Washington State Penitentiary

Not to be confused with Washington State Prison, in Georgia.
Washington State Penitentiary (WSP)
Washington State Penitentiary is located in Washington (state)
Washington State Penitentiary
Location in Washington
LocationWalla Walla
Coordinates46°4′41″N 118°21′32″W / 46.07806°N 118.35889°W / 46.07806; -118.35889
StatusOperational
Security classMinimum, Medium, Close, Maximum
Capacity2,439
Opened1886
Managed byWashington State Department of Corrections
WardenRob Jackson, Superintendent
Street address1313 North 13th Ave.
CityWalla Walla
CountyWalla Walla County
State/provinceWashington
ZIP Code99362
CountryUnited States
Websitewww.doc.wa.gov/corrections/incarceration/prisons/wsp.htm

Washington State Penitentiary (also called the Walla Walla State Penitentiary) is a Washington State Department of Corrections men's prison located in Walla Walla, Washington. With an operating capacity of 2,200, it is the largest prison in the state and is surrounded by wheat fields. It opened in 1886, three years before statehood.

It was the site of Washington State's death row and where executions were carried out, until the Washington Supreme Court ruled the state's death penalty statute unconstitutional on October 11, 2018, thereby abolishing capital punishment in the state. Methods for execution were lethal injection and hanging.

Located at 1313 N. 13th Avenue, it is commonly known as "the Walls" among inmates and "The Pen" to the locals. The penitentiary is sometimes known as "Concrete Mama", from a book with the same title by Ethan Hoffman and John McCoy. Elsewhere within Washington, and also to an extent in the surrounding states, the name Walla Walla is a metonym for the penitentiary. The penitentiary was the subject of the song "Walla Walla" by American punk rock band The Offspring.