Credit: Jacob A. Riis/Archive Photos/Getty Images

Historical Insights Prison Life—1865 to 1900

By 1885, 138 prisons employed more than 53,000 inmates who produced goods valued at $741 million today. About 1890, Blackwell’s Island, New York City. Credit: Jacob A. Riis/Archive Photos/Getty Images

Prison Life—1865 to 1900

By the late 1800s, U.S. convicts who found themselves behind bars face rough conditions and long hours of manual labor.

“Just as day was breaking in the east we commenced our endless heartbreaking toil,” one prisoner remembered. After the American Civil War, the number of U.S. penitentiaries in the South and West spiked—their inmate populations surpassing 30,000. By 1880 African Americans became the majority of inmates, replacing immigrants. Overcrowding, disease, and widespread abuse of convicts at the hands of both guards and fellow criminals plagued prisons and kept death tolls high. Because of limited space, even murderers condemned to life rarely served their full sentence. In the South, chain gangs became common—filling the labor shortage caused by the end of slavery; prisoners worked 15-hour days without pay. Northerners also explored new penal models including one system that required constant silence, while others tested experimental medical treatments on inmates. Petty thieves and repeat offenders alike shared cells, while murderers were usually confined to upper floors to prevent breakouts. By 1910, the U.S. prison system was stretched to its limits—its population had quadrupled in three decades.

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Derived from “penance,” the word “penitentiary” was invented during this time. Instead of simply being punished for their crimes, these reform-minded prisons hoped to rehabilitate society’s sinners though regimented living and solitude prompting personal reflection.
Derived from “penance,” the word “penitentiary” was invented during this time. Instead of simply being punished for their crimes, these reform-minded prisons hoped to rehabilitate society’s sinners though regimented living and solitude prompting personal reflection. About 1875, McNeil Island, Washington. Credit: McNeil Island, Washington, US Penitentiary, Photos and Records of Prisoners Received, 1887-1939/Ancestry.com
Across the South, African Americans who faced imprisonment, often on false charges, were sentenced to hard labor. By the 1900s, African Americans made up the majority of incarcerated prisoners across the South.
Across the South, African Americans who faced imprisonment, often on false charges, were sentenced to hard labor. By the 1900s, African Americans made up the majority of incarcerated prisoners across the South. 1905, Georgia. Credit: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/UIG via Getty Images
Middle-class white women put away for petty crimes often found themselves in women’s penitentiaries: lower-security facilities that attempted to rehabilitate them into ladies through regimented practice of domesticity.
Middle-class white women put away for petty crimes often found themselves in women’s penitentiaries: lower-security facilities that attempted to rehabilitate them into ladies through regimented practice of domesticity. About 1860, Wethersfield Prison, Connecticut. Credit: Lightfoot/Archive Photos/Getty Images
During the late 1800s, profits created by inmates’ production allowed many states to renovate crumbling prisons by expanding facilities and installing plumbing.
During the late 1800s, profits created by inmates’ production allowed many states to renovate crumbling prisons by expanding facilities and installing plumbing. About 1890, USA. Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Because women made up only 7 percent of the prison population in the 19th century, limited resources sometimes meant that they were mixed in with male inmates. Though women were usually given more freedom, they often faced unchecked sexual abuse.
Because women made up only 7 percent of the prison population in the 19th century, limited resources sometimes meant that they were mixed in with male inmates. Though women were usually given more freedom, they often faced unchecked sexual abuse. About 1880, USA. Credit: Underwood Archives/Archive Photos/Getty Images
Phrenology, a popular pseudo-science at the time, relied on skull size and shape to determine a person’s personality and mental capacity. It was used to categorize criminals and adapt their treatment and rehabilitation.
Phrenology, a popular pseudo-science at the time, relied on skull size and shape to determine a person’s personality and mental capacity. It was used to categorize criminals and adapt their treatment and rehabilitation. 1884, USA. Credit: Stock Montage/Archive Photos/Getty Images