Ragen, Joseph E.

Biography

Ragen was born in 1895 in rural Southern Illinois, and it is doubtful he ever finished high school. He was the son of a county sheriff and served in the Navy during World War I. After the war he returned home to work for his father as a deputy sheriff. In 1926, Ragen was elected sheriff. Four years later, he was elected county treasurer. In 1933, he was appointed as warden of the Southern Illinois Penitentiary at Menard.

Ragen held the Menard position for only three years (1933–1936), but during this time he earned a reputation as an effective administrator. He was also appointed as the Superintendent of Prisons for the State of Illinois. This position required him to conduct regular inspections of all the state prisons, and it allowed him to become familiar with the Joliet-Stateville complex. In 1936, after a series of escapes and disturbances at the complex, the governor forced the resignation of the warden and appointed Ragen to replace him.

Autonomy

Ragen had what modern wardens would consider an astonishing degree of autonomy in running the Joliet-Stateville complex. He hired and fired at will and made all the rules. No one (including newspaper reporters he considered unfriendly to his regime) entered the complex without his approval, inmates were forbidden to form clubs or associations, all of the inmates' mail was carefully censored, and for many years inmates were forbidden to write or send writs to the courts. This type of control was possible largely because there was no strong, central prison authority in the state, no unions, and the federal courts at the time had little interest in prison conditions.

By carefully cultivating political relationships and providing lavish meals at his Stateville warden's residence, Ragen also ensured that legislators would not exercise their political or oversight authority. He had a similar relationship with all six governors under whom he served; there would be no interference in any of his management or personnel decisions. At the time the Illinois civil service had an elaborate patronage system, in which correctional officers obtained and kept their jobs through political connections. The one time a governor tried to exercise his authority, Ragen and his fiercely loyal key staff resigned. Within six months [Page 818]there were serious problems at the prison. Under pressure from the press and legislators, the governor conceded and Ragen returned.

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