United States Penitentiary Leavenworth

The federal prison system was established in the late 19th century as a way to combat the rampant corruption and mistreatment of prisoners that was taking place in state run prisons all across the country. Leavenworth was already home to the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth and in 1895 the U.S. Department of Justice changed the military prison over to a federal institution and began housing civilian criminals on the base. With the federal takeover of the Disciplinary Barracks, Leavenworth became one of the first cities in the country with a federal prison system. In the same year, Congress approved the construction of three new, first generation federal prisons. The sites for these new institutions were to be in Atlanta Georgia, McNeil Island Washington, and Leavenworth Kansas. The site of Leavenworth was chosen due to the availability of convict labor from the already established federal prison (Disciplinary Barracks).  In the late 1890’s construction began on the new prison, but progress was slow due to the logistical problems associated with transporting prisoners from the base to the new site. This slow pace was further compounded by the lack of construction skills and motivation from the prisoners. Because of this, it would take nearly two and a half decades before the prison would be fully completed. By 1903 enough space had been constructed to move the first 418 prisoners from the old prison into the new federal prison. It would take until 1906 and the opening of the first cell house for the rest of the prisoners to transfer. After 1906, the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth was given back to the U.S. Department of War and from then on, all non-military prisoners were to be housed at the new facility. 

The new Leavenworth Penitentiary was to be designed by St. Louis based architecture firm Eames & Young. During construction, Eames & Young were simultaneously working on the construction of another federal prison, the United States Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia which began construction in 1902. The prison in Leavenworth was set to have 40-foot high walls with another 40-foot of wall underground to prevent tunneling. The prison takes up roughly 23 acres with 3,030 feet of total walls. Today, the prison comfortably houses roughly 1,800 prisoners but this number has fluctuated throughout its history. The initial expectation was that the prison would only hold 1,200 prisoners, but by 1925, overpopulation in the prison system led to 3,262 prisoners being housed in Leavenworth. This overpopulation, in large part was brought on by the ratification of the 18th amendment (prohibition) at the onset of the decade and resulted in severe overpopulation throughout the entirety of the federal penal systems. This severe overpopulation problem led to even more construction and the transfer of civilian prisoners back to the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks. 

Construction was still taking place well into the late 1920’s, which was over 25 years after building had begun. Places for the prisoners to work such as the shoe shop, and the brush and broom factory were completed in 1926 and 1928 respectively. By 1929 the prison barber shop was completed and the final offices were completed. With the addition of the rotunda in late 1929 the prison was officially finished. 

In 2005, the United States Penitentiary Leavenworth was downgraded to a medium security prison.  In summer 2020, Congress approved expansion of the federal prison along with a new satellite Federal Prison Camp. $365 million dollars has been allocated for this undertaking with the plan being a complete modernization of the current prison. In a 2020 interview with the Kansas City Business Journal, United States Senator for Kansas Jerry Moran stated “"This project will bring the Leavenworth prison system into the 21st century, while also providing hundreds of jobs during the multi-year construction of the facilities. At a time when federal prisons are closing around the country, this project will secure jobs for Kansans for decades." 

The Leavenworth Penitentiary has an illustrious history which spans roughly 118 years. The prison is nationally revered as one of the most respected and well known federal institutions in the country. The high number of “famous” inmates who have called Leavenworth Penitentiary home only adds to the public interest and mystique that surrounds it. The prison supplies hundreds of jobs to Leavenworth residents and is one of the most well known and vital aspects to the city as a whole. 

“Famous Prisoners At Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary,” (Neuman, Ranker, Ranker.com, 2021)

“Leavenworth Penitentiary,” (Kersetter, Encyclopedia of the Great Plains, Texas Christian University, plainshumanities,unl,edu, 2011)

“Moran Discusses Prison Project,” (Richmeier, Leavenworth Times, leavenworthtimes.com, 2020)

“The Hot House: Life Inside Leavenworth Prison,” Earley, Bantam Publishing, Non-fiction, Historical, 1993)

“United States Penitentiary-Leavenworth,” (Prison Insight, prisoninsight.com, 2020)

“United States Federal Penitentiary,” (Visit Leavenworth Kansas, Visitors Bureau, www.visitleavenworthks.com, 2020)