Oregon State Penitentiary

File:Oregon State Penitentiary 1892.jpeg

Prior to the construction of prisons in Oregon, many convicted of crimes were either hanged or pardoned.Bancroft, History of Oregon (1888), pp. 155–156. Oregon State Penitentiary was originally built in Portland in 1851. Operating this facility proved difficult because it spanned two blocks, with a city street running through the middle. In 1859, the facility was leased to private contractors (Robert Newell and L. N. English), who instituted a system of prison labor. This new system led to many escapes.Bancroft, History of Oregon (1888), pp. 644–645.

In 1866, the state officially moved the penitentiary to a {{convert|26|acre|ha|adj=on}} site in Salem, enclosed by a reinforced concrete wall averaging {{convert|14|ft|spell=in}} in height. The prison also began using a device called the "Gardner shackle" (later called the "Oregon Boot"), a heavy metal device attached to prisoners' legs to impede movement.

File:Flogging.jpg describes prison guards flogging several people to death, including a disabled African American named Monroe.]]

Escapes continued at the new facility, despite the wall and the Boot. The most famous of these occurred in 1902, when Harry Tracy and David Merrill killed three guards with a gun. Details about this period can be read in Thirteen Years in Oregon State Penitentiary, a book written by Joseph "Bunko" Kelly. Kelly describes scenes of extreme brutality, particularly floggings, which he recounts happening to whites, blacks, Indians, and a Chinese "half boy and half woman". He describes negligent doctors and a lack of mental health care, and complains that whiskey drinking affects the behavior of the guards. He also identifies a five-year period in which the warden stopped newspaper deliveries to prevent convicts from learning of pardons.Joseph "Bunko" Kelly, Thirteen Years in Oregon State Penitentiary, 1908. The prison announced in 1904 that it would end the use of flogging, and instead punish prisoners by spraying them with cold water from a garden hose."Oregon Water Cure: As Administered in Penitentiary It Proves Better Than Flogging", Washington Post (from the Portland Oregonian), August 26, 1904, p. 11; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/144505093 via ProQuest].

The prison experimented briefly in 1917–1918 with an "honor system" in which 130 prisoners were paroled with certain conditions. The prisoners were released into jobs outside the prison during the daytime. After 66 of these absconded, Governor James Withycombe announced that he would find a way for them to work jobs within the prison facility."Honor System in the Oregon Prison", Christian Science Monitor, August 24, 1918; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/510069980/ via ProQuest].

In the 1920s, the Penitentiary created a flax plant which employed more than half of its inmates. Inmates worked on construction and in the fields, and were paid $0.50–$1.00 per day. The plant was touted nationally as a way to make the prison financially self-sustaining, and to rehabilitate prisoners by giving them something to do and preparing them to work."Oregon State Penitentiary Finds Work Proves Its Worth: Flax Works, Flax Works, Chief Industry at Oregon State, Nationally Known" Christian Science Monitor, April 21, 1926, p. 5A; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/511856506 via ProQuest]. In 1925, OSP had the largest flax scutching mill in the world, with 175 workers producing 100–150 tons of flax per day."Prisoners Share in Profits of Large Oregon Flax Mill: Convicts Work Without Armed Guards—Product Said to Equal That of Canada, Ireland, Belgium", Christian Science Monitor, August 8, 1925; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/511660592 via ProQuest].

With assistance from the Federal Bureau of Education, OSP ran a unique and successful adult education program during the same era."Prisoners Eager to Learn to Improve Life by Study", Christian Science Monitor, November 8, 1926; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/512129417 via ProQuest]. With Prohibition in effect, 80 of the prison's 575 inmates at this time were moonshiners."Eighty Moonshiners In Oregon Prison: All Are 45 To 55 Years Old--Violent Crimes Laid To Younger Men", Baltimore Sun, July 18, 1926; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/543840893 via ProQuest]. Nine prisoners were shot in a 1926 riot beginning in the prison cafeteria."9 Convicts Shot to Quell Riot in Oregon Prison", Chicago Daily Tribune, February 17, 1926; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/180782035 via ProQuest].

