The Journal of Prison Discipline and Philanthropy, January, 1863

Pennsylvania Prison SocietyProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.0

Word count: 114K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Journal of Prison Discipline and Philanthropy, January, 1863Author: Pennsylvania Prison Society,Language: English, Class: HV: Social sciences: Social pathology, Social and Public Welfare, Release Date: Sep 17, 2017

Editor's review

This is the January 1863 proceedings of the Pennsylvania Prison Society, a primary source on nineteenth-century American prison reform and philanthropy. Its value lies not in systematic theory but in showing what reformers of the time cared about, the language they used, and how they framed debate—prison discipline, treatment of inmates, charitable relief. For historians of social history, legal history, and criminological thought, such raw documents supply details and tone that secondary works rarely recover. Read it as a historical source, not popular reading: note its argumentative frame, moral assumptions, and institutional imagination, while keeping its era's limitations in view. The original is in English and not long; it suits annotated or introductory reading and works well as supplementary classroom material.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and graduate students of nineteenth-century American social history, legal history, or prison reform
Teachers and students in criminology or penology courses who need primary sources
Readers interested in the history of charitable organizations and voluntary associations
History enthusiasts comfortable reading English sources and willing to research background

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking systematic knowledge of contemporary prisons or policy recommendations
General readers expecting narrative, memoir, or light reading
Those who struggle with English and will not use reference tools

Reading tips

Learn the background of 1860s American prison reform and philanthropy before reading the text to avoid misreading.
Note recurring keywords and moral judgments as you read to map the argumentative frame.
Compare with proceedings from other years of the same society to observe shifts in topics and wording.
The English text is short; read it through in one sitting, write a brief summary, then take thematic notes.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this 1863 proceedings suitable as an introductory text?

Not really. It is a primary source without systematic background or modern annotation, and readers may find the institutional context and personal relationships unfamiliar. Read an overview of American prison reform history first, then return to the original for a firmer grasp.

Is the content mainly theoretical argument or working records?

Judging by the nature and title of the proceedings, it is closer to the society's annual publication, typically containing correspondence, reports, and commentary rather than a full theoretical treatise. Check the original for specific contents, and read each piece in the context of the society's work and its era.

How difficult is the English, and what preparation is needed?

Nineteenth-century English differs from contemporary usage in sentence structure and vocabulary, but it is not overly difficult. Prepare a dictionary and background materials, read through for the main points first, then work through hard sentences paragraph by paragraph. Researchers citing it should verify page numbers and edition information against the original.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Pennsylvania Prison Society Author

The Pennsylvania Prison Society is a corporate author whose work centres on prison discipline and philanthropy. Its publicly available personal details are limited: its nationality, dates of birth and death, and full English name are not clearly recorded. The library holds twelve of its works, mainly issues of The Journal of Prison Discipline and Philanthropy and its predecessor, The Pennsylvania Journal of Prison Discipline and Philanthropy, ranging from the April 1853 issue to New Series Nos. 46, 47 and 48. These publications focus on prison management, the reform of prisoners and charitable relief, and have the clear character of periodical compilations and practical records, offering sustained primary material for the study of modern prison reform and philanthropic thought.