McNeil Island

The Seattle Public Library digitized approximately 800 new images this year, more than doubling the size of its historical Northwest Photograph Collection. From McNeil Island Penitentiary to the Coulee Dam to Neah Bay, photos from 1920-1949 demonstrate the long history of regional issues that KNKX Public Radio and its contributors report on to this day.

Author’s note: This story followed up on one we told in Episode 4 of Forgotten Prison, KNKX's podcast about the history of McNeil Island. It really…

Laura McCollum, who was profiled in Episode 2 of Forgotten Prison, has been conditionally released from the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island.…

The only woman at a treatment facility for sex offenders on McNeil Island in South Puget Sound has been conditionally released in Pierce County.Laura…

Browse the selection of prison movies on streaming services, and the contrast is clear.Many people, near and far, know about the Rock. But few — even…

Over the past several weeks, the podcast series Forgotten Prison has taught listeners a lot about the Alcatraz of Washington state. Despite the rich…

McNeil Island is an especially forgotten prison. But, in the end, all prisons are forgotten in some way. In the last episode of Forgotten Prison, hosts Simone Alicea and Paula Wissel wrestle with why that is.

McNeil Island’s history mirrors American history that unfolded outside the prison walls. And one of its darker chapters collides with the Korean War and…

McNeil Island prison ran for more than a century in South Puget Sound. A lot of earth-shaking events happened in the outside world during that time, and…

Studying the history of an American prison is really just a study in American history. Pick a major event, and odds are good you can find at least one story related to McNeil Island.