Leavenworth, U.S. Penitentiary

The Wall

The prison walls are 35 feet high and extend 35 feet into the ground to prevent tunneling. They are 12 feet wide and protected by six gun towers, electric wire, and razor wire fences (a continuous stainless steel ribbon of razor blade). The stone walls are colored purple with day-glow paint that is reported to cover the clothes of escaping prisoners. The penitentiary is constructed of stone, concrete, and steel. For those men living inside these walls, there is no view of grass or trees. The sun rises late in the morning and sets early in the evening behind the walls.

Cellblocks

This penitentiary can hold as many as 2,000 prisoners in four cell houses (A, B, C, D), each of which [Page 539]consists of five tiers stacked to a 150-foot-high ceiling. A fifth is dedicated to detainees, who are mostly Cubans held on immigration laws. A sixth is the Special Housing Unit (SHU) that confines prisoners for administrative detention and disciplinary segregation. This is also referred to as the “hole.” Leavenworth has no air-conditioning in the cell-blocks. The cell houses are also freezing cold in winter, with ice on the floor and walls.

The Convicts

Leavenworth is a “mainline” maximum-security penitentiary that houses older prisoners (at least 26 years old) serving long sentences. The official rated capacity is approximately 1,200 convicts, with the daily count usually exceeding this by at least 50%. The prison population is diverse, including mafia gangsters, drug cartel soldiers, bikers, “hit men,” political prisoners, and career criminals. Perhaps as a result, Leavenworth is known for the advanced training in criminal occupations that is available from old cons, including bank robbery, securities fraud, and counterfeiting currency.

History

Leavenworth was the first federal penitentiary. Construction began in 1895, when military prisoners were marched two and one-half miles from Fort Leavenworth to the site. The first prisoners occupied the prison in 1903. The construction of the prison took more than 30 years, with the dome added in 1926, and the shoe factory in 1928. The use of forced convict labor to build the penitentiary complicated and delayed the work. The prisoners also built and worked in the on-site sawmill, brick plant, and stone quarry used to fabricate construction materials. The entire construction site was enclosed in a heavy wood fence to prevent convict escapes.

Convict Uniforms

The early prisoners wore convict stripes. These were replaced in 1927 with dark-blue cotton uniforms. Following World War II, the prisoners were “dressed out” in worn out military fatigues. In recent years, the men have been issued kaki shirts and pants, and green army coats. The most famous apparel is the “Leavenworth boot,” manufactured on site and consisting of a high-top shoe, brown on one side and black on the other. The unique color scheme was designed to identify convicts if they made it over the wall.

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