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The first jail opens in Philadelphia
The first jail opened in Philadelphia. It was the Walnut Street Jail. -
Walnut Street Jail becomes the Eastern State Penitentiary
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First prison
The first modern prison, the Eastern State Penitentiary, opens in Philadelphia. -
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement was first experimented with in Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. -
Debtor's prisons are banned under Federal Law
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First state abolishes the death penalty
Michigan abolished the death penalty for every crime besides treason. -
Convict Leasing started
This is when incarcerated people were being leased out to work for private individuals. They were usually black men. -
Men and women are planned to be seperated for the first time
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The first women's prison
The first women's prison opened in Indiana. -
The US prison system is established
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Congress authorizes the construction of the Federal Prison System
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Congress authorizes a new federal penitentiary.
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Longer Prison sentences are given
this still remains to present day. -
First Federal Prison
The first federal prison was in Leavenworth in Kansas. This prison started housing prisoners in 1906. -
Cyanide gas introduced as an execution method
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The first federal women's prison opens
This opened in Alderson, WV. -
(BOP) Bureau of Prisons is established
This was established within the Department of Justice, and they were given the responsibility of all the federal corrections and penal institutes. -
Highest number of executions is reached
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Deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill begins
Mental Hospitals closed, state care decreased. -
Period: to
Increased incarceration for lower level felonies
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New Mexico State Penitentiary Prison Riot
This 2 day riot caused the death of 33 inmates and the injury of 200 inmates. Moreover, some officers were injured. This was the worst riot in the history of the United States corrections system. -
Supreme Court affirms that people cannot be incarcerated for failing to pay debts.
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Sentencing Reform Act prescribes mandatory minimums and eliminates judicial discretion.
This was to increase consistency in the United States. -
Settlement reached in Ashker vs. Governor of California
This reduced the number of people in solitary confinement and how and for how long people could be held.
