Originally named the Kansas State Penitentiary when the facility was authorized by the Kansas Constitution in 1859.
Executions of state, federal, and military prisoners were performed by hanging at KSP until 1965.
A few notable residents:
- Emmett Dalton, of the Dalton Gang, was sentenced to life imprisonment after their Coffeyville, Kansas bank robbery attempt in 1892.
- Harvey Bailey, “The Dean of American Bank Robbers” & cohort of Machine Gun Kelly.
- Alvin Francis “Creepy Karpis” Karpowicz, met Fred Barker here and later formed the Barker-Karpis Gang (1931 to 1935).