Reformatories in the United States

Prison History Reformatories and Rehabilitation

Introduction to Reformatories

A new era of correctional reform began with the establishment of the Elmira State Reformatory in Elmira, New York, in 1876. The Elmira Reformatory experimented with new rehabilitative philosophies. Because it incorporated the latest, state-of-the-art scientific advancements in correctional methods, criminologists considered Elmira “the new penology.” For example, officials directed prisoners into productive activities-including educational and vocational-technical programs-where their good behavior and productivity could earn them time off of their sentence. To instill discipline in inmates and help reform them, Elmira officials implemented a military model. Prisoners were trained in close-order drill, wore military uniforms, and marched about with wooden rifles.

At Elmira, officials attempted to address the needs of individual prisoners, rather than merely warehouse large groups of offenders. Another innovation at Elmira was the large-scale use of indeterminate sentencing. A prisoner who receives an indeterminate sentence is confined to prison for a range of years. The actual amount of time served is determined by a parole board, based on the inmate’s behavior while in prison.

The reformatory concept, however, did not reform significant numbers of inmates and slowly died out during the early 1900s. States built vast new prisons to replace reformatories. Increasing numbers of prisons were built with prison labor in mind. States constructed prison factories in new prisons and established prison industries. In rural areas, prison farms flourished. Inmates worked in fields and assisted with the harvesting of crops.

Despite the demise of the reformatory, the goal of rehabilitation became an accepted tenet of penal philosophy. From 1900 to 1970 rehabilitation-oriented prisons provided psychological services, counseling, vocational and technical training, education, and other services aimed at improving inmate self-esteem. Experts generally agree that little rehabilitation among inmates actually occurred. Since the 1970s, U.S. prisons have reduced the scope and availability of rehabilitative programs.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Reformatories in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Reformatories

Reformatories in relation to Crime and Race

Reformatories is included in the Encyclopedia of Race and Crime (1), beginning with: A reformatory is an institution for juvenile lawbreakers. Reformatories were originally intended to reform and educate young offenders rather than to punish them. In theory, a key differentiating characteristic of the reformatory was that it removed youth from contact with adult prisoners. However, early reformatories were organized much like adult prisons, making them inadequate and not much of a substitute for adult correctional facilities. As a result, the term reformatory has not been used much since the 1960s. Instead, institutions for young offenders are more often referred to as youth detention centers, training schools, forestry camps, youth camps, honor farms, or juvenile residential facilities. Today, reformatories are financed by city, county, and state governments, as well as by the federal government. The first reformatories to operate in the United States were established in the early 1800s in Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Resources

Notes and References

1. Entry about Reformatories in the Encyclopedia of Race and Crime

See Also