History of American Prisons

1
History of American Prisons

• Mrs. Auvil
• Social Studies 9

2
Vocabulary

• Penitentiary- from the Latin word for remorse
• Quakers- religious group William Penn was a part
  of (nonviolent group)
• Prison- a public building used for the
  confinement of people convicted of serious crimes

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400 - 1000 A.D. Punishments

• Peasants (poor people) couldn't pay fines
• Led to corporal punishment
• Whipping
• Branding
• Torture

4
1400s England

• King Henry VIII started executions, banishment,
  mutilation, branding, and flogging for criminals
• Anywhere from murderers to robbers

5
First Prisons

• In Europe, prisons were only used to hold people
  before they went to court
• Meant for a short time only

6
The State of Georgia

• Debtors, people who owed money to the king of
  England (King George), were sent to live in
  Georgia our first prison

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Georgia cont.

• Between 1717 and 1775, at least 10,000 convicts
  were sent to the Georgian colony
• This was not a punishment though because they
  made friends with the Native Americans and had a
  good life

8
James City, Virginia

• First American jail house in colonies
• 1600s

9
James City Prison

• Criminal paid for his crimes by giving up his
  land and belongings
• No property?
• Go to prison and work there until victim is paid
  off.

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Original Prisons

• 1820- Walled institutions penitentiaries
  replaced physical punishment
• They were
• Overcrowded
• Dirty
• Inmates attacked each other regularly

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Original Prisons, cont

• All people together (old, young, black, white,
  men, and women)
• Sheriff had a bar with very expensive liquor for
  them to buy
• There were fees to have cells locked, unlocked,
  get food, have heat, and clothes

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1776

• Prisons who were waiting for their trial might
  have traded their clothes for liquor.
• When the trial wasnt until after winter they
  froze to death!

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Prostitution

• Certain women purposely got arrested so they
  could have access to drunk male prisoners with
  money!

14
Death Penalty for

• Murder
• Denying the true God (going against religion of
  state)
• Homosexual acts
• Kidnapping

15
Prison and Fines for

• Cheating on a spouse
• Rape
• Debtors

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Quaker Prisons

• Quakers of Philadelphia came up with concept of
  penitentiary
• Purpose was to have criminals reflect on their
  crime and become truly sorry

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Quaker Prisons cont.

• Their idea was solitary confinement
• Hoped criminals would reflect and pray
• Called Pennsylvania System
• This was the FIRST long-term prison in the world!

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Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries
of Public Prisons

• 1783- Benjamin Franklin (and some others) started
  to change the cruel punishments of criminals
• Created the Society in 1787
• Now called Pennsylvania
• Prison Society

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Walnut Street Prison(First Prison in USA!)

• Started in 1790
• Pennsylvania System of prison design (solitary
  confinement)
• Become overcrowded because of increased industry
  and cities

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Walnut Street Jail

• Reduced crime rate
• 131 in 1789 to 45 in 1793
• Reduced escapes to ZERO in first 4 years

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Walnut Street Prison cont.

• Had workshop teaching trades
• Large rooms (18 feet square) for 30-40 occupants
• Samuel Wood (first warden)
• Closed in 1835

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Problem with this system

• Solitary confinement caused
• Nervous breakdowns
• Suicides
• They thought silence would cause the prisons to
  not pick up each others bad attitudes

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Auburn Prison (in NY)

• 1821- New system of prisons Auburn System
• Inmates work 10 hours a day, 6 days a week
• Gives sense of purpose, discipline, and order

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Auburn System

• Three classes of prisons
• 1. Always in solitary confinement
• 2. Allowed to work and have occasional free time
• 3. Largest group- worked and ate together during
  the day, separate cells at night

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Auburn System SCARY!

• Punishment with whip to back
• Inmates helped build Sing Sing Prison, NY in 1825
  and NO ONE tried to escape
• They slept outside with no supervision!

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Eastern Penitentiary System

• Took down a cherry orchard to build it, so
  located in Cherry Hill, PA.
• Opened in 1829 (not finished until 1835)
• Promoted EXTREME isolation
• Caused suicides

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Modern Prison?

• Each cell had its own small exercise yard
  attached
• Central heating (even before the US Capitol)
• Flushing toilet in each cell (before the White
  House)
• Shower baths
• (first in the USA!)

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Which is better?

• Auburn System proves better than Pennsylvania
  System

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Civil War Era1861-1865

• Harsh and brutal
• Started two other systems
• Contract System- sold inmates work to local
  businesses
• Convict-Lease System- sold inmates as slaves to
  businesses (state gave up supervision and control)

30
Elmira Reformatory, NY

• 1888-1920
• Z.R. Brockway (warden) created new penology
• Elementary education for illiterates
• Library hours
• Elmira College faculty teach inmates
• Vocational training shops

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Mid-1930s Freedoms

• No more red and white striped uniforms (wore all
  grey instead)
• Mingle around yard for 1-2 hours a day
• Got movies and radio
• Visitors and mail

32
Prisoner Rights

• In 1971, the Supreme Court gave prisoners some
  rights
• Freedom of Speech
• Freedom of Religion
• Freedom from Restraints and Solitary Confinement
  due to beliefs, religion, or race
• Opportunity to wash, have clean bedding, clothes,
  heat, cooling, light, and nutrition

33
Habeas Corpus

• Law that protects people from being put into
  prison (or locked up) for wrong reasons

34
Security First, Rights Second

• Mail may be searched
• Reading material may be denied
• Newspapers may be edited (meaning cut out so only
  certain things can be read)
• Ankles and wrists may be shackled when they are
  moved

35
Good Time

• This is credit for time served on good behavior
• Used to reduce sentence length
• One day of good time credit for every three
  days that he/she behaves well