United States Disciplinary Barracks
Encyclopedia
The United States Disciplinary Barracks (or USDB, popularly known as Leavenworth, or the DB) is a military prison
located on Fort Leavenworth
, a United States Army
post in Kansas
.
It is one of three major federal prisons built on Fort Leavenworth property. The civilian United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth
is four miles (6 km) south. A third prison the military's Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility
was opened 5 October 2010.
It reports to the United States Army Corrections Command
. Its commandant usually holds the rank of Colonel
.
The USDB is the U.S. military's only maximum-security facility and houses male service members convicted at court-martial
for violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice
. Only enlisted
prisoners with sentences over five years, commissioned officers, and prisoners convicted of offenses related to national security
are confined to the USDB. Enlisted prisoners with sentences under five years are housed in smaller facilities, such as the nearby Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility or the Marine Corps Brig
at Quantico
, Virginia
.
Corrections personnel at the prison are Army "corrections specialists" trained at the U.S. Army Military Police school located at Fort Leonard Wood
, Missouri, as well as Marine and Air Force corrections personnel.
in 1874. Prisoners were used for the majority of construction, which began in 1875 and was completed in 1921. The facility was able to house up to 1,500 prisoners. From 1895 until 1903, prisoners from the USDB were used to construct the nearby United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth until around 400 federal prisoners were moved there to complete the work.
Although work on the two prisons continued at about the same time and they share the same design of a central dome-topped building, the two prisons reflect dramatically different prison concepts.
The original USDB followed the Pennsylvania plan modeling on a layout of the Eastern State Penitentiary
where cell blocks radiated out from a central structure. Individual cells were relatively isolated. In contrast, the civilian prison is modeled on the Auburn Correctional Facility in New York reflected a newer concept where prisoners were housed in a large rectangular building where there was a certain amount of communal living.
The original USDB was Fort Leavenworth's biggest and tallest building sitting on top of a hill at the corner of McPherson Avenue and Scott Avenue overlooking the Missouri River
. The largest buildings of the original barracks ("The Castle") were torn down in 2004. The old domed building was nicknamed "Little Top" in contrast to the domed federal prison two miles (3 km) north which was nicknamed the "Big Top.". The walls and 10 of the buildings in the original location remain—including Pope Hall—have been converted or are in the process of being converted to other uses at the Fort. The prison's original commandant's house still remains.
The original prison was 12 acres (48,562.3 m²). Its walls were 16 to 41 feet (12.5 m) high.
Gail Dillon of the Airman magazine said in 2002 that "A visitor would immediately notice the medieval ambiance of this institution – the well-worn native stone and brick walls constructed by long-forgotten inmates when "hard labor" meant exactly that have witnessed thousands of inmates' prayers, curses and pleas over the past 128 years" and that entering the facility was "like stepping back in time or suddenly being part of a kitschy movie set about a prison bust."
A new state-of-the-art, 515-bed, USDB became operational in September 2002, replacing the old stone wall and brick castle.
The new barracks opened at a cost of $67.8 million and is about a mile north of the original barracks. It is on 51 acres (206,389.9 m²) on the site of the former USDB Farm Colony and is enclosed by two separate 14 feet (4.3 m) high fences. There are three housing units each of which can accommodate up to 142. The units described as "pods" are two-tiered triangular shaped domiciles. The cells in the new facility have solid doors and a window. There are no bars. The new facility is said to be much quieter than the old one and is preferred by inmates. Colonel Colleen L. McGuire
, the first female commandant of the USDB, said in 2002 that the new facility is "much more efficient in design and layout – much brighter and lighter."
The new prison reflects current prison design of smaller low-rise separate buildings where prisoners can be more easily isolated from the general population. The USDB has continuously been accredited from the American Correctional Association (ACA) since 1988.
In 2009, the Barracks along with the Standish Maximum Correctional Facility
in Michigan
are being considered for relocation of 220 prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Kansas officials including both U.S. Senators have objected to the transfer with Pat Roberts
saying the transfer would require the that 2,000 privately-owned acres around the fort would need to be acquired by the use of eminent domain
to establish a stand-off zone because the prison is on the perimeter of the fort.
inmates. Since 1945, there have been 21 executions at the USDB, including fourteen German prisoners of war executed in 1945 for murder. The last execution by the U.S. Military was the hanging of Army Pfc. John A. Bennett
, on 13 April 1961, for the rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old Austrian girl. Bennett's execution took place four years after it was approved by President Dwight D. Eisenhower
. All executions at the USDB thus far have been by hanging
, but lethal injection
has been specified as the military's current mode of execution. , there are six inmates on death row at the USDB, the most recent addition being Andrew P. Witt
, the only Air Force member currently on the USDB death row.
