Rockville Correctional Facility for Women
Encyclopedia
Rockville Correctional Facility is a state prison located one mile (1.6 km) northwest of Rockville, Indiana
. It is the largest state prison for women in Indiana
with approximately 1,200 women. Although it is classified as a medium-security prison, it has inmates of all security levels.
, which was located in downtown Indianapolis
and, therefore, unable to expand. Thus, the Department of Correction converted Rockville into a women’s prison to serve the growing female population.
approved a plan to rebuild Rockville completely. Following that decision, 23 structures were demolished, five were upgraded, 13 new buildings were built and the entire facility’s infrastructure was replaced. The facility’s campus is located on 52 acres (210,436.7 m²) and now has 22 buildings and two employee residences. Dorm 1 was constructed in 1985 for juveniles and now houses the CLIFF Unit. The other four dorms are almost identical in size and configuration. Dorm 2 was constructed in 1993 and now serves as the Intake Unit for the Indiana Department of Correction female offenders. The remaining doorms were completed in 1997. The Town of Rockville provides the prison’s water and sewage services.
program as well as courses in culinary arts, building trades, computer literacy, horticulture, home maintenance and business technology. Oakland City University
, Indiana State University
and Ivy Tech all offer university courses for degrees. In addition, Oakland City University offers vocational training in Computer Assisted Drafting.
Rockville has several noteworthy programs for inmates. The Hope Center offers parenting classes for inmate mothers and allows them to practice their skills and establish a positive relationship with their children. The ICAAN Assistance Dog program allows inmates to train pups until they are fifteen months old. The inmates give the pups basic obedience training and teach them to do things such as opening doors, turning off lights, and carrying phones.
#864800 is Rockville’s most famous inmate http://www.in.gov/apps/indcorrection/ofs/?offnum=864800&search2.x=30&search2.y=16| , who was convicted in 1985 of killing a Sunday school teacher, Ruth Pelke, when Cooper was only fifteen years old. When she received the death penalty, she was the youngest person ever to be put on Indiana’s Death Row. In 1986, while Cooper was on death row at the Indiana Women’s Prison, her case was assigned to a new lawyer, Monica Foster. Foster and others organized a campaign to commute Cooper’s death sentence. Two million people signed petitions to Indiana governor Robert D. Orr
, and one million people signed petitions to the United Nations
. In 1987, Governor Orr also received a well-publicized appeal from Pope John Paul II
. The Indiana Supreme Court heard arguments on this case and on July 13, 1989 overturned the death sentence, giving Cooper a new sentence of 60 years, the maximum allowable prison term. She is now serving her sentence at the Rockville Correctional Facility.
Sarah Jo Pender
, who was serving a 110 year sentence for her participation in the murder of two people, managed to escape from Rockville on august 4, 2008. She was helped by correction officer Scott Spitler. She was added to the U.S. Marshals most wanted fugitive list in october 2008 and was then the only woman to be so. She was featured on America Most wanted and was arrested hours after a rerun of the TV-show, in December 2008.
Rockville Correctional Facility will be featured on the Oprah Winfrey Network 7 episode mini-series "Breaking Down the Bars" starting February 15, 2011, 9PM EST/8PM CST.
http://www.oprah.com/own-breaking-dthe-bars/breaking-down-the-bars-video.html
, worked as a correctional officer at the Rockville Correctional Facility from September 24 to october 9, 2007.
Rockville, Indiana
Rockville is a town in Adams Township, Parke County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,607 at the 2010 census. The town is the county seat of Parke County. It is known as "The Covered Bridge Capital of the World".-Geography:...
. It is the largest state prison for women in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
with approximately 1,200 women. Although it is classified as a medium-security prison, it has inmates of all security levels.
History
The facility was originally a radar base established by the U.S. Air Force in the beginning of the 1950’s, only to be deserted ten years later. It was resurrected by the Department of Correction as a juvenile male correctional facility in 1970. The facility went through many changes after that: from a prison for older juveniles, to a co-ed prison for adolescent males and adult females, then finally to a prison for adult females in 1992. Before 1992, Indiana had only one women’s prison, the Indiana Women's PrisonIndiana Women's Prison
The Indiana Women’s Prison was established in 1873 as the first adult female correctional facility in the country. The prison remains at its original location, one mile east of downtown Indianapolis. It has since moved to 2596 Girls School Road, former location of the Indianapolis Juvenile...
, which was located in downtown Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
and, therefore, unable to expand. Thus, the Department of Correction converted Rockville into a women’s prison to serve the growing female population.
