Is McNeil Island open to the public?
NOTICE: There are no public tours offered of McNeil Island. In 1841, McNeil Island, an island west of Steilacoom, Wash.
Can people visit McNeil Island?
So why is McNeil Island still off limits to the general public and recreational vessels? The island now serves as the State's primary Special Commitment Center (SCC), where sexually violent predators are indefinitely committed for treatment.
What is McNeil Island used for today?
Situated in Carr Inlet between Fox and Anderson islands and less than half a mile from the Key Peninsula, McNeil Island is currently home to Washington's Special Commitment Center, a facility operated by the Department of Social and Health Services providing treatment to persons designated as sexually violent predators ...
How many prisoners are on McNeil Island?
McNeil Island Corrections CenterMcNeil Island in 1937Location in Washington Show map of Washington (state) Show map of the United States Show allSecurity classMediumCapacity853Opened187510 more rows
Is McNeil Island still operating?
The island has been owned by the government for most of its history; it was a federal penitentiary for over a century, from 1875 to 1981. It was turned over to the Washington State Department of Corrections and became the McNeil Island Corrections Center, until it closed in 2011.
Has anyone escaped McNeil?
On September 5, 1921, Roy Gardner (1884-1940) makes a dramatic escape from McNeil Island Federal Penitentiary. This getaway cements his reputation as king of the escape artists and is his third great escape from federal authorities in two years.
When did McNeil Island close?
April 2011In April 2011, the oldest prison facility in the Northwest and final island-based prison in the nation was officially closed after 136 years.
How big is McNeil?
Company Description: McNeil & Company, Inc. is located in Cortland, NY, United States and is part of the Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities Industry. McNeil & Company, Inc. has 50 total employees across all of its locations and generates $25.38 million in sales (USD).
Overview
McNeil Island is an island in the northwest United States in south Puget Sound, located southwest of Tacoma, Washington. With a land area of 6.63 square miles (17.2 km ), it lies just north of Anderson Island; Fox Island is to the north, across Carr Inlet, and to the west, separated from Key Peninsula by Pitt Passage. The Washington mainland lies to the east, across the south basin of Puget So…
History
The island was part of the territory of the Steilacoom people, a Coast Salish tribe.
It was named in 1841 by Charles Wilkes in honor of Captain William Henry McNeill of the Hudson's Bay Company, who greeted Wilkes upon the arrival of the United States Exploring Expedition at Fort Nisqually in southern Puget Sound. Wilkes’ misspelling was never corrected.
Population
As of October 2018 the population was 214, all civilly committed former prison inmates.
While the prison was operational, the island had a population well over a thousand residents (1,516 as of the 2000 census ) The majority of which were incarcerated in MICC prison. There were about 40 families and about 100 people who lived on the island, with at least one family member employed at MICC. The homes were subsidized by the DOC at a greatly reduced rent.
Transportation
A small passenger-only ferry was for registered visitors, departing Steilacoom Dock every two hours. The state also supplies emergency speed-boat services for the civilly committed.
In 1934, McNeil Island was linked by ferry service with Steilacoom, Anderson Island and Longbranch, Washington. Separate federal or state-owned ferries u…
In popular culture
• In the 1995 Michael Mann movie Heat, Robert De Niro's character is revealed to have spent time as a prisoner at McNeil Island.
• In the movie Three Fugitives, Nick Nolte's character (Lucas) is released from McNeil Island prison at the beginning of the film.
• In the ninth episode of the first season of the podcast Tanis, the editor talks about Charles Manson's trip to the prison.
External links
• Photographs of McNeil Island available through Online Public Access, National Archives and Records Administration
• McNeil Island: Census Tract 727, Pierce County, Washington United States Census Bureau
• "McNeil Island Corrections Center". Archived from the original on August 27, 2010.