"In the condition of a Slave"

In a document from 1823, the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts State Prison, one of the monuments of the reform movement that built the early American penitentiary system, described the new inmate's descent into "disgrace":

"When a convict is received…he is stripped of his clothing, and dressed in the livery of disgrace; his hair is cut, and he is put, for a period of time, into a cell, where no sun ever shines. He is cut off from intercourse with society. He lives for twenty-four hours on eight ounces of coarse bread, with enough water to allay the fever which runs through his veins. He is removed into the workshops, and pursues a constant and laborious occupation for others’ benefit, in the condition of a Slave."