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 132Â years ago in 1886, three years before statehood.
It is the site of Washington State's death row and where executions are carried out. Methods for execution are lethal injection and hanging. However, Governor Jay Inslee has put a hold on executions while he is in office.
Located at 1313 N. 13th Avenue, it is commonly known as "the Walls" among inmates and "The Hill" 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.
Notable inmates
Walla Walla Washington State Penitentiary Prison Riot - The surveillance video reveals a prison riot that sent four officers and one inmate to the hospital on Feb. 4, 2012. The incident happened at the Washington State ...
- Kenneth Bianchi, the Hillside Strangler.
- David Lewis Rice, convicted mass murderer.
- Terapon "Lee" Adhahn, convicted rapist of several children and rapist and murderer of a child in Tacoma, Washington.
- Colton Harris-Moore, Famous thief, known as the "Barefoot Bandit," responsible for over 100 robberies and break ins.
- Robert Lee Yates, American serial killer from Spokane, currently on death row.
- Lyle Beerbohm, American professional mixed martial artist who spent over a year in Walla Walla for drug related crimes
- Little Willie John, R&B singer who was sentenced to 8-20 years for manslaughter, died at Walla Walla on May 26, 1968.
- Billy Gohl, Union employee who murdered many sailors, Aberdeen.
- Dr. Linda Hazzard, Doctor known for murdering patients through her detox methods, Olalla, Washington.
- Kevin Coe, convicted rapist from Spokane, often referred to in the news media as the "South Hill Rapist."
- Gary Ridgway, convicted serial killer in south King County, referred to in the news media as the "Green River Killer."
- Jack Owen Spillman, American serial killer from Spokane. Known as the "Werewolf Butcher"
- Henri Young, convicted bank robber and cause célèbre.
History
Washington State Penitentiary opened 132Â years ago in 1886, making it the oldest operational prison in Washington state. 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.
Organization
The penitentiary has four groups:
- camp: short term
- the Low Crime Facility: 30â€"60 years
- the Medium Crime Facility: 50â€"life
- the High Crime Facility: lifeâ€"death row
See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in Washington
- List of United States state correction agencies
- List of U.S. state prisons
- List of Washington state prisons
References
External links
- Profile at Washington Department of Corrections website
- Washington State Penitentiary collection at the Whitman College and Northwest Archives, Whitman College.