Seven hundred inmates were involved in a riot on August 1, 1936, in response to a court ruling that made it more difficult for prisoners to be released after serving their minimum sentence. The riot was put down by armed guards; one prisoner, Thomas Baughn, was killed and two were wounded."Oregon Convicts Riot Over Ruling on Releases", Christian Science Monitor, August 1, 1936; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/514106425 via ProQuest]."Tear-Gas Threats Quell Prison Riot", Baltimore Sun (AP), August 1, 1936; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/539286189 via ProQuest]. After being deprived of their weapons (and of food, in punishment), prisoners began to break windows and throw projectiles from their cells."700 Howl in Cells at Oregon Prison: Convicts Break Windows and Bang Doors as Warden Refuses Food After Riot ", New York Times, August 2, 1936; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/101754249 via ProQuest].

Inmates at OSP attempted a mass escape in December 1951, after receiving weapons from a sympathetic guard. The plan was foiled by an informant, John Edward Ralph, who was quickly transferred to Folsom Prison for his own protection."Toughest 'Canary' Gets Parole So Pen Pals Can't Kill Him", Baltimore Sun, February 28, 1952; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/541773110 via ProQuest]. Unrest continued through 1952 with civil disobedience and more escape attempts."16 'Strike' in Oregon Prison", New York Times, November 1, 1952; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/112312005 via ProQuest]."[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=n7teAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zzAMAAAAIBAJ&dq=oregon%20prison&pg=1452%2C5110288 Oregon Prison Escape Foiled]", Lewiston Morning Tribune (AP), October 29, 1952. Over 1300 prisoners conducted an eight-day hunger strike in August to protest alleged brutality of a guard named Morris Race."[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZOVXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XfYDAAAAIBAJ&dq=oregon%20prison&pg=2931%2C2174663 1310 Convicts Skip Meals; 40 Give In]", Spokane Daily Chronicle, August 20, 1951."[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7DRJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oAgNAAAAIBAJ&dq=oregon%20prison&pg=5876%2C5097955 Convicts Back At Work At Oregon Prison]", News and Courier, August 24, 1951. In October 1952, an escape attempt involving armed conflict with guards was suppressed with gunfire."[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TNlXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Y_YDAAAAIBAJ&dq=oregon%20prison&pg=6652%2C4582815 Oregon Prison Break Nipped: 300 Convicts Demand Chance to Confer with Stevenson]", Spokane Daily Chronicle (AP), October 28, 1952. On January 1, 1953, prison officials announced the discovery of an escape tunnel being dug by prisoner Robert Green. The tunnel was 12 feet underground and 50 feet long, reaching within 15 feet of the world outside OSP walls."Escape Tunnel Discovered in Oregon Prison", Chicago Daily Tribune, January 2, 1953, p. 5; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/178470588 via ProQuest].

A major insurrection erupted in July 1953 when prisoners stopped working, on strike for better food and medical care. They barricaded themselves in the cafeteria. Under instructions from Warden Clarence T. Gladden, guards used tear gas to prevent the prisoners from reaching food supplies. The angry prisoners gained control of most of the prison and started fires in the flax plant, laundry room, tailor room, and machine shop."Convict Rebellion Still On in Oregon: 800 Prisoners Forced Behind Fences After Fires Are Set—Gas Clears Commissary", New York Times, July 12, 1953, p. 55; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/112562463 via ProQuest]. Ultimately the prisoners were subdued by guards with tear gas, shotguns, and rifles."1100 in Prison Riot Corralled In Ball Park", Washington Post, July 12, 1953, p. M16; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/152548842 via ProQuest]. 1100 Rebels were confined to a baseball diamond without food or water, with Warden Gladden saying they would stay there until "I am sure they are repentant"."Prison Rebels In Oregon Toss in Towel", Washington Post, July 13, 1936; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/152525759 via ProQuest]. They stayed on the diamond for two days and one night, until twenty ringleaders identified by prison authorities were surrendered, and prisoners agreed to be individually searched."1,000 Convicts End Revolt At State Prison In Oregon", Baltimore Sun, July 13, 1953, p. 1; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/541618383 via ProQuest].

In what may have been the first sex reassignment surgery officially conducted in a prison, a DMAB prisoner changed her sex to female, through surgery and hormones, in a period prior to release in 1965."Inmate's Sex Is Changed in Oregon Prison", Chicago Tribune (AP), October 4, 1965, p. A11; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/176421158 via ProQuest].

