Auburn Correctional Facility is a state prison on State Street in Auburn, New York, United States. It was built on land that was once a Cayuga village. It is classified as a maximum security facility.
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History
Constructed in 1817 as Auburn Prison, it was the second state prison in New York (after New York City's Newgate, 1797-1828), the site of the first execution by electric chair in 1890, and the namesake of the "Auburn System," a correctional system in which prisoners were housed in solitary confinement in large rectangular buildings, and performed penal labor under silence that was enforced at all times. The prison was renamed the Auburn Correctional Facility in 1970. The prison is among the oldest functional prisons in the United States.
The prison charged a fee for tourists in order to raise funds for the prison. Eventually, to discourage most visitors, the fee was increased.
Auburn system
In contrast with the purely reformatory type prison instituted in Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia System introduced by the Quakers, the "Auburn System" modified the schedule of prayer, contemplation, and humane conditions with hard labor.
Prisoners were compelled to work during the day, and the profit of their labor helped to support the prison. Prisoners were segregated by offense; additionally they were issued clothing that identified their crime. The traditional American prison uniform, consisting of horizontal black and white stripes, originated at the Auburn prison. The prisoners had their heads closely cropped and walked in lockstep, keeping step with their heads bowed. Each prisoner placed a hand on the shoulder of the man in front of him to maintain a rigid separation.
There was a communal dining room so that the prisoners could gather together for meals, but a code of silence was enforced harshly at all times by the guards. Thus the inmates worked and ate together, but in complete silence. At night the prisoners were kept in individual cells (even though the original plan called for double cells).
For several decades, this system was adopted by other jurisdictions. This system was also called the "Congregate System." The Sing Sing Correctional Facility, also in New York, was built using this system under the supervision of the former warden of the Auburn prison, Elam Lynds.
As of 2010, Auburn Correctional Facility is responsible for the manufacturing of New York State's license plates.
Copper John
Copper John is a statue of an American Revolutionary War soldier that stands atop the Auburn Correctional Facility. It has entered the local lexicon as a reference to the prison and aspects of it, for example, getting sent to Auburn Prison is "going to work for Copper John."
"John" was originally a wooden statue that was erected atop the administration office of the prison in 1821. In 1848, the statue had weathered so much that it was taken down and a new statue was made out of copper by the prisoners in the prison foundry. In 2004, the New York state government became aware that the statue was fashioned to be "anatomically correct" and ordered the statue to be "incorrected". Some correctional officers made an impromptu protest by passing out T-shirts showing the iconic statue and reading "Save Copper John's Johnson"; but the statue was nonetheless removed, his penis was filed off, and remounted in August.
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Wardens
The warden was an administrative position appointed by the New York State Commissioner of Correction:
- William Britten (warden) (?-1821) 1816 - 1821. He was a master carpenter and builder of the prison. He became the first warden.
- Elam Lynds (1784-1855) 1821 - 1825 (first term). He was also a principle keeper.
- Gershom Powers (1789-1831) 1825 - ?.
- Levi Lewis (warden) 1834 - 1836.
- John Garrow (warden) 1836 - 1838.
- Elam Lynds (1784-1855) 1838 - 1839 (second term).
- Noyes Palmer 1839 - 1840.
- Robert Cook (warden) 1840 - 1843.
- Matthew R. Bartlett 1867 - 1869, 1.5 executions.
- W. F. Doubleday 1843 - 1845.
- Hiram Rathbun 1845 - 1846.
- David Foot (warden) 1846 - 1848.
- Edward L. Porter 1848 - 1849.
- James E. Tyler 1849 - 1851.
- Thomas Kirkpatrick (warden) ? - 1862 (warden).
- William Sunderlin 1851 - 1886.
- Charles F. Durston July 1887 to May 1893, 2 executions.
- James C. Stout (1843-1901) May 1, 1893 - February 1, 1897, 5 executions.
- J. Warren Mead February 1, 1897 - February 1, 1905, 14 executions.
- Charles K. Baker (acting) Feb. 1, 1905 - Dec. 15, 1905, 1 execution.
- George W. Benham December 15, 1905 - May 26, 1913, 24 executions.
- Charles F. Rattigan May 26, 1913, to May 1, 1916, 9 executions.
- Brigadier General Edgar S. Jennings 1929.
- Frank Lamar Christian 1929 (acting warden) following riots in December 1929.
- John L. Hoffman 1930. He had a heart attack while in office and retired.
- Frank L. Heacox (1876-1953) 1930 (acting warden).
- John F. Foster 1944 - 1950.
- Robert E. Murphy 1950 - 1963.
- John Deegan (warden) 1969 - ?.
- Harry Fritz (warden) 1971 - ?.
- Robert J. Henderson circa 1974.
- Harry Fritz 2012 (as superintendent).
- Harold D. Graham 2014 (as superintendent).
Principal Keepers
The Principal Keeper operated the prison on a day-to-day basis. Many went on to become wardens.
- Elam Lynds (1784-1855) circa 1825.
- Stephen S. Austin (warden) 1860 - 1863.
- George Durnford 1929. Killed during a riot by Max Becker.
- Edward L. Beckwith 1930.
Notable inmates
- Abraham Greenthal, notorious pickpocket; incarcerated 1877-1884, sentence commuted by Governor Grover Cleveland on Friday, May 16, 1884.
- William Kemmler, first person executed in the electric chair.
- Robert Chambers, the "preppy murderer."
- Leon Czolgosz, the assassin of President William McKinley, electrocuted in Auburn on October 29, 1901.
- Lucchese crime family mob associate Jimmy Burke.
- Colombo crime family caporegime Joe Gallo.
- Pavle Stanimirovic YACS Crime Group high-ranking member was transferred here from Elmira CF SHU Box Solitare Confinment .
- Contract killer Donald Frankos.
- Chester Gillette, the killer of Grace Brown, electrocuted in 1908.
- Craig Godineaux, accomplice in the Wendy's Massacre
- The Post Card Killer, J. Frank Hickey.
- Robert F. Garrow: Serial rapist/murderer; transferred to Auburn twice from Clinton Correctional Facility: 1963 while serving for rape conviction, and 1977 while serving for second-degree murder (transferred to Fishkill Correctional Facility in 1978).
- Austin Reed, the reputed author of the first prison memoir by an African-American.
- Matias Reyes, serial rapist sentenced to life in prison.
Deaths at the prison
- Leon Czolgosz
- Chester Gillette
- J. Frank Hickey
- William Kemmler
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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