Which statement accurately contrasts the Pennsylvania and Auburn systems?

Which statement accurately contrasts the Pennsylvania and Auburn systems?

• A. Pennsylvania emphasized solitary confinement and silent labor, while Auburn emphasized congregate labor and day-night operations
• B. Both used complete isolation
• C. Pennsylvania used no labor; Auburn used only education
• D. Auburn was focused on religious worship above all else

Answer: (A)

This contrasts two competing prison reform models: the Pennsylvania Separate System and the Auburn System. In the Pennsylvania model, prisoners were kept in solitary confinement, with strict silence and labor performed individually in their cells. The idea was reform through isolation and introspection, not through working with others. In the Auburn model, prisoners worked in groups and in close proximity, doing labor together in workshops and yards, all under strict discipline and silence, with daily routines that extended through the day and into the next activities. The key difference is solitary, private work versus shared, congregate work with a highly controlled environment. Therefore, the statement that captures this contrast is that Pennsylvania emphasized solitary confinement and silent labor, while Auburn emphasized congregate labor and day-night operations.

This contrasts two competing prison reform models: the Pennsylvania Separate System and the Auburn System. In the Pennsylvania model, prisoners were kept in solitary confinement, with strict silence and labor performed individually in their cells. The idea was reform through isolation and introspection, not through working with others. In the Auburn model, prisoners worked in groups and in close proximity, doing labor together in workshops and yards, all under strict discipline and silence, with daily routines that extended through the day and into the next activities. The key difference is solitary, private work versus shared, congregate work with a highly controlled environment. Therefore, the statement that captures this contrast is that Pennsylvania emphasized solitary confinement and silent labor, while Auburn emphasized congregate labor and day-night operations.