Within Prison Walls: Being a Narrative of Personal Experience During a Week of Voluntary Confinement in the State Prison at Auburn, New York

by Jr. Osborne, Thomas M.

Being A Narrative Of Personal Experience During A Week Of Voluntary Confinement In The State Prison At Auburn, New York. First published in 1914.

327 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1969

Reviews

[G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over a hundred years ago, Osborne entered a prison for a week to see how the prisoners lived and emerged with the seeds of the prison reform movement in his mind. This is his journal of his week behind bars followed by many letters he received and some allusions to the changes he would later implement while acting as the warden of a couple of prominent prisons.

He's an entertaining guy, if you are fond of jokes at the expense of Yale and Tammany Hall (and really, who isn't?).

The Chaplain has already told me that there are twenty college graduates confined in prison here, but I am pleased to have the Professor add the information that I am the only Harvard graduate in the institution. I repress the inevitable impulse to say, 'I suppose the others come from Yale,' and simply express gratification at what the Professor has told me.

Over the course of a week, he learns that most of his expectations of the people he would meet inside were wrong, that the dehumanizing force of the prison system isn't serving any of the goals that it should have, and that a little bit of self-determination can lead to a lot more cooperation and helpfulness than no autonomy. Good stuff, still relevant today (at least philosophically). What a remarkable thing it would be to see prominent figures do this sort of thing today!

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

"no man will find help in prison for reforming himself until the conditions are greatly changed-until a system has been established in which a man can gain some sense of civiv responsibility toward the community in which he lives. If such a sense of responsibility could be developed while in prison, would it not greatly help in a man's conduct after his release?"

This is the author's discussion, in 1913. I believe this discussion continues. Here is the "Prison Question in a nutshell", according to one such prisoner:
People "imagine we are a sort of strange animal, and treat us ad such." The prisoners enter here intending to become "better men", bit the treatment they receive "causes us to become embittered at the world in general."

Indeed. We have statistics saying that our prisons continue to overflow, crime has not been lowered through this "experiment", and recidivism is a huge problem in our communities. This says nothing of our parolees who have not been helped inside prison, thereby making it likely that they'll find their way back. Reform was Osborne's purpose in his writing of this book. I would conclude that we are, 100 years later, still struggling.

[Catana · Rating 5 out of 5]

My second reading of Osborne's little book, and well worth it. What interested me was what was different about prison in his day -- a great deal -- and what was the same. A minor thing that was the same that I hadn't noticed during my first reading, was the existence of "kites," written messages from one prisoner to another, and sent surreptitiously against the rules. It was fascinating that while much of the slang of imprisonment has changed, prisoners' way of communicating with each other even under the most severe isolation has exactly the same name.

What hasn't changed is the dehumanization of prisoners, and the destruction of hope. In many ways, ever since Osborne called the prison system medieval, things are actually worse today.

[Sophiebird · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking on line for free downloads for my Kindle when this book caught my eye.

It was written back in, I believe, 1919. The author, wanting to learn more about the prison system first hand, chose to spend a week at Auburn prison in NYC. It was quite an eye opener for him, and subsequently changed many of his views. They would probably consider a modern day prison to be a veritible resort. The author's compassion and reverence for life is refreshing.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

In searching for free kindle books I notice this one and thought it looked interesting. While the authors capacity to feel sympathy and see a chance for the prisoners to lead a better life if given the right help, the book was lacking detail and rather dry.

[Joy Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author was a prison reformer in 19th century America. He wanted to understand what jail was really like, so he posed as a prisoner in a big-city jail. What follows is the story of not just the conditions in the prisons, but how it affected the men.