American Prison Development - Information retrieved from: The Prison Reform Movement U.S History in Context
By klschulz
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Colonial Period
Use of prisons as a tool for confining & punishing criminals evolved
Imprisoning criminals would protect society and redeem wrongdoers
Prior to the creation of the prison system, criminals often faced physical punishment such as whipping or branding
200 crimes were considered punishable by death -
Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons
Pennsylvania Quakers & other reformers developed the concept of penitentiaries.
- Prisons based on the idea that those who commit crimes should be penitent
- Penitence was considered the key to reform: criminals could not be rehabilitated, or restored to normal life, unless they felt sorry for their crimes -
Walnut Street Jail
First penitentiary build in the United States
- Humane treatment
- Repentance through physical labor - prison industries
- Solitary confinement for the most dangerous criminals
- Separate housing for women and those imprisoned for being in debt or homeless
- Offered health care, education, & the opportunity for religious worship -
New York's Newgate Prison
Modeled after the Walnut Street Jail
- Reformer & Quaker Thomas Eddy advocated work, education, and religious observance for all prisoners
- Strict discipline & solitary confinement -
Riot & Escape Attempt at Newgate Prison
After, it was believed that no prisoners should share cells at night
- Grouping prisoners together led to violence, corruption, and escape attempts -
The Auburn Penitentiary
Upstate New York -
The Auburn System
Physical labor
Silence
Prisoners categorized by seriousness of offense
Forced to march in lockstep
Not allowed eye contact with each other or the guards
Denied conversation & basic human contact
Physically punished for even minor misbehavior -
House of Refuge - New York
A separate institution for juveniles was built with a strong emphasis on reform. -
Eastern State Penitentiary - Philadelphia
The Pennsylvania system was developed and this consisted of solitary confinement at all times for entire sentences.
Instead of being reformed, many prisoners were driven insane caused by the constant isolation and silence.
The system also proved to be extremely expensive. -
Investigation of Auburn Penitentiary
The reports of prisoners dying as a result of extreme physical punishment resulted in an investigation of the prison.
- Resulted in a ban on corporal punishment -
Sing Sing - Ossining, New York
First all women's prison
The female prisoners were attended by female supervisors and guards.
They were also required to work making buttons or sewing clothes. -
Formation of New York Prison Association
Reformers belonging to the institution emphasized reform & examined the causes of crime such as: poverty, alcohol abuse, & family background.
They also focused on helping prisoners adjust to life after release from prison, which led to the development of the parole system. -
Increase in United States' Population
The increase in the civilian population ultimately led to an increase in crime which resulted in the increase of prison populations.
At this time, prisoners were considered social deviants whose behavior could only be corrected through forced labor and strict discipline. -
Publication of the Report on the Prisons & Reformatories of the United Staes and Canada
The report concluded that conditions in most prisons were terrible & current methods of punishment were ineffective.
This renewed an interest in prison reform - with special attention being paid to prison administration.
Prisons were run locally at the time and the system was ineffective and often corrupt.
This led to the recommendation that prisons fall under state control & be run by professionals. -
National Prison Congress
Reformers advocated a system in which inmates were rewarded for good behavior & could be released once they were reformed.
This led to the practice of releasing inmates early on parole & giving prisoners indeterminate sentences.
Such a sentence would specify a range of time to be spent in prison. -
Elmira Reformatory - Elmira, New York
A new system was developed regarding treatment of inmates.
Prisoners were assigned a grade classification & through work, education, and cooperation, they could raise their classification & ultimately secure their release.
This prison established an extensive education program. They brought in teachers and guest speakers.
An indoor gym was constructed and organized sports implemented. -
Progressive Era & Progressive Innovations
Some innovations developed by reformers were probation, parole, and sentencing changes.
Progressive reformers thought that trying to rehabilitate a person who was imprisoned was impossible.
They also started to phase out prison labor and industries because it was comparable to slavery. -
National Commission on Law Observance & Enforcement
The commission recommended different categorization for prisoners.
They also advised the use of minimum security prisons for those convicted of minor crimes.
Serious offenders were separate from those considered to be open to rehabilitation -
State Laws
By 1940, every state had laws preventing the sale of items made by prisoners on the open market.
Because of this, prison costs increased dramatically. -
Riots at New Jersey's Trenton Prison
Prisoners took guards hostage and destroyed prison property.
They demanded improved facilities, better access to counseling & medical care, an end to the brutality of the guards, and the ability to have a voice in the workings of the prison. -
Prison Rehabilitation Act
Some prisons allowed certain inmates to work or attend school outside of the prison.
Low-risk prisoners could reside at "honor camps" and work on farms or on road crews.
Halfway houses were developed as a place where released inmates could begin adjusting to life outside prison.
Some well-behaved inmates were granted furloughs, which were brief stays outside of prison and then were required to return.
This backfired in many cases. -
Race Riot at California's San Quentin State Prison
This was a protest against the treatment of black prisoners by white guards, which turned into a race riot between white & African American prisoners.
A white prisoner was killed during the protest.
Eventually the two groups realized fighting amongst themselves would solve nothing so they turned against the guards and administrators. -
Strike at California's Folsom State Prison
Inmates made demands that administrators improve living conditions, end the brutal treatment by the guards, & give prisoners greater control over decisions impacting them
The inmates refused to work their jobs in the kitchen or anywhere else.
They stayed in their cells for 19 days straight and only left when threatened with violence. -
Uprising at New York's Attica Correctional Institution
This was one of the most devastating conflicts in the history of the modern prison system.
Inmates had issued a set of demands including the restructuring of the parole system.
They seized the interior of the prison and held dozens of guards and other employees hostage.
After a guard died, state troopers were sent in and they shot directly into the crowd of convicts killing many prisoners and hostages.
In the aftermath, guards took revenge on the inmates through excessive violence. -
Abandonment of prison as a tool for rehabilitation
Prison officials returned to viewing prison as a means of punishing criminals and seeking retribution for their crimes.
This was partly a result of the public demanding stricter punishments for criminals -
The phasing out indeterminate sentencing laws
Many states began changing their policies so that prisoners were given determinate sentences.
Early release would now be calculated using a system that was considered to be more objective than a parole board. -
Increase in Prison populations due to the war on drugs
The number of state and federal prisoners quadrupled from about 320,000 in 1980 to more than 1.3 billion in 1999.
War on Drugs resulted in tougher sentences for drug offenses
Overcrowding added to the problems in prisons. -
Riot at New Mexico State Penitentiary
Guards were taken hostage and tortured.
More than 30 inmates were murdered and even more were beaten and tortured.
A great amount of physical damage to the prison also occurred. -
Mandatory Sentencing Laws
Judges were given almost no flexibility in determining sentencing because of the mandatory laws put in place.
This caused another increase in prison populations.
