Boston native Michael McKay recently published "A Big House for Little Men," a novel steeped in the realities of Walpole State Prison's violent past.
McKay took reports from inside the walls of the prison (later renamed MCI: Cedar Junction) in the '70s to craft the fictional story of Cody, a career criminal from Dorchester who comes to wield great power from inside his jail cell before ultimately escaping.
Self-published through iUniverse, the book can be purchased at abighouseforlittlemen.com.
This is McKay's first novel. He is working on a second novel called, "You Leave Me No Option." McKay, 52, has a wife and two kids and splits his time between Attleboro and Tampa, Fla.
Q: Did Walpole State Prison/Cedar Junction serve as the inspiration for your novel?
A: Yes, kind of. I was also drawn to other facilities in Massachusetts as well, because they were in the news every other day back in the '70s and inmate fatalities were daily. I also recall reading about a takeover of the Walpole State Prison in the mid-'80s where inmates were plotting to kill the warden and guards behind the wall. Inmates came forward to stop it and an investigation was completed where inmates were transported to ... (other) facilities nationwide.
Q: Why did you decide to draw upon events at Walpole prison for your book?
A: One night, while I was sitting in Norwood Hospital, a group of correction officers and local police rushed two inmates into the emergency room. Later on, I overheard the doctors talking about removing teeth from an inmate's throat due to a beating he took at the prison and how another inmate died from multiple stab wounds (over 140). One of the doctors appeared to be so physically shaken and was in tears because he could not save the inmate's life. I have never forgotten what I observed and wanted to tie it in to my book somehow.
Q: How much research did you do on Walpole State Prison/Cedar Junction? What were some of your most interesting finds?
A: I did many years of research and have documentation to back up the events that occurred. The most interesting find was the takeover of the prison and the plot behind the story. Also the power that the inmates had behind the walls with the execution squads they formed, and on Jan. 1, 1979, inmates were indicted and most were again found not guilty of the murders. The final straw was the fact that the governor and commissioner of corrections needed to change the image of the facility because the guards could not protect the inmates due to the power and the fear that the inmates possessed. The inmates feared nothing and no one of authority. Also, the guards walked out of the prison to go on strike because they no longer had any control of the inmates and the murder rate was rising and they feared for their own lives.
