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| Location | Folsom, California |
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| Coordinates | 38°41′35″N 121°09′42″W / 38.6931°N 121.1617°WCoordinates: 38°41′35″N 121°09′42″W / 38.6931°N 121.1617°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Medium |
| Capacity | 1,813 |
| Population | 4,427 (244%) (as of fy 2008/09[1]) |
| Opened | July 26, 1880 |
| Managed by | California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation |
| Director | Matthew C. Kramer, Warden |
Folsom State Prison is a California State Prison located in the city of Folsom, California, 20 miles (32 km) from the state capital of Sacramento, California. Opened in 1880, Folsom is the second-oldest prison in the state of California after San Quentin and was the first in the country to have electricity.[citation needed] Folsom was one of the first maximum security prisons, and as such witnessed the execution of 92 condemned prisoners over a 42-year period. It is possibly best-known in popular culture for two concerts performed at the facility by musician Johnny Cash in the late 1960's. Folsom State Prison is one of 33 prisons operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
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Facilities
Both FSP and California State Prison, Sacramento (SAC) share the mailing address: Represa, CA 95671.[2][3] Represa (translated as "dam" from the Spanish language) is the name given to the State Prison post office because its adjacency to Folsom Dam.[4]
As of the United States 2000 Census, FSP and SAC had a combined inmate population of 7,246 housed at level 1 and 2 security, the two lowest levels of security for prisons operated by the CDC. Level 1 prisoners are housed in open dormitories without a secure perimeter, and Level 2 prisoners may be housed in open dormitories with secure perimeter fences and armed guard coverage. However, there are no dormitories within the FSP secure perimeter, and prisoners are housed in one man cells, two to a cell. In 2004, the majority of level 2 prisoners were moved to other prisons and level 3 prisoners took their place. FSP's population in early 2005 was approximately 3,400.
There are five housing units within the secure perimeter, including the original two-tiered structure. Unit 1 is the most populous cellblock in the United States, with a capacity of nearly 1,200 inmates on four five-tiered sections.
All cells include toilet, sink, bunks and storage space for inmate possessions. There are two dining halls, a large central prison exercise yard, and two smaller exercise yards. The visiting room includes an attached patio as well as space for non-contact visits.
History
FSP is California's second-oldest prison, long known for its harsh conditions in the decades following the California Gold Rush. Construction of the facility began in 1878 on the site of the Stony Bar mining camp along the American River. The prison officially opened in 1880. Inmates spent most of their time in the dark behind solid boiler plate doors in stone cells measuring 4 feet by 8 feet (1.2 by 2.4 m) with 6 inch (150 mm) eye slots. Air holes were drilled into the cell doors in the 1940s, and the cell doors are still in use today.
FSP was the first prison in the world to have electric power, which was provided by the first hydroelectric powerhouse in California. The quarry at FSP provided granite for the foundation of the state capitol building and much of the gravel used in the early construction of California's roads.
Although FSP now houses primarily medium security prisoners, FSP was one of America's first maximum-security prisons; a total of 93 prisoners were hanged at FSP between December 13, 1895, and December 3, 1937. After that time executions were carried out in the gas chamber at California's San Quentin Prison.
California's vehicle license plates have been manufactured at FSP since the 1930s. Other prison industries include metal fabrication and a print shop.
Incidents
A warden of FSP, Clarence Larkin, was stabbed during an escape attempt in 1937 and died from his wounds, becoming the only California warden to be killed in the line of duty. Violence at the prison peaked during the 1970s and 1980s when the Aryan Brotherhood and other prison gangs made prisons increasingly dangerous. The establishment of Secure Housing Units, first at California State Prison, Sacramento, and later at Pelican Bay State Prison and California State Prison, Corcoran, did much to control gang-related violence.
Popular culture
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FSP was made known to the outside world by country music legend Johnny Cash. Cash narrated a fictional account of an outlaw's incarceration in his song "Folsom Prison Blues" (1956). In addition, Cash performed two live concerts at FSP. The first was in 1966 and the most famous live concert was at the FSP cafeteria on January 13, 1968, which was recorded as the album At Folsom Prison. Cash later said of the FSP inmates "they were the most enthusiastic audience I have ever played to."[5] The "Folsom Prison Blues" single from that album was #1 on the country music chart for four weeks, and the album was on the top 200 pop album chart for 122 weeks.[5] A 40th anniversary tribute concert was to take place in the same cafeteria at FSP on January 13th, 2008, with a special appearance by Cash's original drummer W.S. "Fluke" Holland.[6] The original plans were to stream the concert over the internet, with four nonprofit groups underwriting the show and sharing in any profits the show might realize.[6] However, a few days before the concert was to occur, it was canceled in a dispute over filming rights, media access, and security concerns.[7]
After Johnny Cash, the first outside band to perform at FSP was Animal House, a cover band out of Sacramento.
FSP is also referred to in the song Walla Walla on their 1998 album Americana by American punk rock band The Offspring, "Folsom prison is the destination".
FSP has been the location of a number of feature films, including Riot in Cell Block 11, Heat, American Me, The Jericho Mile, Another 48 Hours, Diggstown, parts of Walk the Line (a biopic of Johnny Cash), and Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison, which was the inspiration for Cash's song. The television drama 21 Jump Street also featured FSP when Johnny Depp's character Tom Hanson was imprisoned for murder. And a few shots for the movie Pros and Cons. The prison was central to the documentary film, Code of Silence by Amy Happ.[8] FSP was renamed for the movie Frankie and Johnny with Al Pacino. In the FSP Museum there is the identification of the fake Penitentiary.
Notable prisoners
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2009) |
- Sonny Barger of the Hells Angels
- Edward Bunker
- Duane "Dog" Chapman
- Eldridge Cleaver
- Joseph Gamsky, aka Joe Hunt, of the Billionaire Boys Club
- Glen Stewart Godwin, whose escape from Folsom earned him a spot on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list
- Cameron Hooker
- Rick James, musician
- Suge Knight, owner of Death Row Records
- Timothy Leary
- Charles Manson
- Erik Menendez
- James Mitose
- Bobby Purify (Original singer of "I'm Your Puppet")
- Glen Sherley, musician
- Danny Trejo, actor
References
- ^ Folsom State Prison (2009). "Institution Statistics". California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Visitors/Facilities/FSP-Institution_Stats.html. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
- ^ Folsom State Prison (FSP) (2009). "Mission Statement". California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Visitors/Facilities/FSP.html. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
- ^ California State Prison, Sacramento (SAC) (2009). "Mission Statement". California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Visitors/Facilities/SAC.html. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
- ^ Durham, David L. California's Geographic Names. A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, CA: Word Dancer Press, 1998. ISBN 1884995144
- ^ a b Sullivan, James. California prison concerts defined outlaw persona. San Francisco Chronicle, September 13, 2003.
- ^ a b Associated Press. Johnny Cash tribute at Folsom prison canceled. January 9, 2008.
- ^ Furillo, Andy. Folsom Prison concert is off. The promoter balks at rules to let the media film a tribute to Johnny Cash. Sacramento Bee, January 9, 2008.
- ^ http://www.freespeech.org/videodb/index.php?action=detail&video_id=10612&browse=0
External links
- Folsom State Prison - official site
- California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Official website
- Code of Silence documentary film
- Folsom Embodies California's Prison Blues - August 13, 2009 NPR story
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