You don’t know what tough is until you get behind the walls of that prison.” That’s one of the ways Bill Green describes his experience working as a correctional officer at the Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP). Bill was on the job for less than 10 days when he witnessed his first stabbing. “We’ve…
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Sitting atop the hill at the corner of Lafayette and Capitol Avenue, the Colonel Darwin W. Marmaduke House is home to the Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Missouri State Penitentiary Museum. But aside from welcoming visitors, the walls of the mansion hold a vast history, serving…
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Helping inmates improve their lives and find a better path forward is why Gary Jobe stayed with the Missouri Department of Corrections for more than 32 years. A few years after graduating from Lincoln University with a degree in psychology, Gary took a temporary position in the license tag plant…
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Beyond the Capitol are historic tours and museums, where Missouri's stories are preserved and new ones are in the making. Tyler Beck Photography Missouri State Museum The Missouri State Museum allows visitors to immerse themselves in the history of the Show-Me State. Located in the state Capitol…
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Is there a cheerier side to life behind bars? Former maintenance staff member Larry Neal thinks so. As a longtime employee of the former Missouri State Penitentiary, Larry witnessed plenty of grim and gruesome occurrences. However, he prefers to focus on the more lighthearted encounters he…
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Early in the penitentiary system, reform advocates operated on the theory that with the right training and programs, individuals could become productive members of society despite their crimes. Reflection was the original method of choice, as officials believed it would lead to creating remorse…
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"I want freedom, the right to self-expression, everybody’s right to beautiful, radiant things.” Emma Goldman’s quote from her autobiography, “Living My Life,” perfectly describes her lifelong dedication to advocacy. A well-known activist and public speaker, Goldman spent her days campaigning for…
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“I am dangerous to the invisible government of the United States; I am dangerous to the special privileges of the United States; … I thank God that at this hour I am dangerous to the war profiteers of this country, who rob the people on the one hand and rob and degrade the government on the other;……
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Located in the lower lot of the Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP) sits an overgrown pavilion, overlooking a parking lot filled with the state vehicle fleet. Look closer, and you will see remnants of rusting gym equipment and a basketball court which, together with the pavilion that once served as…
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"Just a minute,” Blanche Barrow told the sheriff at the door. This code alerted her husband, Buck, who shortly began firing on law enforcement. It was 1 a.m. on July 20, 1933, and Platte County police had descended upon the infamous Barrow gang after receiving a tip about the license plate on Clyde…
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