Buildings and grounds
In 1995 the Indiana General AssemblyIndiana General Assembly
The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate...
approved a plan to rebuild Rockville completely. Following that decision, 23 structures were demolished, five were upgraded, 13 new buildings were built and the entire facility’s infrastructure was replaced. The facility’s campus is located on 52 acres (210,436.7 m²) and now has 22 buildings and two employee residences. Dorm 1 was constructed in 1985 for juveniles and now houses the CLIFF Unit. The other four dorms are almost identical in size and configuration. Dorm 2 was constructed in 1993 and now serves as the Intake Unit for the Indiana Department of Correction female offenders. The remaining doorms were completed in 1997. The Town of Rockville provides the prison’s water and sewage services.
Programs
Rockville’s on-site school, Parkeview School, has a GEDGED
General Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills...
program as well as courses in culinary arts, building trades, computer literacy, horticulture, home maintenance and business technology. Oakland City University
Oakland City University
Oakland City University, abbreviated as OCU, is a coeducational, small-town, urban, private university in Oakland City in eastern Gibson County, about north and slightly east of Evansville in Southwestern Indiana. Oakland City University is the only General Baptist Church-affiliated college in the...
, Indiana State University
Indiana State University
Indiana State University is a public university located in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.The Princeton Review has named Indiana State as one of the "Best in the Midwest" seven years running, and the College of Education's Graduate Program was recently named as a 'Top 100' by U.S...
and Ivy Tech all offer university courses for degrees. In addition, Oakland City University offers vocational training in Computer Assisted Drafting.
Rockville has several noteworthy programs for inmates. The Hope Center offers parenting classes for inmate mothers and allows them to practice their skills and establish a positive relationship with their children. The ICAAN Assistance Dog program allows inmates to train pups until they are fifteen months old. The inmates give the pups basic obedience training and teach them to do things such as opening doors, turning off lights, and carrying phones.
Inmate population
Of the 1,205 inmates at Rockville, 67% are white, 29% are black, 2% are Hispanic and the remaining 2 % are American Indian, Asian/Pacific and unknown. The average age of the women at intake is 33 and the average current age is 35. Nearly one-third of the women are there for substance abuse. The majority of the women at Rockville are serving sentences of two to ten years with less than 1% indeterminate life or life without parole. Only 5% are in prison for murder.Famous inmates
Paula CooperPaula Cooper
Paula Cooper was sentenced to death by electrocution on July 11, 1986 for the murder of 78-year-old Ruth Pelke. Because Cooper was only 15 at the time of the murder, her sentence attracted an international uproar, including a condemnation from Pope John Paul II...
#864800 is Rockville’s most famous inmate http://www.in.gov/apps/indcorrection/ofs/?offnum=864800&search2.x=30&search2.y=16| , who was convicted in 1985 of killing a Sunday school teacher, Ruth Pelke, when Cooper was only fifteen years old. When she received the death penalty, she was the youngest person ever to be put on Indiana’s Death Row. In 1986, while Cooper was on death row at the Indiana Women’s Prison, her case was assigned to a new lawyer, Monica Foster. Foster and others organized a campaign to commute Cooper’s death sentence. Two million people signed petitions to Indiana governor Robert D. Orr
Robert D. Orr
Robert Dunkerson Orr was an American political leader and the 45th Governor of Indiana from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party.-Early life:...
, and one million people signed petitions to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. In 1987, Governor Orr also received a well-publicized appeal from Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. The Indiana Supreme Court heard arguments on this case and on July 13, 1989 overturned the death sentence, giving Cooper a new sentence of 60 years, the maximum allowable prison term. She is now serving her sentence at the Rockville Correctional Facility.
Sarah Jo Pender
Sarah Jo Pender
Sarah Jo Pender is a woman convicted along with her former boyfriend Richard Edward Hull of murdering their roommates: Andrew Cataldi and Tricia Nordman on October 24, 2000 in Indiana. She came to national attention in August 2008 after she escaped from the Rockville Correctional Facility and was...
, who was serving a 110 year sentence for her participation in the murder of two people, managed to escape from Rockville on august 4, 2008. She was helped by correction officer Scott Spitler. She was added to the U.S. Marshals most wanted fugitive list in october 2008 and was then the only woman to be so. She was featured on America Most wanted and was arrested hours after a rerun of the TV-show, in December 2008.
Rockville Correctional Facility will be featured on the Oprah Winfrey Network 7 episode mini-series "Breaking Down the Bars" starting February 15, 2011, 9PM EST/8PM CST.
http://www.oprah.com/own-breaking-dthe-bars/breaking-down-the-bars-video.html
Infamous Correctional Officer
Mass Murderer Steven Kazmierczak, who shot 5 students at Northern Illinois UniversityNorthern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
, worked as a correctional officer at the Rockville Correctional Facility from September 24 to october 9, 2007.