This publication provides a history of the correctional institution in Pennsylvania. The author explains that the American prison system originated in Pennsylvania in 1682 with the introduction of William Penn’s Great Law. Penn created a humane law that called for inmates to be rehabilitated during their period of incarceration. He further stipulated that inmates should be treated with a certain degree of respect and that they should be entitled to enjoy some personal comforts. Penn’s Great Law was unprecedented in its respect for the rights of prisoners. Prior to this new criminal code, prisoners were frequently put to death for offenses such as counterfeiting and witchcraft. After revealing the early beginning of Pennsylvania’s correctional institution, the author explains how the prison system began. n 1818, after the Walnut Street Jail became overcrowded, the first State prisons were built. Inmates were kept in total isolation from other inmates until it became apparent that this method of incarceration was both too expensive and physically detrimental to the inmates. By 1870, Pennsylvania correction facilities adopted the New York method of isolating inmates during the night while allowing them to work and eat together during the day. Chapter three recounts the modernization reform efforts that occurred during the progressivism of the 1880’s to the 1920’s. Chapter four explores the period from 1950 to 1984, when the crime rate skyrocketed and inmates frequently rioted. Finally, chapter five discusses Pennsylvania’s prison system from the 1980’s to the present, concluding with a look at corrections in Pennsylvania today.
Two Centuries of Corrections in Pennsylvania: A Commemorative History
NCJ Number
195231
Date Published
2002
Length
93 pages
Annotation
This publication offers a look at the history of corrections in Pennsylvania.
Abstract