The Penitentiary's Unprecedented Surge
Walla Walla's state prison population is exploding at a rate that has authorities scrambling to explain the cause.
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The state board of control, which has just returned to Olympia from a visitation of state institutions, reports the increase of convicts at the state penitentiary beyond any previous record in the state. There are now 673 prisoners at Walla Walla, an increase of 75 since the first of April. This is the largest number on record in the state and the most rapid increase ever recorded. The board of control in its report to the last legislature estimated the needs of the institution on a basis of 675. It will be seen that number will be exceeded before the close of the first six months. The board does not attempt to account for this condition, suggesting it may be that prosecuting attorneys are becoming more vigilant, or that with the increase of the state's population, its criminals are also increasing.
“This is the largest number on record in the state and the most rapid increase ever recorded.”
Mass incarceration was already a concern in 1903 Washington. The struggle to reconcile rapid population growth with a ballooning prison population remains a central tension in current civic discourse regarding the justice system.
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