Discontent continued in the 1960s. The public became aware that only 200 of the 1200 inmates at OSP actually had sentences calling for maximum security incarceration; yet all inmates were treated according to maximum security standards. Prisoners continued to complain about medical care, dental care, and visitation rights."[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=djJYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NfcDAAAAIBAJ&dq=oregon%20prison&pg=1162%2C6589967 Unlikely Gladden entirely to blame for prison riot]", The Bulletin, March 11, 1968.

Unrest culminated in March 1968, in an uprising which began with a surprise takeover of the prison's control center.Paul W. Harvey, Jr., "[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sGVYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zvcDAAAAIBAJ&dq=oregon%20prison&pg=2223%2C2653781 Big Shelter Problem Faced at Riot-Torn Oregon Prison]", Spokane Daily Chronicle, March 11, 1968. 700 prisoners took control of the facility, started a fire in the flour shop, and held 40 guards and prison employees hostage."700 Convicts Riot at Oregon Prison", New York Times, March 10, 1960, accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/118190730 via ProQuest]. The hostages were freed after prison officials announced the resignation of Warden Gladden (then 73 years old), as well as immunity for the rioters.Lawrence E. Davies, "Oregon Convicts Win Concessions; Revolt Ends, Guards Freed", New York Times, March 11, 1968; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/118193869 via ProQuest]. Prisoners were criticized for damaging facilities that supported them."[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=smVYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zvcDAAAAIBAJ&dq=oregon%20prison&pg=5701%2C3505634 Convicts Easy Winners]?", Spokane Daily Chronicle, March 13, 1968. Ron Schmidt, press secretary of Governor Tom McCall, said: "It's pure devastation. The men destroyed everything that was of any benefit to them.""[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XNgzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LTIHAAAAIBAJ&dq=oregon%20prison&pg=4566%2C5406141 Oregon Inmates Riot and Force Reforms, Warden's Resignation]", Lodi News-Sentinel (AP), March 11, 1968. Two inmates were stabbed during the riot: Delmar DuBray, 30, was stabbed in the right kidney; Melvin Newell, 36, was stabbed in the abdomen and groin.

In November 1968, a work stoppage by 81 prisoners in the laundry room was controlled by guards with clubs, and the prisoners placed in isolation."Prison Sitdown Ended", New York Times, November 6, 1968; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/118424819 via ProQuest]

Also in 1968, OSP inmates founded UHURU, an organization dedicated to Afro-American culture, history, and community service. Although the prison establishment was skeptical at first, UHURU gained official support and had a membership of several hundred in 1982.Joe Brown, "UHURU: Its History", The Skanner, May 16, 1979; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/370545807 via ProQuest]. OSP prisoners were politically active in the following decades, holding forums on politicsLarry Baker, "Imprisoned: Political forum 'success'", The Skanner, May 5, 1982; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/370495804 via ProQuest]. and communicating with the Oregon NAACP. OSP began to recruit African American staff in 1981 in response to pressure from activist black prisoners."Corrections Division recruits minorities", The Skanner, June 24, 1981; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/370482845 via ProQuest].

In September 1988, 28 female inmates at the Oregon Correctional Center staged a sit-down protest that prison Superintendent Robert H. Scheidler described as the first of its kind in the facility's history. On October 1, between four and eight women staged a hunger strike—inmate Jody Bedell fasted for 24 days before ending the strike. Both the sit-down protest and hunger strike were meant to call attention to overcrowding, poor medical care, inadequate education programs and the shortage of showers and laundry machines. At the time, the prison was built for 80 women but was housing over 140 women and had only one shower for every 43 inmates. The women who participated in the hunger strike were ordered to spend a year in a segregation unit and were fined $214.Sarah B. Ames "Protests Put Women's Prison in Spotlight", Oregonian, October 31, 1988; accessed [http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=0EB0852D9FA0590C&p_docnum=7&p_queryname=15 via Newsbank]

In May 2020, ODOC announced that the state will close its death row.{{Cite web|date=May 15, 2020|title=ACLU Applauds Closing of Death Row in Oregon|url=https://aclu-or.org/en/press-releases/aclu-applauds-closing-death-row-oregon|access-date=January 31, 2022|website=ACLU of Oregon|language=en}} On December 13, 2022, Governor Kate Brown commuted the death sentences of everyone on Oregon's death row to life without parole. She also instructed the Department of Corrections to dismantle the state's death chamber.{{cite news|last=Borrud|first=Hillary|date=December 13, 2022|title=Gov. Kate Brown commutes sentences of all 17 people on Oregon's death row|work=Oregon Live|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2022/12/gov-kate-brown-commutes-sentences-of-all-17-people-on-oregons-death-row.html|access-date=December 14, 2022}}

