Penitentiary Ideals and Models for American Prisons

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Penitentiary Ideals and Models for American Prisons

The idea of penitentiaries began in Europe. This concept finds its genesis in England and Wales (Howard, 1784). The concept implied a place that did more than just hold an individual waiting for the verdict of a trial. Penitentiaries were to hold convicts with the aim of rehabilitating them. In the eighteenth century, Britain began to discard the idea of corporal punishment. This move was caused by enlightenment on the feasibility of imprisonment as a method of rehabilitating delinquent members of the society. Penitentiaries referrers to the types of buildings used to incarcerate individuals who have been convicted. After America’s independence in 1776, Britain had to look for an alternative system to imprison individuals. They had lost a colony that had served this purpose. They had to find an alternative that would serve the purpose of correcting both the individuals’ body and mind. This bore the concept of the penitentiary (Ignatieff, 1978). The isolation itself in the penitentiaries was the basis for punishment.

The Auburn was the first penitentiary in United States of America. It was opened in 1817. It was located in New York and had an arrangement that integrated separated incarceration and silent collective work. This became the model for penitentiaries. Here, prisoners could be leased out through the Convict Leasing system. This system was synonymous to slavery. Private bidders would house and feed them in exchange for labour. In the correctional facilities, some private companies were allowed by the government to set up their factories. The inmates were then used as a source of labour for production. Inmate labour was believed to help in disciplining and redeeming criminals. The profit gained from this would help in incurring the maintenance costs of the penitentiary.

McKean is a correctional institution located in Pennsylvania. The federal correction facility welcomes its visitors with air conditioners and carpets along its entrance. The ambience is certainly not one of a prison. The buildings are modern, and the interiors portray glimmers of polished glass. The place is served with well-dressed workers, and the entrance has inviting couches at its corners. Inmates are seen walking around. The prison grounds are surrounded by well-kept lawns and athletic fields. Many visitors compare the place with a university. This is because the inmates can be seen in classrooms. They are taught technical subjects like masonry, carpentry and basic skills like those of reading. The cellblocks are neatly kept, and the facility has a chapel serving the diverse denominations.

This two models hold various benefits and draw backs. In Auburn, the system of Convict Leasing was significantly criticized. Their integration with the Black Codes ensured that the African Americans were laboring in the fields of the white men. Though this system provided the government revenue of an average of twenty five thousand dollars a year, the cruelty and brutality of the system far outweighed its benefits. The records of the brutality practiced go as far as describing how women were flogged and hung by their wrists. These inmates were offered no form of protection.

One of the major benefits of the Auburn was that it was very cheap to run and maintain. Most of its costs were met through the use of convicts for labour in internal factories. The Convict Leasing system also earned the government substantial revenue. A percentage of this revenue was put into running of the penitentiary. The citizens did not have to bear the burden of heavily financing Auburn through tax. Many wardens were especially interested in the prosperity of the industries in the penitentiary. This is because a cheap penitentiary was synonymous to a successful one.

McKean records a number of benefits. It is relatively cheaper to maintain. When compared to prisons of its type, it only costs its taxpayers approximately sixteen thousand dollars a year. An institution of its kind would require five thousand more dollars from the government. Since its opening in 1989, there have been no records of incidences like homicides, sexual assaults or suicides. This is unheard of in state facilities of its size. Parolees also return to prison far less often that those in other penitentiaries.

McKean also has its drawbacks. It has been criticized that the facility has gone against the philosophy of rehabilitation. Major scrutiny has been placed on the facilities availed to the inmates. Many have said that the idea of punishment has been vaguely applied in this federal correction institution. It has been compared to a resort because of availing too many amenities to the convicts. The absence of systems like the chain gang has made many question the ability of the penitentiary to correct wayward individuals of the society.

The main goal of penitentiary was to rehabilitate both the physical and mental being of the convict. A spiritual aspect was also added to the rehabilitation. “By the nineteenth century, penologists had began to consider group work, lectures on morality and elementary instructions as necessary compliments to solitary confinement, a recognition that the reformation required active and willing involvement of inmates,” (Salvatore & Aguirre, 1996). In my opinion, McKean meets the goal of an ideal penitentiary. Its ability to engage the convicts in learning and confining them away form the rest of society is what has made it exemplary. It bears no records of incidents and hardly has its parolees going back to the facility. The general impact of penitentiaries in the society should be reforming an individual holistically. McKean demonstrates its efforts towards this reformation through confinement, education and spiritual nourishment.

Reference List

Howard, J. (1784). The state of the prisons in England and Wales: … By John Howard, F.R.S. Warrington: printed by William Eyres; and sold by T. Cadell, J. Johnson, and C. Dilly, in London.

Ignatieff, M. (1978). A just measure of pain: The penitentiary in the industrial revolution, 1750-1850. New York: Pantheon Books.

Salvatore,D.R & Aguirre C. (1996). The birth of the penitentiary in latin America. USA: University of Texas Press.