Prisons’ Means for Suppressing Prisoners’ Communication
Auburn State Prison in New York and Eastern State Penitentiary near Philadelphia were influential models of strictly suppressing prisoners’ communication.
Topic Collection: Auburn State Prison
The Auburn State Prison in upstate New York State pioneered the silent or congregate system for suppressing prisoners’ communication.
Solitary Confinement Differentiated from Suppressing Communication
Nineteenth-century penal authorities differentiated from solitary confinement the Auburn and Pennsylvania systems for suppressing prisoners’ communication.
Official Communication with Prisoners at Auburn and Eastern State
While strictly suppressing communication among prisoners, Auburn Prison and Eastern State Penitentiary provided official communication with prisoners.
Suppressing Prisoners’ Communication with Family and Friends
Auburn State Prison and Eastern State Penitentiary vigorously suppressed prisoners’ communication with family and friends.
Arguing about the Effects of Silent vs. Separate Penal Regimes
Vociferous debates about how to suppress communication among prisoners assumed such suppression actually promoted reformation.
Keeping Prisoners Silent at Auburn Prison
Lock-step movement, face-to-back seating, and strict supervision suppressed communications among Auburn State prisoners.
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.
Spectator Business at Early 19th-Century U.S. Prisons
Spectator counts and spectator revenue for U.S. state prisons in the 1840s, with time series 1820 to 1862 for Auburn State Prison, New York; and 1829 to 1902 for Eastern State Penitentiary, Pennsylvania.
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.
Naming Penal Systems for Suppressing Prisoners’ Communication
Penal policy competition: Auburn / silent / congregate system versus the Pennsylvania / solitary / separate system
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.
Auburn State Prison Led in Exhibiting Prisoners
Auburn Prison, a world-famous model for suppressing prisoners’ personal communication, also led in exhibiting prisoners to the public.
Early 19th Century Upstate New York Food and Labor Costs
Early nineteenth-century reports of New York State prison inspectors include information on labor and provisioning costs for prisons.
1846 New York State Fair Attracted Many Spectators to Auburn Prison
In September, 1846, the month of the New York State Fair at Auburn, spectators at Auburn Prison amounted to 42% of the year’s total.
Visitors to Prisons in Mid-Nineteenth-Century New York
Visitors to prisons were both spectators seeking to tour a prison and family and friends seeking to visit in prison their friend or relative.
Accounting for Spectator Revenue at NY State Prisons
In the mid-19th century, Auburn Prison carefully accounted for its spectator revenue. Discretionary use of this revenue prompted less thorough accounting.
From Exhibiting Prisoners to Exhibiting Historic Prisons
While exhibiting prisoners ended early in the 20th century, prisons, especially non-functioning historic prisons, have endured as spectator attractions.
Illicit Communication in Auburn and Eastern State Model Prisons
Both the Auburn and Pennsylvania systems for suppressing prisoners’ communication were not able to do so completely in practice.
Prison Economics Undermined Suppression of Prisoners’ Communication
Prison population growth that exceeded prison cell construction undermined in practice the deliberative consensus to suppress prisoners’ communication.
19th-Century Prison Library Book Catalogs
About 6300 prison library books from 15 prison library catalogs dated 1809-1877. Also statistics on distribution of prison books by subject/type.
William Coffey, Early 19th-Century Prisoner-Author
William Coffey, an unsuccessful prisoner-author, wrote Inside Out (1823) and probably also A Peep into the State Prison (1839).