inmate escapes". The Seattle Times . Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  8. ↑ Stammen, Emma (2020-01-01). "Benevolent Feminism and the Gendering of Criminality: Historical and Ideological Constructions of US Women's Prisons". Scripps Senior Theses.
  9. ↑ Wilma, David (June 13, 2003). "State of Washington carries out its first execution on May 6, 1904". HistoryLink . Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  10. ↑ Sullivan, Jennifer (2010-09-10). "Killer on death row 16½ years is executed". The Seattle Times . Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  11. ↑ Johnson, Kirk (11 October 2018). "Washington State Supreme Court Deems Death Penalty Unconstitutional". The New York Times . Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  12. ↑ Kershaw, Sarah (2003-11-06). "In Plea Deal That Spares His Life, Man Admits Killing 48 Women". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  13. ↑ Ponti, Crystal (November 21, 2021). "What Is Gary Ridgway's Life Like In Prison Today?". A&E. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  14. ↑ Campylobacter Outbreak - Washington State Penitentiary
  15. ↑ "Food issues run deep at Washington State Penitentiary". 22 April 2018.
  16. ↑ Sax, Sarah. "Imprisoned in a sauna with no exit". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  17. ↑ "When the heat is unbearable but there's nowhere to go". www.hcn.org. 2022-06-01. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  18. ↑ "Green River Suspect Atypical Serial Killer". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  19. ↑ "Green River Killer Gets Life - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2003-12-18. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  20. ↑ "Green River killer pleads guilty to 48 murders". The Michigan Daily. 2003-11-06. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  21. ↑ "'Green River Killer' pleads guilty to 49th murder". NBC News. 2011-02-18. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  22. ↑ "Life Sentence In Rape, Murder | The Seattle Times". archive.seattletimes.com. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  23. ↑ "Two arrested in deaths of six in rural Washington". CTVNews. 2007-12-27. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  24. ↑ "Seattle man convicted for killing six on Christmas Eve". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  25. ↑ "Man Convicted in Family Massacre Spared Death Penalty". NBC News. 2015-05-14. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  26. ↑ "Serial Killer Sentenced - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2000-10-16. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  27. ↑ "Jury finds Yates guilty of aggravated murder". Arizona Daily Sun. 2002-09-19. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  28. ↑ "1 Shot, Many Wounded At Jewish Center - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2006-07-29. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  29. ↑ "Seattle shooting suspect grew distant from kin". NBC News. 2006-07-31. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  30. ↑ "Mistrial in Jewish center killing | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  31. ↑ Sullivan, Jennifer (2010-01-15). "Seattle Jewish center shooter gets life sentence". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  32. ↑ "Man sentenced to life in U-District home invasion". KIRO 7 News Seattle. 2013-04-20. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  33. ↑ "Robert Douglas Hitt convicted in Seattle home invasion, kidnapping - UPI.com". UPI. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  34. ↑ "UW Student Home Invasion 911 Calls Show Terror". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  35. ↑ "Rapist convicted of breaking into Seattle home, threatening 6 women". oregonlive. 2013-03-14. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  36. ↑ "Life sentence for sex offender who menaced U District women with knife". The Seattle Times. 2013-04-19. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  37. ↑ Bryan, Zachariah (2020-08-16). "Wrongful death suit over Mukilteo triple-murder is settled". HeraldNet.com. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
  38. ↑ Seattle cop killer Christopher Monfort died of drug overdose | The Seattle Times
  39. ↑ "Little Willie John is arrested for murder after performing at Seattle's Magic Inn on October 17, 1964. - HistoryLink.org". www.historylink.org. Retrieved 2016-12-18.
  40. ↑ "Little Willie John". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2016-12-18.
  41. ↑ Johnson, Gary. "Michigan Rock and Roll Legends - LITTLE WILLIE JOHN". www.michiganrockandrolllegends.com. Retrieved 2016-12-18.
  42. ↑ CrimeLibrary.com/Serial Killers/Sexual Predators/Robert Lee Yates Jr.: The Search for the Spokane Serial Killer
  43. ↑ "State of Washington v. TERAPON DANG ADHAHN" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  44. ↑ "Dancer in the Dark filming locations — MovieMaps".

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.