Activism

History

Prisons originated out of a desire to reform the punishment of criminals. At the end of the 18th century, corporal and capital forms of punishment came to be seen as inhumane, and the “criminal” as one who could be reformed. However, while changes to the prison system throughout history are usually referred to as “reforms,” the goals of early reformers were not necessarily aligned with the approach of prison activists today, many of whom seek to abolish the prison altogether. Rather, historical prison reformers such as the Pennsylvania Quakers were often just as concerned with improving the security or efficiency of prisons as they were with ameliorating conditions inside them.

Two figures in the first half of the 20th century stand out as prison activists. Clarence Darrow, the criminal defense lawyer who represented Eugene Debs before the Supreme Court, theorized on the criminalization of the poor. He argued that the only difference between those in prison and those not in prison was their financial situation. In 1902, during a speech to inmates at Cook County Jail in Chicago, Illinois, Darrow argued for the abolition of prisons. Taking particular contention with the death penalty, Darrow represented more than 200 defendants in capital cases, losing only one. Another figure from the early 1900s is Thomas Mott Osborne, former mayor of Auburn, New York. In 1913 he spent a week as an Auburn Prison inmate and published a book about his eye-opening experience. From that experience, Osborne worked to transform prisons into effective rehabilitative institutions, becoming a progressive warden at Sing Sing for a time. After working for the system, Osborne founded the Mutual Welfare League, which focused on postre-lease opportunities for inmates.

...