Washington State Penitentiary

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 second largest prison in the state (after Coyote Ridge Corrections Center) and is surrounded by wheat fields. It opened 135 years ago in 1886, three years before statehood.

Not to be confused with Washington State Prison, in Georgia.

Washington State Penitentiary (WSP)
Location in Washington
LocationWalla Walla
Coordinates46°4′41″N 118°21′32″W
StatusOperational
Security classMinimum, Medium, Close, Maximum
Capacity2,439
Opened1886
Managed byWashington State Department of Corrections
WardenDonald Holbrook, Superintendent
Street address1313 North 13th Ave.
CityWalla Walla
CountyWalla Walla County
State/provinceWashington
ZIP Code99362
CountryUnited States
Websitewww.doc.wa.gov/corrections/incarceration/prisons/wsp.htm

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 Penn" 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 opened in 1886, making it the oldest operational prison in Washington state and among the oldest operational prisons in the US.[1] 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.[2][3]

Notable prisoners

Executed

Organization

The penitentiary has five groups:

  • Camp/Minimum: 1-4 Years
  • Protective Custody & Mental Health: 1 Year- Life
  • Medium: 1 Year- Life
  • Close: 1 Year- Life
  • Maximum/Segregation: 1 Year- Life
  • "Walla Walla" is the eighth song on The Offspring's 1998 album, Americana. The song is an ode to a friend who, after countless times getting off with a "slap on the wrist", has been sentenced to serve "three to five" years at Walla Walla.
  • The prison was used for the filming of a scene in the Swedish movie Dancer in the Dark.[11]

See also

References
  1. http://www.doc.wa.gov/facilities/prison/wsp/
  2. Campylobacter Outbreak - Washington State Penitentiary
  3. "Food issues run deep at Washington State Penitentiary".
  4. Bryan, Zachariah (2020-08-16). "Wrongful death suit over Mukilteo triple-murder is settled". HeraldNet.com. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
  5. Seattle cop killer Christopher Monfort died of drug overdose | The Seattle Times
  6. "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.
  7. "Little Willie John". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2016-12-18.
  8. Johnson, Gary. "Michigan Rock and Roll Legends - LITTLE WILLIE JOHN". www.michiganrockandrolllegends.com. Retrieved 2016-12-18.
  9. CrimeLibrary.com/Serial Killers/Sexual Predators/Robert Lee Yates Jr.: The Search for the Spokane Serial Killer
  10. http://www.courts.wa.gov/content/Briefs/A02/378931%20reply.pdf
  11. "Dancer in the Dark filming locations — MovieMaps".

Further reading
  • Murray, Christopher (2016). Unusual Punishment: Inside the Walla Walla Prison 1970-1985. Washington State University Press. ISBN 978-0-87422-339-2.
  • McCoy, John (1986). Concrete Mama: Prison Profiles from Walla Walla (1st ed.). University of Missouri Press. ISBN 978-0-8262-0604-6.
  • Longworth, Arthur (2016). Zek: An American Prison Story (1st ed.). Gabalfa Press. ISBN 978-0-9970-2990-1.
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