The prison is located on {{convert|194|acre|ha|abbr=off}} of land in the southeast of Salem, Oregon. The facility itself consists of {{convert|10|acre|ha|round=0.5|abbr=off|spell=in}}, surrounded by a {{convert|25|ft|m|round=0.5|adj=on|abbr=off|sp=us}} wall which is patrolled by armed correctional officers.Jessica Rondema, "[http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/oregon_state_penitentiary/ Oregon State Penitentiary]", The Oregon Encyclopedia, c. May 2011.

Most housing in the penitentiary is in large cell blocks with most inmates housed in single man cells that have been converted to double man cells to increase capacity. The penitentiary also has a full service infirmary.

Oregon State Penitentiary was the site of Oregon's first supermax unit, the "Intensive Management Unit" (IMU), constructed in 1991. The 196-bed self-contained Intensive Management Unit provides housing and control for male inmates who disrupt or pose a substantial threat to the general population in all department facilities. In 2006, this facility held 147 people (out of a total of 784 across Oregon) in solitary confinement.

Conditions in the IMU were the object of public criticism, triggered particularly by multiple suicide of mentally ill prisoners.Mary Beth Pfeiffer, "{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20050308124453/http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-108092.html Mentally ill inmates need more help]}}", Portland Oregonian, February 12, 2005. Former warden Brian Belleque also expressed doubts about the possibility of rehabilitation in the IMU, saying: "We realize that 95 to 98 percent of these inmates here are going to be your neighbor in the community. They are going to get out."Laura Sullivan, "[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5587644 As Populations Swell, Prisons Rethink Supermax]", NPR, July 27, 2006. Prisoners in the OSP IMU were moved in 2009 to Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario, Oregon.Sal Rodriguez, "'[http://solitarywatch.com/2012/09/11/total-isolation-solitary-confinement-in-oregon/ Total Isolation': Solitary Confinement in Oregon]", Solitary Watch, September 11, 2012.

In 2010, ODOC began to convert the IMU into a psychiatric facility, which will serve mentally ill prisoners from across Oregon.Stuart Tomlinson, "[http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/oregons_mentally_ill_prison_in.html Oregon's mentally ill prison inmates will all move to one building at the Oregon State Penitentiary]", The Oregonian, April 15, 2010.Alan Gustafson, "[http://www.mentalhealthportland.org/?p=5271 Oregon State Penitentiary to adapt to mental illnesses]", Statesman Journal, April 25, 2010. Some advocates for the mentally ill have argued that the IMU facility is not suitable for treating the mentally ill because it is "dark" and "crowded", and generally designed for solitary confinement.Chris Lehman, "{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130415131209/http://www.opb.org/news/article/prison_mental_health_unit_not_designed_for_treatment/ Prison Mental Health Unit Not Designed for Treatment]}}", Oregon Public Broadcasting (Northwest News Network), February 29, 2012.

OSP was the site of death row in Oregon and contained the lethal injection chamber where prisoners were executed."[http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/oregon_death_row.html Oregon Death Row]", Oregon Live (The Oregonian), accessed November 10, 2012.James Pitkin, "[http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-8334-killing_time.html Killing Time:Dead Men Waiting on Oregon’s Death Row]", Willamette Week, January 23, 2008. Governor John Kitzhaber announced an official moratorium on executions in November 2011.William Yardley, "[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/us/oregon-executions-to-be-blocked-by-gov-kitzhaber.html Oregon Governor Says He Will Block Executions]", New York Times, November 22, 2011. In May 2020, ODOC announced that the state will close its death row. On December 13, 2022, Governor Kate Brown commuted the death sentences of everyone on Oregon's death row to life without parole and instructed the Department of Corrections to dismantle the state's death chamber.

