Kansas State Penitentiary

In 1859, the Kansas legislature passed an act authorizing a state penitentiary, the Kansas State Penitentiary (KSP), to be located in Lansing, Leavenworth County. The Civil War was blamed for construction delays and it was not until 1867 that the main building was completed. The first prisoners were transferred to the prison in July 1868. Previously, convicted felons were housed in various jails. The prison was also used to house inmates from Oklahoma until 1909, two years after Oklahoma's statehood. In addition to coal mining and twine manufacturing, at various times state prisoners have been employed manufacturing bricks, soap, paint, furniture, and license plates for Kansas motor vehicles. Starting in 1885, inmates also worked on the prison farm. In 1980, the facility became co-correctional and in 1983, the name was changed to the Kansas Correctional Institute - Lansing (KCIL). In 1988, the minimum and medium custody female inmates were transferred to the Topeka Correctional Facility (TCF), and in 1995 the maximum-security female inmates followed suit. The facility where the female inmates had been housed is currently designated as Lansing Correctional Facility - East Unit and is a minimum-custody facility for male felons. In 1985, a medium security unit was constructed and began operating adjacent to the original wall of the maximum-security compound. This complex is designated as the Lansing Correctional Facility - Central Unit. The Osawatomie Correctional Facility was established in September 1987 as an 80 bed minimum-security facility on the grounds of the Osawatomie State Hospital in Miami County. In May 1990, the administration of the Kansas State Penitentiary and the Kansas Correctional Institution at Lansing were consolidated to form the Lansing Correctional Facility (LCF), the state's largest facility for detention and rehabilitation of male adult felony offenders. The following June, the Osawatomie Correctional Facility was consolidated administratively with the Lansing Correctional Facility. [Department of Corrections, "Lansing Correctional Facility History," http://www.dc.state.ks.us/facilities/lcf/history (accessed 1 October 2008.)] [McGurn, Anita. "Inventory Kansas State Penitentiary Records." Kansas State Historical Society.] [Wilder, Bessie. Governmental Agencies of the State of Kansas, 1861-1956. Lawrence: University of Kansas Publications, 1957.]