Walpole State Prison, opened 1955 | It is only partially accurate to say that Walpole is the location of MCI – Cedar Junction, a maximum security prison for males that was originally named “MCI — Walpole” — until town residents successfully lobbied in the mid-1980s for the change. In reality, only part of the facility actually lies in Walpole. The southwest part of it lies in the neighboring town of Norfolk, but as Norfolk already has a prison (MCI Norfolk), Cedar Junction was originally known as MCI Walpole.

A firsthand account of rioting picknickers [sic] at Walpole Prison, 1972 | Piles of charred books in its library best symbolized how reason went up in smoke and flames during a riot at Walpole state prison early this weekend. The bitter smell of smoke and the bite of some lingering tear gas remained Saturday and Sunday when newsmen toured the maximum-security facility. –Christian Science Monitor, March 20, 1972

When the prisoners ran the prison: Massachusetts, 1973 | Even to this day there are conflicting accounts of who killed whom and what precisely happened in the chaos. Walpole, meanwhile, had been one of the USA’s most violent prisons, with extremely poor relations between prisoners and guards, and a reputation for racism and violence.

MCI-Cedar Junction, 1980s | formerly known as MCI-Walpole, is a maximum security prison with an average daily population of approximately 800 adult male inmates under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Department of Correction. It was opened in 1955; renamed at the request of the Town of Walpole, 1980.

Walpole State Prison: An Exercise in Torture, 1981 | “We are not worth more. They are not worth less.” Note: AI [Amnesty International] does not mention “torture,” but “ill-treatment,” a term that carries no specific treaty or statutory definitions… Spring 1981 I received a series of phone calls in the middle of the night warning me to lay off my investigations at Walpole. In June 1981, after completion of the report, I took a temporary leave of absence as a personal safety precaution. –Author Willson

MCI-Cedar Junction at Walpole | Official Website of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security | Effective June 2009, MCI Cedar Junction has been designated as the Massachusetts Department of Correction’s Reception and Diagnostic Center. MCI Cedar Junction receives all new court commitments of the male offender.

Prison Arts Coalition (PAC) | https://www.facebook.com/prisonartscoalition | Established in 2008, the Prison Arts Coalition (PAC) serves as a national network for prison arts in the United States. Through online outreach and organizing, PAC provides support, information, and partnership opportunities within the American prison arts sector. Rather than delivering or organizing programs directly [on-site], we provide support, resources, information, and partnership opportunities for those active in programs around the US.

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Poet Guide: Susan Powers Bourne