The execution of Army private Ronald A. Gray
, who has been on military death row since 1988, was approved by President George W. Bush
on 28 July 2008. Gray was convicted of the rape, two murders and an attempted murder of three women, two of them Army soldiers and the third a civilian taxi driver whose body was found on the post at Fort Bragg. On 26 November 2008, a federal judge granted Gray a stay of execution
to allow time for further appeals.
The death row is located in an isolated corridor.
Death row
Non-death row
Military prison
A military prison is a prison operated by the military. Military prisons are used variously to house prisoners of war, enemy combatants, those whose freedom is deemed a national security risk by the military or national authorities, and members of the military found guilty of a serious crime...
located on Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
, a United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
post in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
.
It is one of three major federal prisons built on Fort Leavenworth property. The civilian United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth
United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth
The United States Penitentiary , Leavenworth was the largest maximum security federal prison in the United States from 1903 until 2005. It became a medium security prison in 2005.It is located in Leavenworth, Kansas...
is four miles (6 km) south. A third prison the military's Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility
Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility
The Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility is a military prison at at 830 Sabalu Road, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas which opened in 2010.The prison on has a design specification of 512 beds with 43 in special housing and the rest in general housing and dormitory. The prison handles inmates...
was opened 5 October 2010.
It reports to the United States Army Corrections Command
United States Army Corrections Command
The United States Army Corrections Command exercises command and control and operational oversight for policy, programming, resourcing, and support of Army Corrections System facilities and TDA elements worldwide....
. Its commandant usually holds the rank of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
.
The USDB is the U.S. military's only maximum-security facility and houses male service members convicted at court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
for violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice
Uniform Code of Military Justice
The Uniform Code of Military Justice , is the foundation of military law in the United States. It is was established by the United States Congress in accordance with the authority given by the United States Constitution in Article I, Section 8, which provides that "The Congress shall have Power . ....
. Only enlisted
Enlisted rank
An enlisted rank is, in most Militaries, any rank below a commissioned officer or warrant officer. The term can also be inclusive of non-commissioned officers...
prisoners with sentences over five years, commissioned officers, and prisoners convicted of offenses related to national security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
are confined to the USDB. Enlisted prisoners with sentences under five years are housed in smaller facilities, such as the nearby Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility or the Marine Corps Brig
Marine Corps Brig, Quantico
Marine Corps Brig, Quantico is a Level 1 facility military prison operated at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia. By definition, Level 1 means that it can house relatively few inmates and is not equipped for sentences over 90 days.In practice, the facility can house approximately 250...
at Quantico
Marine Corps Base Quantico
Marine Corps Base Quantico, sometimes abbreviated MCB Quantico, is a major United States Marine Corps training base located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly in southern Prince William County, northern Stafford County, and southeastern Fauquier County...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Corrections personnel at the prison are Army "corrections specialists" trained at the U.S. Army Military Police school located at Fort Leonard Wood
Fort Leonard Wood (military base)
Fort Leonard Wood is a United States Army installation located in the Missouri Ozarks. The main gate is located on the southern boundary of St. Robert. The post was created in December 1940 and named in honor of General Leonard Wood, former Chief of Staff, in January 1941...
, Missouri, as well as Marine and Air Force corrections personnel.
First facility
Originally known as the United States Military Prison, the USDB was established by Act of CongressAct of Congress
An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by government with a legislature named "Congress," such as the United States Congress or the Congress of the Philippines....
in 1874. Prisoners were used for the majority of construction, which began in 1875 and was completed in 1921. The facility was able to house up to 1,500 prisoners. From 1895 until 1903, prisoners from the USDB were used to construct the nearby United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth until around 400 federal prisoners were moved there to complete the work.
The original USDB followed the Pennsylvania plan modeling on a layout of the Eastern State Penitentiary
Eastern State Penitentiary
The Eastern State Penitentiary is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located on 2027 Fairmount Avenue between Corinthian Avenue and North 22nd Street in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia and was operational from 1829 until 1971...
where cell blocks radiated out from a central structure. Individual cells were relatively isolated. In contrast, the civilian prison is modeled on the Auburn Correctional Facility in New York reflected a newer concept where prisoners were housed in a large rectangular building where there was a certain amount of communal living.
