Where did Philadelphia’s City Hall’s justice prerogative come from? Let’s start in Europe 1498. Preliminary investigations were carried out “as diligently and secretly, as may be.” Often relying on religious and or political heresy.
In Michel Foucoult’s Discipline and Punish: Birth of the Prison (original publication 1975 ) a 1670 ordinance in France confirmed and reinforced the severity of the courts’ decisions making it:
- Impossible for the accused to have access to documents
- Impossible to know the identity of an accuser
- Impossible to know the nature of the accusation
- Impossible to have a lawyer
In turn, the magistrate had the opportunity to accept anonymous and derogatory statements, and to conceal the nature of the declarants actions, or to question any insinuation. Sometimes magistrates met the accused only once before passing sentence.
By the 1600’s European punishment was meted as physical torture, continuing until the late 1800’s with daily flogging, the wheel, interrogation, leg chains and ball, and other means of punishment.
In Philadelphia, the Walnut Street Prison, 1790 to 1838, replaced the High Street jail from 1776 to relieve overcrowding, but was by no means exempt from mental torture. Solitary confinement in its rear housing was deemed pioneering in prison reform.
By the late 1800’s, chain gangs (an idea brought from Europe), direct torture and physical punishment were replaced with mandatory agricultural farming/husbandry, horse tending, and forced labor. In most of the US.
Torture of the body was to be replaced with punishment of the soul by the turn of the 19th century. Design evolution of a flowers petal arrangement, called a ‘Panopticon’; imported by architect John Haviland to America, a pan (all around) – opticon (observation) allowed guards to view housing units concurrently from a central point.
This was new penal architecture and technology for 1829’s historic Eastern Penitentiary on Girard Avenue in Philadelphia, about 4 blocks from my residence when I was 24. Silence, prayer, gardening, reading the bible, and no talking were mandatory.
An unintended consequence of better inmate housing occurred due to ratification on July 9, 1868, of the 14thAmendment of the US Constitution; extending liberties and rights to the formally enslaved. But it helped identify and account for state and county enforcement through legal due process, forever preventing to “…deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process.” It also allowed due process to those in custody – to account for the safe custody of those held criminally, mentally, or awaiting judicial disposition.
Enter Philadelphia’s House of Corrections built in 1874 and rebuilt 1927, another panopticon design, extending the context of solitary confinement to a mass setting. But no garden, no education, some farming, and some chain gang methods. The sheet cake pans I saw in use were 30” x 48” drawn out of 1927 ovens by inmates to make 200 pieces per sheet.
Philadelphia’s House of Correction was designed in a panopticon architecture. It was closed after much consternation; with my emphatic ‘yes’ to close to the commissioner when asked. It was sold, our life safety system was designed in 1987. And it closed in 2019 while approaching almost 100 years old.
By June 1948 the United States’ Code codified Federal crimes or courts-martial with sentences of one year or more. It refers to title 18, with crimes in criminal proceedings codifying the subject matter of general and permanent laws that the courts impose for imprisonment, “…recognizing that imprisonment is not an appropriate means promoting correction and rehabilitation.” ( See S 3582 Imposition of a Sentence.) The justice system made an irrevocable change in Federal proceedings, classifications, physical punishment, discipline, and confinement. This is our law today.
(Authors ‘of interest’ note: Refer to Title 18, S 4046 Shock Incarceration Program of FBOP.)
The results of this procedural paradigm shift? Interpretation was diverse; results awkward; recidivism high. Oh, how things change.
In the Federal System, torture of the 1600’s and solitary of the 1800s were replaced with mandatory work requirements for all prisoners in 1990. ( See Pub L. 101-647, Title XXIX, S2905, Nov. 29, 1990). But, between 1977 and 1995 the incarceration rate quadrupled. From a 1948 incarceration rate of 205 per 100,000 in the population; to a rate of 890 per 100,000 male (only) population.
PSE Teams to provide better security, better lighting, improved showers, better detention control, better surveillance, and improved operations throughout the nation.
With our involvement of over 30 years in more than 200 correctional facilities, sheriff’s departments, youth facilities, jails and forensic hospitals, Professional Systems Engineering has had the opportunity to close over one dozen old, decrepit, vermin filled spaces of custody throughout the United States in the past 30 years totaling over 40,000 cells and housing spaces.
And closure is hard. Thousands upon thousands of cleaner cell and hundreds of thousands of inmates and detainees who now are serving their sentence or awaiting trial in more appropriate, clean, and less inhumane punitive spaces. It takes political will, community outreach, and public safety awareness to close even the worst facility. We’ve seen the results and risks of not closing or not improving facilities.
