Comparing The Ideal And Models Of American Prison

Penitentiary Ideal and Models of American Prison
The penitentiary was supposed to be a place for humane punishment not the physical punishment that was imposed in those days. It was supposed to be a place the inmates asked for forgiveness for the sins they committed. They were supposed to reform from their old ways. The main goal was for the prison system to help the inmates find spiritual transformation that was associated with the medieval monastery. They wanted the inmates to find healing and spirituality.
The difference between the eastern and auburn prisons were that one believed in complete solitary confinement and the other didn’t. The Eastern State Penitentiary believed that if the inmates were left alone they could think about the crimes they had committed and would ask for forgiveness. Inmates were required to work in their cells and would be allowed to workout outside alone for thirty minutes a day. They were not allowed to have contact with other inmates. When they were brought into the jail their heads were covered so that they couldn’t see where they were being taken. The Eastern Penitentiary was also roomier but more solitary. The cells were about ten feet by eight feet
The cells are stacked and they did not have outside access. Inmates at these prisons were allowed to have contact with each other. They worked, cleaned and ate together. They also had a silent system in place. In that system inmates were not allowed to talk to each other when they were together. The Auburn prison was such a success that New York went ahead and built larger prisons. The inmate management was called the congregate system because the lived alone in their cell but were allowed to spend time with other inmates. Another system they had in place was called the silent system. This system still allowed them to be in contact with each other but they were not allowed to