The Pennsylvania system and the Auburn system were the building blocks for the prisons and jails we have today. Virtually every prison built in the nineteenth century was based off of either the Pennsylvania or Auburn system. These two systems are ones that are rich in history and over their years of operation have managed to show many things that the systems have done correctly and the many faults within each system. In this essay I shall discuss with you, the history of these two systems; along with, the pros and cons of each system, and discuss why I felt that Auburn prison system was substantially better. The Pennsylvania system originated in Philadelphia and came to fruition after a group of Quakers formed the reformist Society for Alleviating …show more content…
The penitentiary house is where they would keep the worst of the offenders but due to overcrowding, legislation needed to approve of another two prisons. These prisons were the Western Penitentiary; located in Pittsburgh, and the Easter State Penitentiary, which was located in Cherry Hill, near Philadelphia (Clear 2013). With the opening of the Eastern State Penitentiary in 1829, it marked a true beginning to an era of prisons based completely on separate confinement. Eastern State Penitentiary, at that time, was considered to be the most imposing prison in the United States; this was all attributed to the creator of the prison; John Haviland, who designed each cell to be dark and dingy, with little to no visibility of other inmates. Each cell measured 12 by 8 by 10 feet and had a personal 18 -foot-long exercise yard. Cells were furnished with a fold-up metal bed, a toilet, a workbench, and a small 8-inch window to allow natural light into each cell (Clear 2013). Inmates had little to no human contact, getting only an occasional visit from a clergyman or prison official. The Pennsylvania system was very religious and its officials saw the solitary …show more content…
Many of the aspects used in both systems are still in used today, such as, lock step, solitary confinement and prison labor. Although they both helped shape the correctional system of today’s world, the Auburn system was far superior for many reasons. The prison was able to sustain its self and with the help of their free laborers they could experience a rise in prison population and still be able to pay for itself, unlike the Pennsylvania system. The Fact that inmates could see one another and be around other human beings was huge for the mental sanity of the inmates and was a huge reason that there was such a drop in the amount of mentally ill inmates, compared to the Pennsylvania system. All in all the Auburn system was not just better for the state, but also for the
Andersonville was built in April of 1864 . The Confederacy made Andersonville to hold captured Union soldiers because of better security and more supplied food. Andersonville is known as the South’s largest confederate military prison . The prison , after 14 months , had confined 45,000 soldiers with 400 more coming each day. Out of those 45,000 soldiers , 13,000 died from disease , poor living conditions , starvation , overcrowding , or exposure to harsh weather conditions.
developed—the first institution in which men were both “confined and set to labor in order to learn the habits of industry” (LeBaron, 2012, p.331). Although prisons had been designed to enforce and promote punishment, retribution and deterrence, they have also fallen into the conceptual belief that they were in many instances, nothing more than a sweat shop for the socially-undesired. At this point in history, there was very little reform and an immense lack of regulation for prisons or for the proper way they should be ran. Finances. In modern-day calculations, prison labor has been rather beneficial to the U.S. government, bringing in an average of 1.6 billion dollars in 1997.
what role did William Penn and Pennsylvania Quakers play in the development of the use of prisons in the United States? William Penn and the Pennsylvania Quakers started a prison system that centered on rehabilitation through religious reflection. They were very modern in the time as far as how prison life can impact a persons mental health. The Quakers wanted to avoid incarceration in possible and instead believed in inmate reform not public humiliation which was common during that time period. What are the key differences between the Pennsylvania System and the Auburn System of imprisonment?
It was a school at one point, and is now used as a museum. Even though the prison wasn’t part of the town, the people were still a part of it. The Yuma Territorial Prison was known for the way it treats its prisoners and all its strict rules. The prison had many positive effects on the town, but also had some negative ones. Since they were close to each other,
The Wabash County Jail was built in 1979, and is meant to hold 72 people at maximum capacity. The Miami County Jail was built in 2009, and is meant to hold 240 at maximum capacity. These two jails being significantly different in setup, their security, and their cells will be discussed in this paper. Their differences are due mainly to the time period they were built in, and the funding dedicated to the jail.
