A History Of The Us Naval Prison At Portsmouth New Hampshire PDF Download

During World War I the U.S. Navy conducted what many penal scholars consider the most ambitious experiment in the history of Progressive Era prison reform at the Portsmouth Naval Prison in New Hampshire. Cell doors remained open, prisoners governed themselves, and thousands of rehabilitated inmates returned to the fleet. This humanitarian experiment stood in stark contrast to the tradition of flogging that dominated naval discipline until 1850. The Navy's journey between these two extremes included the development of a much-needed naval prison system. In 1917, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt chose the most celebrated prison reformer of his era, Thomas Mott Osborne, to assume command of the Portsmouth prison. Osborne's reforms at Portsmouth were well received until Vice Adm. William S. Sims and others became convinced that too many troublemakers were being returned to the fleet. Under mounting pressure, Roosevelt personally led an on-site investigation of conditions at the Portsmouth prison, which included charges of gross mismanagement and rampant homosexual activity. Although exonerated by Roosevelt's team, Osborne resigned from the Navy shortly after the inquiry. Osborne's reform initiatives were quickly reversed as the Navy returned to a harsher punishment system.