Executions in Oregon were conducted in public by counties until 1902, when they were centralized (and made less spectacular) at the State Penitentiary.William R. Long, "[http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/death_penalty/ Death penalty]", The Oregon Encyclopedia, c. 2008. Since the US Supreme Court reaffirmed the death penalty in Gregg v. Georgia (1976), Oregon has executed only two people: Douglas Franklin Wright, in 1996, and Harry Charles Moore, in 1997.

Oregon State Penitentiary is home to a hospice, which is staffed by volunteers from among the prison population. The current incarnation of the hospice began in 1999, and won "Program of the Year Award" from the National Commission on Correctional Health Care in 2001. The OSP hospice was at the forefront of a national trend of prison hospices—reacting to increased prison deaths resulting from the HIV/AIDS epidemic and from harsher sentencing laws. The program's volunteer-based structure has served as a model for other institutions.Jaime Shimkus, "[http://www.ncchc.org/pubs/cc/hospice.html Prison Hospice Comforts the Dying, Touches the Living] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231144418/http://ncchc.org/pubs/CC/hospice.html |date=December 31, 2010 }}", CorrectCare, Spring 2002.Jeff Barnard, "[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-aug-01-me-61477-story.html Convicted Murderers Relearn Compassion in Prison Hospice]", Los Angeles Times (AP), August 1, 1999.

Oregon State Penitentiary has a separate minimum security facility located on its grounds."[http://www.oregon.gov/DOC/OPS/PRISON/osp.shtml Oregon State Penitentiary]." Oregon Department of Corrections. Retrieved on November 2, 2010. It was first opened in 1964 as Oregon's first women's prison,Zaitz, Les. "[http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/09/oregon_to_close_prison_layoff.html Oregon to close prison, lay off 63 workers in $2.5 million budget cut]." The Oregonian. Thursday September 30, 2010. Updated on Friday October 1, 2010. Retrieved on November 2, 2010. and was called Oregon Women's Correctional Center. In 2010, the state closed the minimum security annex.{{cite news|last=Zaitz|first=Les|title=Oregon prison in Salem proposed for closure because of budget cuts|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/02/budget_crunch_leads_to_closure.html|access-date=February 1, 2012|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=February 1, 2012}}

Prisoners and advocates have charged the OSP system with racism, saying that the system discriminates against black inmates—both by placing them in worse conditions and by failing to protect them from racially motivated violence. They cite the case of Pete Wilson, a black prisoner who was stabbed by ten white inmates while white guards looked on.Larry Baker, "IMPRISONED: OSP Prisoner Stabbed", The Skanner, October 6, 1982; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/370493136 via ProQuest]. "Wilson recalled one of the guards who was supposedly supervising him repeatedly shouting for the inmates to stop fighting, while others merely stood in the gun tower and watched with rifles in hand. But the guards were white. Wilson stated it was 10 minutes before any guards were able to rescue him and by that time his lungs had been punctured and he had sustained many other wounds. During his struggle with the 10 whites, a Cuban prisoner, Ricardo Guerra, tried to assist Wilson but to no avail. 'I couldn't just stand by and see 10 white prisoners beating on a black man just because his skin is a different color,' said Guerra." Black inmates also charged the OSP library with showing racial bias in access and employment. One black inmate described their opinion on the causes and effects of this bias:Larry Baker, "IMPRISONED: Bias in Library", The Skanner, November 17, 1982; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/370501609 via ProQuest].

Black and other minorities at OSP have an acute problem with the librarian when it comes to their gaining access to courts. First we recognize racism is an ingrained traditional attitude. And second, prisons are reflections of those views. Therefore, Blacks and others in their own wherewithal struggle towards the path of freedom through redress in our courts. But quite often the librarian tries to preclude these efforts in many different ways. Such as telling prisoners his notary seal is broken and of course this tactic will go on for two or three weeks until one of the counselors puts a stop to it, being that if the librarian doesn't notarize documents they will have to do his job.

Prisoners have accused OSP guards of homophobia, censoring homosexual materials in the men's prison and contact among inmates in the women's prison (closed in 2010). In 1982, prisoners filed a class-action lawsuit against the prison, charging that their rights to receive mail were being violated. In particular, they charged prison officials with censoring the mail by withholding "not approved" material, including material related to homosexuality."ACLU files against prison censorship", The Skanner, March 10, 1982; accessed via ProQuest. District Judge Owen Panner decided for the prisoners and the ACLU, ruling that blacklisting certain publications and materials (including those related to homosexuality) violated the First and Fourteenth Amendment rights of the prisoners. However, some advocates believed that the legal ruling would have little effect. Carole Pope, a former prisoner at OSP, said: "We've had five major law suits. After each one, there was a token change, then it went back to the way it was. They [prison officials] don't take any of this seriously."Jil Clark, "Court Bars Prison Censorship of Periodicals", Gay Community News 10 (38), April 16, 1983; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/199318411/ via ProQuest].

