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New York House of Refuge
First institution for juvenile delinquents. Juveniles were previously housed with adults. -
Eastern State Penitentary
First experiment of solitary confinement took place at Eastern State Penitentary in Philadelphia. Focused on Quaker belief. Eventually moved away from this belief due to inmates comitting suicide. -
Death Penalty
Michigan became the very first state to abolish the death penalty. -
First Statutory Provision
First statutory provision for seperate males and females prisons institutions as passed. -
First Women Prison
The very first women prison opened up in Indiana -
Second Women Prison
The second womens prison opened in Framingham, MA. Clara Barton, Founder of American Red Cross was superintendent of this prison for a year. -
First Federal Prison
Construction for the first federal prison started in Leavenworth, Kentucky. -
Education in Prison
(1900-1914) Superintendent of Bedhills reformatory for women attempted to start adapting school education into the reformatory. -
Cyanide gas
Cyanide gas was introduced as part of a method for execution. -
Alcatraz
Alcatraz in San Francisco opened up for the country's worst prisoners. -
Texas Prison College System
Texs Prison College system was established. This was a push for higher education for prisoners. -
23 hour a day lock up
States began to adopt a method that led to inmates being locked in a cell for up to 23 hours a day. This method was mainly adopted after two correctional officers were killed in one day at a prison. -
Elimination of Pell Grant Funding
Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1993 and the Higher Education Reauthorization Act of 1994 eliminated Pell Grant Funding for prisoners. This caused college programs for prisoners to shut down. -
The first Supermax prison
The very first and only supermax prison was built in Florence, Colorado known as ADX Florence. Currently houses dangerous foreign terrorists, gang members, and individuals responsible for various bombings that took place in the past. For example, Faisal Shahzad convicted perpatrator in the 2010 Time Square car bombing attempt. -
Federal executions resume
Federal executions resume and the first federal execution took place since 1963.
