A unique exhibit in the museum includes a specially designed exhibit by the Kentucky State Reformatory (KSR). Both inmates and staff have designed interactive interpretations of how KSR has changed lives and influenced the community since its opening in 1939. Inmates designed and created teddy bears that were given to the first 200 visitors, ages 17 and under, on opening day of the museum. Old booking photos, inmate registries, and even some contraband can be seen at the exhibit.
KSR is a medium security facility located in La Grange under the administration of the Kentucky Justice Cabinet, Department of Corrections with a 1051 bed capacity.
The Kentucky State Reformatory was the third prison built in the Commonwealth of Kentucky following the establishment of a penal system by Kentucky’s Legislature in 1798. The Reformatory, whose history is closely linked with Kentucky’s political history and correctional philosophy, has undergone many changes during its existence in La Grange, Kentucky. The concept of the Kentucky State Reformatory was made possible through the appropriation of funds by the 1936 General Assembly and matching federal funds from the Public Works Administration. A committee chosen by Governor A.B. “Happy” Chandler toured the country seeking ideas to bring back to Kentucky so that the new institution being planned would be the correctional showplace of America. The committee returned with a blueprint that was innovative as far as prison construction of the time was concerned.
Architecturally, it appeared similar to schools and hospitals of that era. Instead of having individual cells for inmates, the plans called for open-wing dormitories. There was liberal space for each man and the design committee believed this would encourage the men to return to the community and lead crime-free lives. The prison hospital was said to be the best-equipped facility with a 15-state area. Overall, the Chandler Administration believed that the construction of the new buildings couples with the adjacent area of farmland were Kentucky’s answer to rehabilitation.
Up to the present day the physical plant has essentially retained its original configuration. The 12-story administration building was designed to house the offices of key staff members, a hospital and medical offices, together with living quarters for correctional staff. The eleventh floor houses the machinery of the elevator; the twelfth floor houses a now-defunct 150,000-gallon water tank.
There are five (5) dormitories made up of individual rooms. KSR maintain 148 beds in the correctional psychiatric treatment unit (CPTU). it is divided into a 50 bed program wing, 25 bed program wing, 50 bed stabilization wing, and 23 bed restrictive housing unit. The Reformatory also maintains a 75 bed Nursing Care Facility (NCF), a 20 bed open wing maintained in the Medical Service Building, a 50 bed open wing Daily Assisted Living Unit (DAL), and 5 temporary holding cells.
KSR’s primary mission is to be a specialized institution to provide extensive mental health and medical services to inmates within the system. The Medical Department provides on-site chemotherapy and dialysis treatments. Additionally, they coordinate Health Care Services which includes the direct provision of routine and emergency medical and dental care and the provision of medical care of outside hospitals and private practitioners.
Other buildings making up the Kentucky State Reformatory: Academic/Vocational School, Gymnasium, Chapel, Dining Facility, Inmate Canteen, Correctional Industries, Visitation Building and Medical Services Buildings.
Read an article about KSR in the Courier Journal newspaper, written by Oldham County Historical Society Executive Director, Nancy Stearns Theiss: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/oldham/2015/12/29/kentucky-state-reformatory-early-model-reform/77971058/. More information about KSR can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_State_Reformatory