One of the most difficult inmates were placed in a solitary. Less dangerous inmates spent part of the day in solitude. Inmates worked together during the day and in the night the inmates were separated. The state provided all the food, clothing, and materials for the prisoners. Auburn became the prototype for the Americans.
There are over thousands local jails across the United States. They are all different in ways, and similar in ways. This week we got the opportunity to explore these similarities and differences. Last week we had taken a couple field trips to these different jails. We toured the Miami County jail, and the Wabash county jail.
In the Pennsylvania colony they set their own standards in government. In the year 1775 Pennsylvania was a proprietary colony. The first governor of Pennsylvania was William Markham. William Markham led the fight in abolish slavery. William Penn founded the colony in 1681.
Slavery was one of the most notorious institution that happened in the United States. Being prevalent in 1619 through 1865, during this time the Northern and Southern states were living two different lifestyles prior to the war. The Northern states’ objective was to expand industrialization further south, however the Southern states’ completely disagreed and wanted to remain rural and continue white supremacy. Owning slaves was a way of life for the Southern elites, they wanted to maintain black subordination. In 1865-1877 there was a period called Reconstruction that took place after the Civil War.
According to Portland State University, “Approximately one in 35 U.S. adults are incarcerated, on parole or on probation”. B) According to Penal Reform International, “In most prison systems, prisoners do not have the minimum space requirements recommended by international standards, spending up to 23 hours of the day, if not all day, in overcrowded cells. Overcrowding can be so severe that prisoners sleep in shifts, on top of each other, share beds or tie themselves to window bars so that they can sleep while standing”. Transition to Second Main Point: Now that we have defined what prison overcrowding is, let’s identify common causes.
History of prisons- Why were they created? What is their purpose? What are we doing to actually reform them? a) Who has jail helped? Most inmates seen repeatedly coming in and out of jail?
The prison hasn’t just been used to provide a building, but its been used for it’s material and has been slowly torn apart. Piece by piece through time, parts of the prison have been torn down. In 1916, there was a flood in Yuma and what the townspeople used to rebuild were parts from the prison (Murphy 1). In order for the Southern Pacific Railroad to be built the western walls and the woman's cells had to be destroyed in 1923 (The Yuma Territorial Prison). More destruction was made when the hospital in the prison and the Mes Hall were burned down in 1924 (The Yuma Territorial Prison).
Pennsylvania, chartered in 1682, was a colony with the goal of religious freedom, successful economy, ethnic and racial diversity. Pennsylvania was the meeting point for many conventions and signings throughout history, especially during the time of the American Revolution. Many leaders from this colony contributed greatly to America and what it is today, despite some resistance from other significant figures. As a whole, Pennsylvania was in agreement with uniting with the other 12 colonies and ratifying the Constitution due to Philadelphia’s large role as a central city for conventions in addition to many valued pro-independence political figures coming from this colony. Pennsylvania was founded on the basis of equality and justice.
Those who find themselves sentenced to time in a penitentiary, jail, or prison are at risk of either being broken or strengthened by the time they spend behind bars. There is a great debate of whether or not the prison system in the United States is positive or negative. The following will briefly highlight the positives, negatives, and possible alternatives for our nation's prison system. First, there is a long list of negatives that the prison system in America brings. The prison system is filled with crime, hate, and negativity almost as much as the free world is.
The prior incentives, now eliminated, provided opportunities for transfers to minimum security prisons, and as a result of their dissolution, the prison population began to skyrocket. The perceived conditions of the prisons began to worsen as a result of the overcrowding. In the early 1970’s, one cellblock housed the prison's disciplinary cases and its protection cases, containing about fifty inmates. Those fifty represented around five percent of the total prison population. In 1976, over twenty percent of the inmates were either in protective custody or in segregated units, forcing the utilization of two cell blocks.