In 1977, three inmates (two current and one former) filed a lawsuit alleging that they had been harmed by medical experiments using drugs and radiation. The experiments were voluntary and affected 67 prisoners, who were paid $125 each."Convicts Who Were Part of Test Of Drugs File $3.6 Million Suit", New York Times (UPI), September 11, 1977; accessed [https://www.proquest.com/docview/123197731 via ProQuest].

Oregon State Prison appears in the opening scene of the 2001 film Bandits, during an escape scene in which the two protagonists forcibly break out of the prison and then proceed on a bank robbing spree. The "Gardner shackle" (later called the "Oregon Boot") is featured in the March 16, 1960, episode of Wagon Train, "The Alexander Portlass Story", and in the January 27, 1957, episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, "The Manacled."

File:Oregon State Penitentiary gate.JPG

List of inmates (with dates of incarceration) at Oregon State Penitentiary:

• Bradly Morris Cunningham (since 1995) – serving a life sentence for murdering his ex-wife and mother of his three sons Cheryl Keeton.{{Cite web|url=http://docpub.state.or.us/OOS/searchCriteria.jsf|title=Oregon Offender Search}}{{Cite book|url=https://www.amazon.com/Ann-Rule-Deconstructed-Perfect-Writer-ebook/dp/B00OSRJQJW/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1429666144&sr=1-1-fkmr1&keywords=Anne+Rule+Deconstructed|title=Ann Rule Deconstructed: Perfect Writer, Perfect Liar|date=October 22, 2014|publisher=BookBaby}}
• Andrew David Edwards – serial killer{{cite news|date=February 3, 1993|title=Drifter says he killed 4 in 3 states|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/north-county-times-edwards/54279203/|work=North County Times|location=Oroville, California|access-date=February 5, 2024}}
• William Perry Jackson – serial killer{{cite news|date=August 5, 1982 |title=A man convicted of five murders was recaptured Thursday...|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/08/05/A-man-convicted-of-five-murders-was-recaptured-Thursday/1626397368000/|work=United Press International|location=Portland, Oregon|access-date=February 5, 2024}}{{Cite web |date=February 9, 1983 |title=Jackson gets new sentence |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94758904/statesman-journal/ |work=Statesman Journal |via=Newspapers.com}}
• Keith Hunter Jesperson (since 1995) – the "Happy Face Killer"
• Christian Longo (since 2003) – murdered his wife and three children
• Richard Laurence Marquette (1961–1973, since 1975)
• Dayton Leroy Rogers (since 1989) – serial killer linked to the murders of seven womenRick Bella, "[http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-city/index.ssf/2012/10/state_supreme_court_orders_fou.html State Supreme Court orders fourth sentencing trial for serial killer Dayton Leroy Rogers]", The Oregonian, October 11, 2012.
• Randall Woodfield (since 1981) – "The I-5 Killer"; injured at OSP in 1983;Domestic News. United Press International, October 3, 1983, Monday, AM cycle. filed suit (unsuccessfully) in 1987 against author Ann Rule for publishing a libelous account of his caseTims, Dana. Murderer's libel suit dismissed. The Oregonian, January 18, 1988.