The original USDB was Fort Leavenworth's biggest and tallest building sitting on top of a hill at the corner of McPherson Avenue and Scott Avenue overlooking the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
. The largest buildings of the original barracks ("The Castle") were torn down in 2004. The old domed building was nicknamed "Little Top" in contrast to the domed federal prison two miles (3 km) north which was nicknamed the "Big Top.". The walls and 10 of the buildings in the original location remain—including Pope Hall—have been converted or are in the process of being converted to other uses at the Fort. The prison's original commandant's house still remains.
The original prison was 12 acres (48,562.3 m²). Its walls were 16 to 41 feet (12.5 m) high.
Gail Dillon of the Airman magazine said in 2002 that "A visitor would immediately notice the medieval ambiance of this institution – the well-worn native stone and brick walls constructed by long-forgotten inmates when "hard labor" meant exactly that have witnessed thousands of inmates' prayers, curses and pleas over the past 128 years" and that entering the facility was "like stepping back in time or suddenly being part of a kitschy movie set about a prison bust."
Current facility
The new barracks opened at a cost of $67.8 million and is about a mile north of the original barracks. It is on 51 acres (206,389.9 m²) on the site of the former USDB Farm Colony and is enclosed by two separate 14 feet (4.3 m) high fences. There are three housing units each of which can accommodate up to 142. The units described as "pods" are two-tiered triangular shaped domiciles. The cells in the new facility have solid doors and a window. There are no bars. The new facility is said to be much quieter than the old one and is preferred by inmates. Colonel Colleen L. McGuire
Colleen L. McGuire
Brigadier General Colleen L. McGuire, USA is a former officer of the United States Army. She was the Commanding General of the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command and the 13th Provost Marshal General, the first woman to hold either position. Brigadier General McGuire was also the...
, the first female commandant of the USDB, said in 2002 that the new facility is "much more efficient in design and layout – much brighter and lighter."
The new prison reflects current prison design of smaller low-rise separate buildings where prisoners can be more easily isolated from the general population. The USDB has continuously been accredited from the American Correctional Association (ACA) since 1988.
In 2009, the Barracks along with the Standish Maximum Correctional Facility
Standish Maximum Correctional Facility
Standish Maximum Correctional Facility is a Michigan Department of Corrections maximum security prison in Standish, Michigan. The men's prison was located on the south side of M-61 . It is located northwest of Detroit.-History:...
in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
are being considered for relocation of 220 prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Kansas officials including both U.S. Senators have objected to the transfer with Pat Roberts
Pat Roberts
Charles Patrick "Pat" Roberts is the senior United States Senator from Kansas. A member of the Republican Party, he has served since 1997...
saying the transfer would require the that 2,000 privately-owned acres around the fort would need to be acquired by the use of eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
to establish a stand-off zone because the prison is on the perimeter of the fort.
Cemetery
Deceased prisoners who are not claimed by their family members are buried near the original USDB. There were 300 graves dating from between approximately 1894 and 1957, 56 of which are unmarked and 14 more that belong to German prisoners of war executed for the murder of fellow POWs. The German soldiers were executed over a two day period in 1945.Capital punishment
The USDB houses the U.S. military's male death rowDeath row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
inmates. Since 1945, there have been 21 executions at the USDB, including fourteen German prisoners of war executed in 1945 for murder. The last execution by the U.S. Military was the hanging of Army Pfc. John A. Bennett
John A. Bennett
John Arthur Bennett was a Private First Class in the United States Army who was convicted and executed for the rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old Austrian girl. He is the last person to have been executed by the United States military.Bennett was born in Virginia to a family of African...
, on 13 April 1961, for the rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old Austrian girl. Bennett's execution took place four years after it was approved by President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
. All executions at the USDB thus far have been by hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
, but lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
has been specified as the military's current mode of execution. , there are six inmates on death row at the USDB, the most recent addition being Andrew P. Witt
Andrew P. Witt
Andrew Paul Witt is a former Senior Airman in the United States Air Force who was convicted and sentenced to death for the murders of a fellow Airman and his wife while he was an avionics technician in the 116th Air Control Wing at Robins Air Force Base.-Early life :Witt grew up in West Salem,...
, the only Air Force member currently on the USDB death row.
