Walnut Street Jail
Encyclopedia
Walnut Street Jail, named after the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
street on which it was located, was the first prison
built in the United States
to use individual cells and work details.
, a new jail was opened to receive the overcrowded prisoners of High Street Jail. It was located on Walnut Street, where it acquired the name Walnut Street Jail.
. He was one of the most prominent architects in Philadelphia. The building was in the typical U-shape designed to hold large numbers of inmates. There was little regard for their physical well-being, nor were there any attempts to rehabilitate
them. The prison was overcrowded and dirty, and inmates attacked each other regularly. Those who served their sentences came out of prison probably more inclined toward a criminal life than they were before their incarceration
.
Some fifteen years later, an addition was made to the jail. They added a new cellblock and called it the "penitentiary
house". Built in the courtyard of the existing structure, it included a series of small cells designed to hold individual prisoners. The cells and the corridors connecting them were designed to prevent prisoners from communicating with each other. Windows were high up (the cells had 9 feet (2.7 m) ceilings) and grate
d and louvered to prevent prisoners from looking onto the street. Each cell had a mattress, a water tap, and a privy
pipe.
of serious offenders, and more than one inmate was placed in each cell. The isolation had a terrible psychological effect on inmates, and eventually inmates were given in-cell piecework on which they worked up to eight hours a day. Despite these difficulties, similar institutions were constructed in New York
(Newgate
in 1791) and New Jersey
(Trenton
in 1798).
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
street on which it was located, was the first prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
built in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to use individual cells and work details.
Background
In 1776, in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, a new jail was opened to receive the overcrowded prisoners of High Street Jail. It was located on Walnut Street, where it acquired the name Walnut Street Jail.
Architecture
The jail was designed to hold groups of inmates in large rooms. It was designed by Robert SmithRobert Smith (architect)
Robert Smith was a Scottish-born American architect who was based in Philadelphia. Smith's work includes buildings such as Carpenters' Hall, St. Peter's Church, and the steeple on Christ Church—constituted the greater part of the city's early skyline.-Early life:Smith was born in Dalkeith Parish,...
. He was one of the most prominent architects in Philadelphia. The building was in the typical U-shape designed to hold large numbers of inmates. There was little regard for their physical well-being, nor were there any attempts to rehabilitate
Occupational therapy
Occupational therapy is a discipline that aims to promote health by enabling people to perform meaningful and purposeful activities. Occupational therapists work with individuals who suffer from a mentally, physically, developmentally, and/or emotionally disabling condition by utilizing treatments...
them. The prison was overcrowded and dirty, and inmates attacked each other regularly. Those who served their sentences came out of prison probably more inclined toward a criminal life than they were before their incarceration
Incarceration
Incarceration is the detention of a person in prison, typically as punishment for a crime .People are most commonly incarcerated upon suspicion or conviction of committing a crime, and different jurisdictions have differing laws governing the function of incarceration within a larger system of...
.
Some fifteen years later, an addition was made to the jail. They added a new cellblock and called it the "penitentiary
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
house". Built in the courtyard of the existing structure, it included a series of small cells designed to hold individual prisoners. The cells and the corridors connecting them were designed to prevent prisoners from communicating with each other. Windows were high up (the cells had 9 feet (2.7 m) ceilings) and grate
Grate
*A grate is a frame of iron bars to hold fuel for a fire.*It may also refer to a covering of a drain, also called a grating.*The act of using a grater, a kitchen utensil.- People :*Don Grate US sportsman....
d and louvered to prevent prisoners from looking onto the street. Each cell had a mattress, a water tap, and a privy
Outhouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
pipe.
Success of the jail
The Walnut Street Jail was not a total success. Overcrowding undermined the goal of solitary confinementSolitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
of serious offenders, and more than one inmate was placed in each cell. The isolation had a terrible psychological effect on inmates, and eventually inmates were given in-cell piecework on which they worked up to eight hours a day. Despite these difficulties, similar institutions were constructed in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(Newgate
Newgate
Newgate at the west end of Newgate Street was one of the historic seven gates of London Wall round the City of London and one of the six which date back to Roman times. From it a Roman road led west to Silchester...
in 1791) and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
(Trenton
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
in 1798).