Serial killer Robert Lee Yates was a young prison guard at the Walla Walla Maximum Security (😵💫) during this era. Irony was that about (?) 2001, he was also a prisoner there.
I knew a guy who was in the book concrete Mama, I don't think he was ever getting out , he was on the old guidelines, I met him because I was there for 7 years, got out in 92, never used drugs or drank again and have lived a good life all the way till 2021.
They had a lot of free roam in there though at that time. Riding motorcycles, family visits all in the yard, open gates, hanging out on the tier etc. Either ran the prison or alot of leeway
@@Kandyray I mostly worked in Medium Security behind the "BAR" units but also went out to Max and Minimum when needed. I remember several black guys who I'd still call friend...they never gave me any guff and we got along fine. Matter of fact I went to Moses Lake and visited one of them after he got out. Boy was he surprised! ;-). Alot of the inmates used nicknames and that's how I remember them. If you can pinpoint the exact years he was there and if he was Max, Medium or Minimum and gave me his name and especially a nickname (if he had one) I'd probably remember him. ;-)
i wish this video would have shown more about the 1970's at WW. I was there from 76-80 in 8 wing. In 76-77 there was a riot, protest about guards abusing inmates. Some climbed to the top of the water tower, shown here, and the whole prison was locked down, National Guard called in to secure prison. All inmates were locked in there 4 man cells for months until prison could be totally searched for contraband and made safe. During that time some prisoners were taken to court for offenses. One of a group of guards called the "GOON Squad', was involved in escorting prisoners to court. He was a young punk who was always giving people a hard time. One of the prisoners that day, packed a zippo liter with match heads, rigged to explode if lit. They left it on a table to be found. This particular disliked guard picked it up and blew up his hand, maybe losing a finger or two. Needless to say his attitude did not get better but he paid the price for being an asshole. The prison was much different and more crowed then. Now it only holds 2430 prisoners from wikipedia. Back then it was closer to 4000 inmates. 8 wings with room for about 240 inmates, 4 in a cell. plus the minimum security bldg, approx. 200, Security secrion(Hole), maybe 20-30? And PC, a blding that held informants, and others that would be in danger if they were in regular population. Not sure how many were in that bldg. It is more secure now, but safer for staff. FYI
I was in 8 wing myself! Its minimum now, I was in A-13 for a couple years. Its a much different place than it used to be, but its still haunted by all those old souls who still wander the tiers. The water tower still stands, and the "big yard" hasn't changed much in the last 40 years.
I worked there as a Rec Supervisor in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Because I treated the inmates like "people" again, I never had trouble with any of them.
The prisoner involved in that cigarette lighter incident was not a saint, was he. I knew that guard who lost his finger…his dad was a successful insurance agent in Walla Walla at the time. The last I knew, “Jim” (the guard) resided in the Spokane Valley during the turn of the millennium.
My brother did time for theft in the 60.s he ran when on honor farm and got extra 6 months over his wife cheating on him. My other brother became a guard there in 80.s Porter.❤ RIP brother's
Is there a way to look through the inmate rooster from '75-89? Before our mother moved us across the country the man that raised us did time. But I cant really find him. Plus I'm technology retarted so trying to find info from then is difficult.
I worked in Medium from 1999-2004. I was a Rec Supervisor with Percival, Munger and Sykes. Remember them? ;-) How about 400 lb Captain Campbell??? No joke....I heard him tell another officer that he weighed 401 pounds. I saw him drop a piece of paper off his desk one day and he was BARELY able to pick it up off the floor....after huffing, puffing and a totally red face. ;-(
I've talked with many inmates and staff from the 1970s (most a long time ago) and it's my understanding that the native Americans were one of the smaller groups. They banded together for mutual protection and were represented on the RGC (Resident Government Council). They were not, however, a dominant group. Power tended to follow control of the drugs (especially heroin). The main groups there were the Lifers (the biggest group - which included some native Americans), the blacks (who controlled the pipeline of heroin into the prison), and the Bikers (who controlled heroin distribution and who were the debt collectors and enforcers).
Native Americans had their own club, along with Bikers, Lifers, the Black Club-these were the main groups. Each with their own leaders who worked with others to keep peace and meet with prison officials when necessary.
Not very many natives there compared to the rest of the inmates, so no. However there was one who worked with me out in Medium Recreation....his nickname was "Bear" and his wife lived right there in Walla Walla near 9th street. I actually bought a guitar from him and picked it up at her place. Bear was a good guy!!