File:Tracy & Merrill.jpg

• John Arthur Ackroyd – Died in December 2016
• Jerry Brudos (1969–2006) – died of liver cancer; OSP's longest-term resident"[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JeFVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3eADAAAAIBAJ&dq=jerry%20brudos%20oregon%20state%20penitentiary&pg=6099%2C6086047 Prosecution winds up case in Mrs. Brudos murder trial]", Eugene Register-Guard, September 27, 1969.Tony Lystra, "[http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/local/article_b52affcd-bca7-5966-ac92-1d4018b1776e.html Ex-officer recalls hunt for killer]", Corvalis Gazette-Times, April 9, 2006."[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=o5FTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AYcDAAAAIBAJ&dq=brudos%20oregon%20state%20penitentiary&pg=6943%2C183353 Murderer's Request Denied]", The Bulletin, September 30, 1992."[http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2002905282_passages02.html Passages]", Seattle Times, April 2, 2006.
• Diane Downs – convicted in the 1983 shooting of her three children, transferred to Clinton Correctional Facility for Women after her 1987 escape
• Bobby Jack Fowler (1996–2006) – connected to the Highway of Tears murders, died in prison of lung cancer
• Gary Gilmore (1962, 1964–1972, 1972–1975) – released to halfway house, quickly convicted of new crimes, re-incarcerated, transferred to USP Marion for bad behavior, paroled to Utah in April 1976, committed multiple murders in July 1976, executed in January 1977
• George Hayford{{citation needed|reason=Need evidence he was interned at OSP|date=February 2017}} (1858–?), attorney and swindler
• Joseph "Bunko" Kelly (1895–1908) – released; author of [https://books.google.com/books?id=vAQMAAAAYAAJ Thirteen Years In The Oregon Penitentiary]
• Randal Krager (1992–1994, 1995–1996) – released, re-arrested, pardoned; founded Volksfront in 1994 while incarcerated"[http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2006/fall/ten-who-terrify?page=0,5 Profiles of 10 Racist Skinheads: Randal Lee Krager, 32]" Intelligence Report 123, Southern Poverty Law Center, Fall 2006.Philip Dawdy, "[http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-596-the_flickering_torch_of_racism.html The Flickering Torch of Racism]", Willamette Week, December 12, 2001.
• Harry Charles Moore (1993–1997) – executed by lethal injection
• Carl Panzram (1915–1918) – escaped, assumed a false identity, committed more crimes, captured in 1928 in Washington, D.C., incarcerated at USP Leavenworth and executed there in 1930
• John Omar Pinson (1947–1959) – paroled after six years of good behavior; accused of killing police officer Delmond E. Rondeau and setting fire to the flax plant in 1949;"[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fKURAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9-cDAAAAIBAJ&dq=oregon%20prison%20flax&pg=4834%2C3246762 Felon Makes About Face, Wins Parole]", Spokesman-Review (AP), December 9, 1959."[http://www.oregon.gov/osp/pages/officer_delmond_rondeau.aspx Officer Delmond E. Rondeau]", Oregon State Police, accessed November 9, 2012.Mike Thoele, "[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GdZVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JuADAAAAIBAJ&pg=3462%2C1079703 Journey from behind bars]", Eugene Register-Guard, October 5, 1975. profiled on the television show Gang Busters!"[http://www.tcmuk.tv/movie_database_results.php?action=title&id=14715 Payback 21:00]", Turner Classic Movies, (see [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-v8GLi7SvY video clip])
• Sebastian Shaw – Died in October 2021
• Harry Tracy (1901–1902) – escaped, committed suicide when threatened with capture
• Hank Vaughan (1865–1870) – moved with the prison from Portland to Salem, narrowly avoiding a lynch mob; paroled early for good behavior, moved to Nevada, and became a blacksmithJim Yuskavitch, Outlaw Tales of Oregon, Globe Pequot, 2012, {{ISBN|9780762772636}}, p. 105.

{{Portal bar|Oregon}}

• List of Oregon prisons and jails
• Harry Minto

{{Reflist}}

• Hubert Howe Bancroft, [https://archive.org/details/historyoforevol230bancmiss History of Oregon Vol. II: 1848-1888]', San Francisco: The History Company, 1888.
• Joseph "Bunko" Kelly, [https://books.google.com/books/about/Thirteen_Years_in_the_Oregon_Penitentiar.html?id=vAQMAAAAYAAJ Thirteen Years in Oregon State Penitentiary], 1908

{{Commons category}}

• {{Official website|https://www.oregon.gov/doc/about/pages/prison-locations.aspx}}
• [http://www.oregon.gov/doc/pages/index.aspx ODOC official site]

{{State prisons in Oregon}}

{{Execution sites in the United States}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Prisons in Oregon

Category:Buildings and structures in Salem, Oregon

Category:Capital punishment in Oregon

Category:Execution sites in the United States

Category:1851 establishments in Oregon Territory

Category:Former buildings and structures in Portland, Oregon

Category:Men's prisons