Historical Comparison: Jails and Prisons, Now and Then

  1. Scan The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia website entry on Prisons and Jails by Annie Anderson (http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/prisons-and-jails/) and review the description of the newest Pennsylvania prison, SCI Phoenix, located just outside of Philadelphia (https://www.cor.pa.gov/Facilities/StatePrisons/Pages/Phoenix.aspx).
  2. Write a three- to five-paragraph summary of how the two types of facilities differ and are similar.
  3. What is the atmosphere and amenities; how are inmates housed?
  4. Describe how inmates would spend their time in each.
  5. How are these changes reflective of the Age of the Reformatory in America?
  6. Identify how the newer SCI Phoenix facility adopts some of the changes in corrections after the Age of the Reformatory and developments in the 20th century.