Madam Warden: A Memoir of the First Woman in Michigan to Head a Prison for Men

Madam Warden is the insightful memoir of an idealistic innovator who became a prison warden. It carries the reader through Pam 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 tells of memorable staff and prisoners, shares stories about colleagues and mentors, and recaps incidents at prisons where Withrow worked during her twenty-five-year career. It covers the joys and challenges of prison administration and offers lessons learned. Finally, it follows her efforts to implement and research cognitive programs for prisoners at the Michigan Reformatory, including a chapter about a prisoner who used his cognitive skills to turn a life sentence into a term of years and earn parole.
Awards followed, including Withrow’s 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.
–––––––––––
“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 but 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
Pam Withrow has left an invaluable account of a career in the very male Department of Corrections at the crucial point when women began to take positions of leadership, giving the reader a lively account of three sources of support—innovative male mentors, supportive women colleagues, and professional organizations—that worked to counter the antipathy that greeted this woman pioneer. The reader comes to understand how Withrow was able to promote humane facilities for prisoners and staff by dint of her own quiet methods, strategizing, and tireless work. —Leslie Page Moch, professor of history emerita, Michigan State University
Many people write books based on academic study, research, and interviews. This book is written by someone who truly walked the walk and talked the talk. Pam is a practitioner who made a difference in the lives of those she worked with and those in her custody. She made a profound difference in my life through her mentoring and friendship when I became a warden with very little corrections experience. Her leadership and insight come through clearly in this book, and I recommend it to anyone interested in the real world of corrections. She has grasped the good and the bad, and reminds us all why this is a profession that deserves far more respect than it receives in the media and Hollywood. —Patricia Caruso, retired director, Michigan Department of Corrections, and recipient of the E. R. Cass Award from the American Correctional Association and the Michael Francke award from the Association of State Correctional Administrators

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. 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.