From our helping in the closing of the oldest of mental health hospitals, state penitentiary‘s, and sheriffs jails; reformative justice appears to be an opening for appropriate and more humane conditions. But the balance of social expectations with justices heavy ballast often prevents improving conditions – for both the incarcerated and the officers.
Training, surveillance, PREA, rights of officers, and those incarcerated have all led to better outcomes. But more needs to be done in the safety, environment, and communications in hard facilities.
The recent death of a detainee with mental health issues in a Mississippi sheriff’s department reflects the need for funding, training, maintenance, vermin infestation control, and better operational mission. Newer jails and state institutions are safer.
Life safety, security, communications, and public safety are the elements that often mandate PSE’s subject matter experts involvement, reflecting our senior principals and staffs competency in:
- Mental health assessments and facilitation,
- Jail improvements and remediation, and
- State correctional institution reconditioning and reconstruction.
How to better serve the publics’ safety than to reduce violence, improve conditions of the officers, increase safety of medical/psychology care; all while improving community safety for those who must be confined due to their criminal actions and motivations, while improving custody of those we love in a mental health crisis.
With the Correctional Conference based in our home, Philadelphia, we wish to celebrate our three decades serving public safety in the Philadelphia region on dozens of public safety projects.
Here’s our local pedigree.
If you flew into Philadelphia Airport; cameras and cargo surveillance were designed by our staff as well as secure portals, secure sallyports, and crash barriers.
If you drove; several of Pennsylvania’s East/West turnpike tunnels electrical power and lighting controls/infrastructure were designed by PSE staff.
If you trained-in by Amtrak; the 911 system nationwide was designed and specified by PSE staff, while all tunnels from Washington to NYC were assessed after 911 for anti-terrorism and risk reduction.
South Philadelphia’s fusion center – Delaware Valley Intelligence Center – monitors intelligence in four states and 12 counties with PSE’s technology consulting applied for the gunshot detection system, street video surveillance displays, and other LEA accommodations.
For Philadelphia’s Finest, the Philadelphia Police Departments’ New Headquarters, controlled patrol vehicle access, custody, and detainment areas were designed by staff for detention control and communications; as well as ballistic and attack assessment of the converted Philadelphia Inquirer building. For risk mitigation of 357 magnum handgun to high power assault rifle with supersonic ballistic speed full metal jacket and attack protection.
Working on Philadelphia Family and Domestic Courts required advanced audio/visual designs, while the Philadelphia Board of Elections required security and remote Board Conference streaming to pass internal security objectives without community objection.
Philadelphia Prison System utilizes PSE designed technology; from perimeter detection to surveillance, to intercoms to touch screens, duress systems, and door controls.
The famous Philadelphia Northeastern Penitentiary was replaced in the 1920s by SCI-Graterford, located in central Montgomery County, about 28 miles from Philadelphia. It was replaced with State Correctional Institution – Phoenix. A $350 million design/build project. PSE helped develop the security program, life safety initiatives, detention requirements meeting different levels, perimeter fencing and physical protection, as well and multiple detection systems. PSE personally opened the facility for safety and testing under the guise of the Assistant Secretary of Corrections. Our team is currently working at the institution.
Farther out in Pennsylvania, PSE staff takes pride in providing a very large video surveillance system at Torrance State Hospital, one of the largest psychiatric institutions under State control. It houses forensic patients as well as non-forensic and will provide video surveillance for staff, those in custody, and officers to prevent and encourage better conduct.
The list of projects is invariably longer with Pennsylvania’s Delaware County, Chester County, Monroe County, Lehigh County, Fayette County, and a large number of state correctional institutions.
And then there is New Jersey where we have our New Jersey Office. A number of counties with PSE designs includes Ocean County, Cape May County, Bergen County, Hudson County, and so many others. State institutions for psychiatric wellness and youth facilities are also important in our daily work activities. Bringing youth facilities to more appropriate levels.
And in our tri-valley, Delaware is considered our sister state. In Delaware we are currently working at two state correctional facilities for extensive perimeter upgrades.
To prevent incarceration takes education. Jason Delp, PE is responsible for over $700 million in K-12 design/build educational security, communications, A/V, performance spaces, artistic, and gymnastic spaces.
Our educational projects in Philadelphia and Delaware give a good balance and social support; encouraging the development of good competency and success in life to avoid detainment or even incarceration.
