Archives West Finding Aid

James (Jim) Blodgett was warden at Washington State Penitentiary from 1988 to 1992. The creator of the materials is not known.

The years 1977 to 1981 were a tumultuous time at the Washington State Penitentiary. After a period of liberal reforms, Jim Spalding took over as superintendent of the prison in 1978. Major changes were implemented by Spalding, such as the restructuring and remodeling of the prison designed to exert more control over inmates' movements, relocating inmates Spalding and others identified as a barrier to establishing order, rescinding the ability for those incarcerated at the prison to take furloughs, and removal of greenspace (Lifer's Park, People's Park) within the prison walls.

In May of 1979, a hostage situation and ensuing police response led to a riot. In June of 1979, a corrections officer was murdered, leading to a months-long lockdown and a wave of shakedowns meant to limit personal property in the prison cells. Tons of personal property was indiscriminately loaded onto garbage trunks. In another riot in July of 1979, corrections officers reportedly beat inmates severely, and many people were forced to stay for weeks in the "Big Yard." Mounting tensions between Spalding and the corrections officers led to a strike in August, but Spalding fired every striking worker. In 1982, a landmark court case, Hoptowit v. Ray, found that conditions at the prison violated the rights of people incarcerated there.