Lords Select Committee, 1835, on Supressing Prisoners’ Communication
The House of Lords’ Select Committee on Gaols and Houses of Corrections in 1835 endorsed suppressing prisoners’ communications.
Notes
Millbank Penitentiary Officials’ Views on Suppressing Prisoners’ Communication
Officials of Millbank Penitientiary, a prominent prison opened in 1821, strongly advocated allowing prisoners to communicate with their family and friends.
Naming Penal Systems for Suppressing Prisoners’ Communication
Penal policy competition: Auburn / silent / congregate system versus the Pennsylvania / solitary / separate system
19th-Century Prisons Suppressed Prisoners’ Communications
In the nineteenth century, prisons around the world suppressed prisoners’ communication within prisons and across prison walls.
Benjamin Rush on Communication During Punishment
Benjamin Rush thought that public knowledge that a person had been imprisoned would stigmatize the person and destroy his or her sense of shame.
Elam Lynds, New York Prison Keeper
Elams Lynds was an early 19th-century New York prison keeper associated with the Auburn System, strict order, and brutal floggings.
Eliza Farnham on Suppressing Prisoners’ Communication
Eliza Farnham bravely opposed the 19th-century penal-policy consensus in favor of suppressing prisoners’ communication.
Public Deliberation in Actual Practice
Public deliberation in practice has serious constraints and isn’t the only means for guiding public action.
Richard Vaux’s Enduring Advocacy of the Pennsylvania System
Richard Vaux and other leading Pennsylvania public figures continued to advocate the Pennsylvania System long after it was abandoned in practice.
Family Visits Can Be Painful for Prisoners
Although communication is crucial for human relationships, a prisoner’s communication with family can be psychologically and emotionally difficult.