The Rise of the Penitentiary
{{Short description|1992 book by Adam J. Hirsch}}
{{Infobox book
| italic title =
| name = The Rise of the Penitentiary: Prisons and Punishment in Early America
| image = Hirsch - The rise of the penitentiary.jpg
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| border =
| alt = Image of the 1992 Book jacket illustrating a prison and a vague cityscape behind that with people milling about in front.
| caption = 1992 Book jacket
| author = Adam J. Hirsch
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| country = United States
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| subject = Corrections, Prisons, Massachusetts History - Prisons United States History
| genre = Sociohistorical nonfiction
| set_in = Northeastern United States, Massachusetts
| publisher = Yale University Press
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| published = June 24, 1992
| media_type = Print, e-book, audio
| pages = 243
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| isbn = 9780300042979
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| oclc = 24905782
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| website = {{Official|https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300042979/the-rise-of-the-penitentiary}}
}}
The Rise of the Penitentiary: Prisons and Punishment in Early America is a history of the origins of the penitentiary in the United States, depicting its beginnings and expansion. It was written by Adam J. Hirsch and published by Yale University Press on June 24, 1992.{{cite journal | jstor=2947393 | last1=Meranze | first1=Michael | title=Reviewed work: The Rise of the Penitentiary: Prisons and Punishment in Early America, Adam J. Hirsch | journal=The William and Mary Quarterly | date=1993 | volume=50 | issue=3 | pages=655–657 | doi=10.2307/2947393 }}{{cite journal | jstor=2167222 | last1=Rafter | first1=Nicole Hahn | title=Reviewed work: The Rise of the Penitentiary: Prisons and Punishment in Early America, Adam Jay Hirsch | journal=The American Historical Review | date=1993 | volume=98 | issue=5 | pages=1681–1682 | doi=10.2307/2167222 }}{{cite journal | jstor=30042832 | last1=Friedman | first1=Lawrence M. | title=Reviewed work: The Rise of the Penitentiary: Prisons and Punishment in Early America, Adam J. Hirsch | journal=Law and History Review | date=1994 | volume=12 | issue=1 | pages=200–203 | doi=10.1017/S0738248000011354 | s2cid=150343589 }}{{cite journal | jstor=845670 | last1=Masur | first1=Louis P. | title=Reviewed work: The Rise of the Penitentiary: Prisons and Punishment in Early America, Adam J. Hirsch | journal=The American Journal of Legal History | date=1993 | volume=37 | issue=3 | pages=376–378 | doi=10.2307/845670 }}{{cite journal | jstor=3123893 | last1=Roth | first1=Randolph | title=Reviewed work: The Rise of the Penitentiary: Prisons and Punishment in Early America, Adam Jay Hirsch | journal=Journal of the Early Republic | date=1992 | volume=12 | issue=4 | pages=577–578 | doi=10.2307/3123893 }}
Synopsis
This book explores the ideas used to justify imprisoning people as punishment in the early United States. Hirsch, the author, uses Massachusetts as the template. He traces how ideas about prisons transition from being discussed in theory to becoming physical buildings and implemented systems. Hirsch also shows that there wasn't just one compelling reason behind favoring penitentiaries as a solution. There were many conflicting beliefs. Thus, this made prison philosophy complicated and ultimately deficient.
Hirsch argues that the idea of using prisons as punishment was based on three different lines of thinking that came together. First, there were ideas from 17th century England about workhouses. It was believed that workhouses reduce crime and poverty by teaching new skills to people who were incarcerated. Second, there was the 18th century European concept of "rational criminology." This approach suggested that if punishments were consistent and not based on the death penalty, crime could be controlled by the state. Finally, derived from late 18th century England was the idea of "reclamation." This philanthropicAccording to the Oxford English Dictionary, philanthropic means: "Benevolent, disposed to promote the well-being of humanity or one's fellow human being; characterized or motivated by philanthropy; humane [and] friendly towards humankind." belief held that prisons could not only retrain people, but actually change their entire personality and character.
See also
- Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault
- Penitentiaries, Reformatories, and Chain Gangs by Mark Colvin
- The Rise of the Penitentiary in New York by W. David Lewis
- The History of United States prison systems
- The Penitentiary
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- {{cite journal | jstor=1288577 | title=From Pillory to Penitentiary: The Rise of Criminal Incarceration in Early Massachusetts | last1=Hirsch | first1=Adam J. | journal=Michigan Law Review | date=1982 | volume=80 | issue=6 | pages=1179–1269 | doi=10.2307/1288577 }} [https://repository.law.umich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?params=/context/mlr/article/4234/&path_info= Free PDF download]
- {{cite book | doi=10.1093/oso/9780195118148.003.0004 | chapter=Perfecting the Prison: United States, 1789-1865 | title=The Oxford History of the Prison | date=1997 | last1=Rothman | first1=David J. | pages=100–116 | isbn=978-0-19-511814-8}} [https://www.d.umn.edu/~jmaahs/Correctional%20Continuum/Online%20Readings/rothman_prefecting%20the%20prison.pdf Free PDF download.]
- {{cite journal | jstor=41947469 | title=Evangelical Quakerism and the Early American Penitentiary Revisited: The Contributions of Thomas Eddy, Roberts Vaux, John Griscom, Stephen Grellet, Elisha Bates, and Isaac Hopper | last1=Adamson | first1=Christopher | journal=Quaker History | date=2001 | volume=90 | issue=2 | pages=35–58 | doi=10.1353/qkh.2001.0016 | s2cid=159619264 }}
- {{cite journal | jstor=27773625 | last1=Bourque | first1=Monique | title=Reviewed work: The Rise of the Penitentiary: Prisons and Punishment in Early America, Adam H. Hirsch | journal=Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies | date=1993 | volume=60 | issue=2 |pages=220–221}}
- {{cite journal | jstor=3789010 | last1=Crocker | first1=Ruth | title=Reviewed work: The Rise of the Penitentiary: Prisons and Punishment in Early America, Adam J. Hirsch | journal=Journal of Social History | date=1994 | volume=27 | issue=3 | pages=641–643 | doi=10.1353/jsh/27.3.641 }}
- {{cite journal | jstor=2074919 | last1=Donnelly | first1=Michael | title=Reviewed work: The Rise of the Penitentiary: Prisons and Punishment in Early America., Adam J. Hirsch | journal=Contemporary Sociology | date=1994 | volume=23 | issue=1 | pages=116–117 | doi=10.2307/2074919 }}
External links
- {{Official website|https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300042979/the-rise-of-the-penitentiary/}}
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMXFiYhm79g Damon Horowitz: Philosophy in prison]. Video. Ted Talks, 2011. YouTube.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rise Of The Penitentiary}}
Category:1992 non-fiction books
Category:American non-fiction books
Category:St. Martin's Press books
Category:Books about imprisonment
Category:Books about legal history
Category:Works about punishment
Category:Works about crime in the United States
Category:Sociological theories
Category:Social history of the United States