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 2200, it is the second largest prison in the state (after Coyote Ridge Corrections Center) and is surrounded by wheat fields.

It is the site of Washington State's death row and where executions are carried out. Methods for execution are lethal injection and hanging.

It is located at 1313 N. 13th Avenue and is commonly known as "the Walls" among inmates of the Washington Department of Corrections. The penitentiary is sometimes known as Concrete Mama, from a book with the same title, by Ethan Hoffman and John McCoy.

The penitentiary was the subject of the song "Walla Walla" by American punk rock band The Offspring.

Notable inmates

• Gary Ridgway, convicted for the Green River killings around the Seattle/Tacoma area.
• 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.^[1]
• 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, WA.
• Lyle Beerbohm, American professional mixed martial artist who spent over a year in Walla Walla for drug related crimes
• Billy Gohl, Union employee who murdered many sailors, Aberdeen, WA.
• Dr. Linda Hazzard, Doctor known for murdering patients through her detox methods, Olalla, Washington.

History

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]

Organization

The penitentiary has four groups:

• camp: short term
• the Low Crime Facility: 30–60 years
• the Medium Crime Facility: 50–life
• the High Crime Facility: life–death row

See also

• Washington State Department of Corrections
• List of law enforcement agencies in Washington
• List of United States state correction agencies
• List of U.S. state prisons

External links

• Profile at Washington Department of Corrections website

References