Alderson Federal Prison Camp, also known as
Federal Prison Camp, Alderson or
FPC Alderson, is a
Federal Bureau of PrisonsThe Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...
minimum security
prison for womenThis article discusses the incarceration of women in correctional facilities.-History:In the United States, authorities began housing women in correctional facilities separate from men in the 1870s...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in
unincorporatedIn law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Monroe CountyAs of the census of 2000, there were 14,583 people, 5,447 households, and 3,883 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile . There were 7,267 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
and
Summers CountySummers County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,927. Its county seat is Hinton. Summers County was created by an act of the West Virginia General Assembly on February 27, 1871 from parts of Fayette, Greenbrier, Mercer and Monroe...
in
West VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. Alderson, West Virginia, was chosen as the site for the first federal prison for women and the facility opened on November 14, 1928.
The prison camp has a population of around 1,050. The prison is 270 miles (434.5 km) southwest of Washington, DC. The 159 acres (64.3 ha) facility is the largest employer in the
Alderson, West VirginiaAlderson, a town in the US State of West Virginia, is split geographically by the Greenbrier River, with portions in both Greenbrier and Monroe Counties. Although split physically by the river, the town functions as one entity, including that of town government...
area.
History
Federal prisons for women lagged behind the facilities for males. Women offenders either were given alternative punishments or were housed alone within all-male institutions. Prison staff and fellow inmates sexually exploited girls and women who were incarcerated in these facilities.
Mabel Walker WillebrandtMabel Walker Willebrandt , popularly known to her contemporaries as the "First Lady of Law", was the U.S. Assistant Attorney General from 1921 to 1929, handling cases concerning violations of the Volstead Act, federal taxation, and the Bureau of Federal Prisons during the Prohibition Era.-Early...
, the
Assistant U.S. Attorney GeneralMany of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice are headed by an Assistant Attorney General.The President of the United States appoints individuals to the position of Assistant Attorney General with the advice and consent of the Senate...
, first encouraged establishment of a facility for women. FPC Alderson, which opened in 1927, was the first federal women's prison in the United States. It was opened during a reform movement in the 1920s to help reform female offenders.
The first warden, Mary B. Harris, was chosen by Mabel Willebrandt.
Despite later bureau mythology that Alderson opened its doors with
moonshiningMoonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
women from the hills of West Virginia, 174 women had been sent to the facility in the first year of operation before its formal November 14, 1928, opening.
Serving as a model for prison reform at the time, it was styled after a
boarding schoolA boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
offering education with no armed guards. The facility followed a reformatory model with no fenced grounds. The prison consisted of primarily work-oriented facilities designed for minor federal offenders. It originally consisted of fourteen
cottage__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
s built in a
horseshoeA horseshoe, is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear and tear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall...
pattern on two-tiered slopes. The offenders segregated by race in the cottages and each building contained a kitchen and rooms for about thirty women. The vast majority of the women were imprisoned for drug and alcohol charges imposed during the Prohibition era.
The prison
The prison is located in two
West VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
counties, near the town of
AldersonAlderson, a town in the US State of West Virginia, is split geographically by the Greenbrier River, with portions in both Greenbrier and Monroe Counties. Although split physically by the river, the town functions as one entity, including that of town government...
. A portion of the prison is located in
unincorporatedIn law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Monroe CountyAs of the census of 2000, there were 14,583 people, 5,447 households, and 3,883 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile . There were 7,267 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
, while the other portion of the prison, including the dormitories, lies in unincorporated
Summers CountySummers County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,927. Its county seat is Hinton. Summers County was created by an act of the West Virginia General Assembly on February 27, 1871 from parts of Fayette, Greenbrier, Mercer and Monroe...
. Four other area towns,
HintonHinton is a city in Summers County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,880 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Summers County. Hinton was established in 1873 and chartered in 1897. Hinton was named for John "Jack" Hinton, a prominent lawyer of Summers County and husband of...
,
LewisburgLewisburg is a city in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,830 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Greenbrier County.-Geography:Lewisburg is located at ....
,
RonceverteRonceverte is a city in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, on the Greenbrier River. The population was 1,557 at the 2000 census.- Culture and History :...
