Ever hear of the Norfolk Prison Colony in Mass?

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The Norfolk State Prison Colony (as it was then called) had its own debate team, orchestra, and newspaper. Inmates took classes and served on committees and councils, and many volunteered to serve their country during wartime.

Several well-known figures did time at Norfolk during the 1940s, including Malcolm X (who was on Norfolk’s debate team,) big-time bookmaker Harry “Doc’’ Sagansky of Brookline, legendary mob boss Raymond Patriarca and Cocoanut Grove nightclub owner Barney Welansky.

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With dormitories, athletic fields, and a quad with plenty of open space, the layout of the penitentiary was reminiscent of a college campus. This novel design was supposed to foster a sense of community and responsibility among the inmates.

While critics called the experimental prison a “country club,’’ others hailed Norfolk as the “prison of the future’’ and a model for the next generation of correctional institutions.

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Winslow remembered another unique aspect of Norfolk: the prison’s debate team.

Founded in the 1930s by Cerise C. Jack, a progressive reformer from Walpole, Norfolk’s all-inmate squad competed against students from Harvard, MIT, Princeton and other top colleges. Inmates presented eloquent arguments on topics such as free trade, capital punishment and the legality of wiretapping, and compiled an impressive record of victories against the collegiate teams.

“They had some tremendous debaters,’’ said Winslow. “They were consistent winners.’’

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