Solitary Confinement Differentiated from Suppressing Communication
Nineteenth-century penal authorities differentiated from solitary confinement the Auburn and Pennsylvania systems for suppressing prisoners’ communication.
Notes
Keeping Prisoners Silent at Auburn Prison
Lock-step movement, face-to-back seating, and strict supervision suppressed communications among Auburn State prisoners.
Suppressing Prisoners’ Communication in Late 18th Century Philadelphia
Pennsylvania law established penitentiary-like cells in the Walnut Street jail in 1790. These cells communicatively isolated prisoners.
Keeping Prisoners Silent at Eastern State Penitentiary
Techniques for suppressing prisoners’ communication at Eastern Penitentiary included keeping prisoners silent, in separate cells, at all times.
Authorized Communication with Prisoners at Auburn Prison
At Auburn Prison, only the prison warden, prison physician, and prison inspectors were authorized to communicate with prisoners in their regular, operational duties.
Suppression of Communication in the District of Columbia Penitentiary, 1846
In the District of Columbia Penitentiary about 1845, communication between prisoners and the outside world was tightly restricted.
Authorized Visitors to Prisoners in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania law included among authorized visitors to prisons members of the Philadelphia Society for alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons.
Distinguished Visitors’ Privileges at Eastern State Penitentiary
Distinguished visitors were welcomed to Pennsylvania’s Eastern State Penitentiary and allowed to converse with prisoners held under its separate system.
Death Rate in Early U.S. State Prisons
About 3% of prisoners died per year under the Auburn and Pennsylvania prison regimes in early 19th-century U.S. Much larger figures are incorrect.
Public Figures and Penal Scholars Study U.S. Models
In the 19th century, public figures and penal scholars from around the world visited Auburn State Prison or Eastern State Penitentiary and discussed extensively their penal communicative practices.