, and
White Sulphur SpringsWhite Sulphur Springs is a city in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,444 at the 2010 census.-Geography:White Sulphur Springs is located at ....
are within commuting distance to FPC Alderson.
While there is no barbed wire on the fence surrounding the camp, the prisoners have schedules and each one must work. Inmates get holidays off except those who work in the powerhouse and kitchen. From its beginning, Alderson's staff members have maintained a focus on vocational training and personal growth experiences, with craft-shop activities an integral part of vocational training. Free time is spent walking around the sidewalk that is set between the two dorms as this is within bounds for the inmates. Since 2004 inmates are no longer free to roam the entire campus and are restricted in areas of the prison. They also play
volleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
.
Most of the inmates at FPC Alderson have been convicted of non-violent or
white-collar crimeWithin the field of criminology, white-collar crime has been defined by Edwin Sutherland as "a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation" . Sutherland was a proponent of Symbolic Interactionism, and believed that criminal behavior was...
. Many are in the drug program and have come from other prisons to attend the program at Alderson. They sleep in
bunk bedA bunk bed is a type of bed in which one bed frame is stacked on top of another. The nature of bunk beds allows two people to sleep in the same room while maximizing available floor space...
s in two large dormitories. The dormitories hold 500 plus inmates a piece. Each inmate sleeps in a 5 by 9 ft (1.5 by 2.7 m) cinderblock cube inside of this open dormitory.
The prison is nicknamed "Camp
CupcakeA cupcake is a small cake designed to serve one person, frequently baked in a small, thin paper or aluminum cup...
" by most residents and the media. Local residents have also referred to it as "the college campus." It was called "
YaleYale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
" by one-time attendee
Martha StewartMartha Stewart is an American business magnate, author, magazine publisher, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising...
. By 2004, according to Alexandra Marks of
The IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
the operating model for Alderson "follows a punitive rather than a rehabilitative model".
John Benish, the former co-manager of the Alderson Hospitality House, a hospitality establishment where families of Alderson inmates stay, said that FPC Alderson is "built like a college campus. There is lot of property, a lot of greenery and there is no
barbed wireBarbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
around." The Alderson facility includes one dormitory with 500 inmates and several small cottages holding other inmates. Inmates live in two person cubicles instead of traditional barred prison cells.
As of 2004 most prisoners at Alderson were convicted of recreational drug-related offenses. Esther Heffernan, a sociology professor at
Edgewood CollegeEdgewood College is a Dominican Catholic liberal arts college in Madison, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of Madison. Overlooking the shores of Lake Wingra, it occupies on Madison's near west side....
, said that throughout history the inmates included "relatives of famous mobsters and grandmotherly women who embezzled money from banks. You've had a real mixture." Hefferman added that in Alderson, which was a "not undesirable" place to be confined, the isolation from urban life could be stressful for inmates. She said that the inmates, "Coming from the streets of
New YorkNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and D.C.," were awakened at night by crickets and frogs. Prisoners are not permitted to patronize Alderson, West Virginia area businesses.
The facility allows weekend visits, but special hours are available for holidays. In prior years the families of inmates were allowed past visiting rooms only on
Thanksgiving DayThanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
when they they could also share in a holiday feast for $1.75.
Notable inmates
| Name |
Number |
Status |
Details |
| Monica Conyers |
|
Held in FPC, Alderson |
Former Detroit City Council member and the wife of U.S. Congressman John ConyersJohn Conyers, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1965 . He is a member of the Democratic Party...
