Module 10.2: History of Corrections

I. Early Forms of Punishment (Pre-18th Century)

Before the development of the prison as the primary form of punishment, societies relied on a variety of other, often corporal, methods. Incarceration was not seen as a punishment in itself, but simply as a way to hold an accused person while they awaited their real punishment.

A. Physical Torture and Corporal Punishment

Flogging (Whipping): One of the most common forms of punishment for a wide range of offenses.
Mutilation: The cutting off of a hand or finger for theft, or the branding of an offender's face.
The Stocks and Pillory: Devices used for public humiliation, where the offender would be restrained in a public place and subjected to ridicule and abuse from the townspeople.

B. Public Humiliation

The goal of many early punishments was to shame the offender in front of the community. This was believed to be a powerful deterrent.

C. Banishment and Transportation

Banishment: For more serious offenders, being exiled or banished from the community was a severe punishment in a time when survival depended on one's community ties.
Transportation: Beginning in the 17th century, England began "transporting" its convicts to its colonies, first in America and later in Australia. This served the dual purpose of removing criminals from England and providing cheap labor for the colonies.

D. The Death Penalty

Capital punishment was used for a vast number of crimes, not just murder. Public executions were common and were intended to serve as a powerful general deterrent.

III. The Great American Prison Systems (19th Century)

The Walnut Street Jail model led to the development of two competing prison systems in the United States, which would influence prison design for the next century.

A. The Pennsylvania System ("Separate System")

Philosophy: Based on the idea of total silence and total isolation, 24 hours a day. The goal was to prevent inmates from corrupting each other and to force them into penitence.
Practice: Inmates lived, worked, and ate alone in their individual cells. They were not allowed to speak or to see any other inmate. The only human contact they had was with a chaplain.
Famous Example: Eastern State Penitentiary (1829), with its "hub-and-spoke" design of cell blocks radiating from a central point.
Outcome: This system was praised for its orderliness, but it was extremely expensive to build and operate, and the total isolation led to widespread mental illness among the inmates.

B. The Auburn System ("Congregate System")

Philosophy: A modification of the Pennsylvania system, developed in Auburn, New York. It accepted the idea of solitary confinement at night but argued that inmates should work together during the day.
Practice: Inmates were kept in separate cells at night but worked together in large workshops during the day. However, they were forced to work in complete silence (the "silent system").
Key Innovations:
- Congregate Labor: Inmates produced goods that could be sold, making the prison more self-sufficient.
- Lockstep Formation: Inmates were marched from place to place in close order, with their hands on each other's shoulders.
Outcome: The Auburn system was much cheaper to operate and was more profitable than the Pennsylvania system. For these economic reasons, it became the dominant model for prisons throughout the United States and much of the world.

Comparison: Pennsylvania vs. Auburn

Feature	Pennsylvania System	Auburn System
Philosophy	Separate System (Solitary)	Congregate System
Daytime Activity	Solitary work in cell	Congregate work in silence
Evening Activity	Solitary confinement	Solitary confinement
Main Advantage	Prevented inmate contamination	Cheaper, more profitable
Main Disadvantage	Caused mental illness	Harsh discipline required

IV. The Reformatory Era and the Rise of Rehabilitation (Late 19th - Mid 20th Century)

By the late 19th century, it was clear that neither the Pennsylvania nor the Auburn system was effective at reforming offenders. This led to a new movement that focused on rehabilitation.

The Reformatory Movement: Advocated for the use of education, vocational training, and indeterminate sentencing to reform offenders.
Elmira Reformatory (1876): The first institution to put these ideas into practice. It was designed for young, first-time felony offenders.
Indeterminate Sentencing: Instead of a fixed sentence, an offender was given a range (e.g., 5-10 years). Their actual release date was determined by a parole board based on their behavior and progress toward reform.
The "Medical Model": In the mid-20th century, the rehabilitative ideal reached its peak with the "medical model" of corrections. Crime was seen as a "sickness" that could be "cured" through various forms of therapy and treatment.

Introduction

The way a society punishes its offenders is a reflection of its level of civilization. The history of corrections is a long and often brutal story, tracing the evolution of punishment from public spectacles of corporal punishment to the modern concept of the penitentiary. Understanding this history helps us to appreciate the reforms that have been made and to recognize the enduring challenges that have faced correctional systems for centuries. This module provides a brief historical overview of the development of corrections.

Key Learning Objectives:

Describe early forms of punishment before the advent of prisons.
Understand the significance of the Walnut Street Jail and the Pennsylvania and Auburn systems.
Identify key figures in the history of prison reform, such as John Howard.
Trace the historical development from punishment to a focus on rehabilitation.

II. The Birth of the Prison (Late 18th Century)

The Enlightenment period brought a new way of thinking about crime and punishment. Influenced by the Classical School thinkers like Cesare Beccaria, reformers began to argue that punishment should be more rational, humane, and focused on deterrence rather than pure brutality. This led to the idea of using imprisonment as a punishment in itself.

A. John Howard (1726-1790)

The "Great Prison Reformer." Howard was a sheriff in England who was appalled by the horrific conditions he saw in the local jails (called "gaols").
Key Problems he identified: Inmates of all types (men, women, children, the sick, the mentally ill, first-time offenders, and hardened criminals) were all housed together in filth and squalor.
His Reforms: He advocated for:
- The segregation of inmates by age, sex, and seriousness of their crime.
- The provision of proper food, water, and sanitation.
- The idea that prisons should not just punish, but should also be places of reform.

B. The Walnut Street Jail (Philadelphia, 1790)

Considered the first true "penitentiary" in the world.
Inspired by Quaker ideals, the Walnut Street Jail put the new reformist ideas into practice.
Key Features:
- It segregated inmates by sex and offense.
- It abolished the fee system, where inmates had to pay for their own food.
- Most importantly, it was based on the concept of solitary confinement. The idea was that if inmates were kept in complete silence and isolation, they would have time to reflect on their sins, become penitent (hence the name "penitentiary"), and reform themselves.

Conclusion

The history of corrections shows a slow and often difficult evolution away from punishment for its own sake and toward more purposive goals. The brutal corporal punishments of the past gave way to the ordered silence of the first penitentiaries. The debate between the Pennsylvania and Auburn systems shaped the physical design of prisons for a century. Finally, the failures of these early systems led to the rise of the rehabilitative ideal, which viewed the offender not just as someone to be punished, but as someone to be changed. While modern corrections still grapples with the conflicting goals of punishment and rehabilitation, this historical journey provides the essential context for understanding the prisons and correctional programs of today.