Discuss Zebulon Brockway’s philosophy and how he influenced prison reform. Evaluate the effectiveness of his approaches.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Brockway was instrumental in putting into place a three-stage system for prisoners at Elmira Reformatory. The incoming prisoner would be interviewed to determine two things: the reason for his past crimes and deviance and the education level and work to which he was best suited. In the second stage, the prisoner would exist in a much regimented system that focused on his academic and industrial education. This regimen would occur six days a week, while on Sunday, the prisoners would attend church, which was mandatory, and rest. In the third stage, the prisoners would be required to secure a job in the community before they were actually able to be paroled. Once released and under parole, the individual would be required to follow specific rules and would be supervised. Any violations of the parole would result in the individual returning to the Elmira Reformatory.
Brockway used a simple mark system to classify prisoners. The prisoners would begin in the middle or second grade, and then their behavior would determine their movement either up to first grade or down to third grade. Third-grade prisoners were treated with little respect and strong discipline. They wore red uniforms, were moved about in lock-step, and had almost no privileges. Second-grade prisoners had a limited number of privileges, wore typical prisoner garb, and had access to some of the prison’s offerings. First-grade prisoners had the most privileges: They received better food, could send and receive mail daily, and had extended hours at bedtime and in the library.
Once in the first grade, if a prisoner continued exhibiting good behavior and earned enough credits, after six months, he could go before the parole board. If he was approved for parole and could find a position in the community, he would move into the third stage of the Elmira Reformatory’s system. This system of rewards and punishments and the movement toward reform through various stages would become known as the “Elmira system,” and Brockway would ultimately receive credit for the implementation and advancement of the indeterminate sentence under this system. Although this system marked the beginning of the “reformatory movement,” it was not until the last quarter of the 19th century that it began to spread rapidly as the preferred method of penology.
As a result of these and other innovations, the Elmira reformatory was regarded as the most advanced prison in the world, and visitors came from all over to observe and study the reformatory’s practices. Elmira’s success resulted in the construction of other reformatories across the country, including those in Michigan (1877), Colorado (1890), and Wisconsin (1899). All this led to Brockway’s election as the president of the National Prison Association in 1897 and his recognition as the premier prison innovator of the late 19th century, whose influence would last well into the 20th century.
However, the Elmira Reformatory, despite its many innovations, reforms, and successes under Brockway, also faced many of the same problems that have plagued all prisons at one time or another: overcrowding, understaffing, and abuse. In 1893, the New York State Board of Charities investigated complaints of abuse by former inmates of the Elmira Reformatory. The specific charges were directed not only against the staff of the reformatory but also at Brockway himself. He admitted the charges of beatings and solitary confinement, but he maintained that they caused no permanent harm and, therefore, did not rise to the level of brutality. The New York State Board of Charities issued its report in 1894 and alleged that brutality did exist within the reformatory, in part due to Brockway’s management style. This set off political protest and caused the governor of New York to appoint a committee to investigate the allegations.