. |
Lolita LebrónDolores "Lolita" Lebrón Sotomayor was a Puerto Rican nationalist who wasconvicted of attempted murder and other crimes after leading an assault on the United States House of Representatives in 1954,...
|
|
imprisoned 1954–1979 |
Attack the United States House of Representatives in 1954. |
| Velvalee Dickinson Velvalee Dickinson , was convicted of espionage against the United States on behalf of Japan during World War II. Known as the "Doll Woman", she used her business in New York City to send information on U.S. Naval forces to contacts in South America via steganographic messages...
|
|
imprisoned 1944–1951 |
American convicted of espionage against the United States on behalf of Japan. |
Lynette "Squeaky" FrommeLynette Alice "Squeaky" Fromme is an American member of the Manson Family. She was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempting to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford in 1975...
|
|
Held in FPC, Alderson |
Member of the Manson Family Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
. Attempted to assassinate U.S. President Gerald FordGerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
in 1975. |
| Sandra Good Sandra Collins Good a long-time member of the Manson Family and a close friend of Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme. Good's Manson Family nickname is "Blue," given to her by Charles Manson because of her blue eyes....
|
|
imprisoned 1980–85 |
A long-time member of the Manson Family Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
. |
Iva Toguri D'AquinoIva Ikuko Toguri D'Aquino , was an American citizen who participated in English-language propaganda broadcast transmitted by Radio Tokyo to Allied soldiers in the South Pacific during World War II...
(aka Tokyo RoseTokyo Rose was a generic name given by Allied forces in the South Pacific during World War II to any of approximately a dozen English-speaking female broadcasters of Japanese propaganda. The intent of these broadcasts was to disrupt the morale of Allied forces listening to the broadcast...
) |
|
Held in FPC, Alderson |
American citizen who participated in English-language propagandaPropaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
broadcast transmitted by Radio Tokyo to Allied soldiers in the South Pacific during World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. |
| Mildred Gillars (aka Axis Sally) |
|
imprisoned 1950–56 |
American who supplied propaganda broadcasts for Nazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. |
Elizabeth Gurley FlynnElizabeth Gurley Flynn was a labor leader, activist, and feminist who played a leading role in the Industrial Workers of the World . Flynn was a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union and a visible proponent of women's rights, birth control, and women's suffrage...
|
|
imprisoned 1955–57 |
American leftist leader and co-founder of American Civil Liberties UnionThe American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
(ACLU), a Smith ActThe Alien Registration Act or Smith Act of 1940 is a United States federal statute that set criminal penalties for advocating the overthrow of the U.S...
political prisoner |
| Claudia Jones Claudia Cumberbatch Jones was a Trinidadian journalist, who applied her skills to becoming a political activist and black nationalist through Communisum....
|
|
imprisoned 1955–57 |
Trinidadian-born child-immigrant journalist and National Executive member of the Communist Party of the United States, a Smith Act political prisoner. After release, deported to the United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, founded the Notting Hill CarnivalThe Notting Hill Carnival is an annual event which since 1964 has taken place on the streets of Notting Hill, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea , London, UK each August, over two days...
|
Billie HolidayBillie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
|
|
imprisoned 1947-48 |
American jazz singer and songwriter arrested for possession of narcotics on May 19, 1947 and sentenced to serve a year and a day, but released for good behavior on March 16, 1948. |
Sara Jane MooreSara Jane Moore attempted to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford on September 22, 1975, outside the St...
|
|
imprisoned 1975-78, in 1979 she escaped and was recaptured hours later |
Attempted to assassinate U.S. President Gerald FordGerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
on September 22, 1975. |
| Meg Scott Phipps Meg Scott Phipps was the Commissioner of Agriculture for the state of North Carolina from 2001 to 2003.-Early life:She is the daughter of former North Carolina governor Bob Scott and former First Lady Jessie Rae Scott, as well as the granddaughter of former U.S. Senator and North Carolina Governor...
|
|
Held in FPC, Alderson |
Commissioner of Agriculture for the state of North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
from 2001 to 2003. |
| Esther Reed Esther Elizabeth Reed is an American convicted on fraud and identity theft charges. She is best known for assuming a number of identities, including that of missing person Brooke Henson, to gain entry to universities....
|
40024-424 |
As of 2010, held in FPC, Alderson |
American convicted on fraud and identity theft charges. |
Martha StewartMartha Stewart is an American business magnate, author, magazine publisher, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising...
|
55170-054 |
imprisoned October 8, 2004 - March 4, 2005 |
American business magnate, television host, author, and magazine publisher. Convicted of lying in her testimony about Insider trading Insider trading is the trading of a corporation's stock or other securities by individuals with potential access to non-public information about the company...
|
External links
- FPC Alderson - Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...