Overview

Welfare to Warden is the insightful and inspiring autobiography of Pamela Withrow, an Indiana farm girl who aspired to be an English teacher but instead became a prison warden. It carries the reader through Withrow's first-woman roles at Camp Brighton and Jackson Prison and toward her appointment as the first woman to head a male prison in Michigan-the Michigan Dunes Correctional Facility. The book follows her subsequent efforts to implement and research cognitive programs for prisoners as the warden of the Michigan Reformatory. Awards followed, including being named Warden of the Year by the North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents; induction into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame; and honorary doctorates from Grand Valley State University and Ferris State University. The story is told from a feminist perspective and acknowledges her time as a welfare mother as a vehicle to her success.

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9781958363287

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Reviews

When I grow up, I want to be a prison warden. How many people have you heard state that as their career path? My guess is not many. Add to it that the professional is a female, and I'd wager that guess drops even lower. The material in this book not only delves deeply into the journey of becoming a warden, it tackles the very challenging and difficult path of being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field. Within these pages, she discusses the concept of concrete correctional practices, as well as the journey of a woman learning how to maneuver herself in a foreign work environment, with the aim of providing teachable moments to educate us all on how to be successful at both. As a university educator and former warden, I found this book important in conveying correctional concepts in an easily digestible manner. As a woman, I found it touching, humorous, painful, and exhilarating as I walked along with Pam through her life and career. -Patty Barnhart, Lecturer, Arizona State University, and former warden

Author Information

Pam Withrow was born into an Indiana farm family near the midpoint of the 20th century, moved to Michigan in the turbulent '60s, and was a pioneering woman in the Michigan Department of Corrections. After a shotgun marriage, she returned to college, divorced, became a welfare mother, and completed a BA at Michigan State University. With the help of a bus-driver boyfriend, she began work with the Michigan Department of Corrections in 1976. After only two years, she was promoted to become the first woman to supervise a camp for male felons. This was followed by work as the housing deputy inside Jackson prison, which led to her appointment as the first woman to head a male prison, the Michigan Dunes Correctional Facility. She then served as the warden of the Michigan Reformatory, one of three penitentiaries in the state, for the final fifteen years of her career. She introduced cognitive work with prisoners while at the Reformatory, and it is now used throughout the department. She was named Warden of the Year by the North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents, received honorary doctorates from Grand Valley and Ferris State Universities, and was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.

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