The execution of Army private Ronald A. Gray
Ronald A. Gray
Ronald Adrin Gray is an American spree killer whose convictions include four counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and eight counts of rape. His crimes were committed when he was in the United States Army, stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was tried and convicted by military...
, who has been on military death row since 1988, was approved by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on 28 July 2008. Gray was convicted of the rape, two murders and an attempted murder of three women, two of them Army soldiers and the third a civilian taxi driver whose body was found on the post at Fort Bragg. On 26 November 2008, a federal judge granted Gray a stay of execution
Stay of execution
A stay of execution is a court order to temporarily suspend the execution of a court judgment or other court order. The word "execution" does not necessarily mean the death penalty; it refers to the imposition of whatever judgment is being stayed....
to allow time for further appeals.
The death row is located in an isolated corridor.
Selected inmates
- Hasan Akbar
Non-death row
- William CalleyWilliam CalleyWilliam Laws Calley is a convicted American war criminal and a former U.S. Army officer found guilty of murder for his role in the My Lai Massacre on March 16, 1968, during the Vietnam War.-Early life:...
– In connection with My Lai MassacreMy Lai MassacreThe My Lai Massacre was the Vietnam War mass murder of 347–504 unarmed civilians in South Vietnam on March 16, 1968, by United States Army soldiers of "Charlie" Company of 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade of the Americal Division. Most of the victims were women, children , and... - Charles GranerCharles GranerCharles A. Graner, Jr., is a former U.S. Army reservist who was convicted of prisoner abuse in connection with the 2003–2004 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal...
– Convicted of prisoner abuse in connection with the 2003–2004 Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuseAbu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuseBeginning in 2004, human rights violations in the form of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture, rape, sodomy, and homicide of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq came to public attention...
scandal. - John T. Neufeld was a World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
era MennoniteMennoniteThe Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
conscientious objectorConscientious objectorA conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
sentenced to 15 years hard labor in the Disciplinary Barracks. Neufeld was paroled to do dairy work and released after serving five months of his sentence. - Jonathan Wells, who later wrote Icons of EvolutionIcons of EvolutionIcons of Evolution is a book by the intelligent design advocate and fellow of the Discovery Institute, Jonathan Wells, which also includes a 2002 video companion. In the book, Wells criticized the paradigm of evolution by attacking how it is taught...
which criticized the teaching of evolutionEvolutionEvolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
in American schools, served 18 months for refusing military service during the Vietnam warVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Incidents
- August 12, 2010 - Two inmates overpowered a guard in the Special Housing Unit where inmates are locked up 23 hours a day. They then were joined by 11 others. A special tactics unit took control of the Unit and freed the guard. Several inmates and one rescuer sustained non-life threatening injuries in the incident. This was the first such incident in the new prison.
- May 12, 1992 - 300 inmates refused lockdown in the old prison. The uprising was put down by 150 correction officers.
- August 17, 1988 - Inmate David Newman escaped after hiding in Pope Hall while on Wood Shop Detail. He assembled a ladder, kicked out a window and climbed over the wall between Towers 3 and 4. He was captured four days later in Kansas City. Following the escape bars were placed on the windows of all buildings within the complex and interior chain link with razor wire top guard was placed between the buildings and the exterior stone walls.
- 1918 - Joseph and Michael Hofer, two Christian pacifists who were drafted to serve in World War I, died at Fort Leavenworth after refusing to enlist or wear uniforms. They were held in solitary confinement, beaten, and starved to death.
In popular culture
- The Last CastleThe Last CastleThe Last Castle is a 2001 American drama film directed by Rod Lurie, starring Robert Redford, James Gandolfini, and Mark Ruffalo.The film portrays a struggle between inmates and the warden of the prison, based on the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth. Eugene Irwin, a highly...
is a 2001 drama film directed by Rod LurieRod LurieRod Lurie is an Israeli-American director, screenwriter and former film critic.-Early life and career:The son of internationally syndicated cartoonist Ranan Lurie, he was born in Israel but moved to the United States at a young age, growing up in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Honolulu,...
, starring Robert RedfordRobert RedfordCharles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
and James GandolfiniJames GandolfiniJames J. Gandolfini, Jr. is an Italian American actor. He is best known for his role as Tony Soprano in the HBO TV series The Sopranos, about a troubled crime boss struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia...
, which portrays a struggle between inmates and the warden of the United States Disciplinary Barracks.
See also
External links
- U.S. Disciplinary Barracks Official Website