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Elam Lynds Reforms the Auburn Prison System

Season 1 Episode 1 | 2m 21s

Elam Lynds, a veteran of the War of 1812, is appointed as head guard at Auburn Prison. He implements a regimen of brutal order and efficiency to contain and control the incarcerated individuals in his control, including forcing them to march in synchronization, wearing identical striped uniforms, and forbidding them to speak. The prison would be run according to his rules for the next 100 years.

Major funding for CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN AMERICA was provided by The Atlantic Philanthropies, Emerson Collective, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Park Foundation. Major funding was also provided by the following members of The Better Angels Society: The Fullerton Family Charitable Fund; The Just Trust for Education; Allan and Shelley Holt; The Tow Foundation; and the Sozosei Foundation. Additional support was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust, Ford Foundation | JustFilms, and by The Better Angels Society members: John and Catherine Debs; Timothy Fazio; Lise Strickler and Mark Gallogly; the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund (Laurie M. Tisch Foundation Inc); Gilchrist and Amy Berg; the Carson Family Charitable Trust; Mauree Jane and Mark W. Perry; the Segal Family Foundation; and Mark A. Tracy.
Extras
For 250 years, Americans wrestle with crime, punishment and the meaning of justice. Premieres 11/16.
For 250 years, Americans wrestle with crime, punishment and the meaning of justice. Premieres 11/16.
The Founding Father Benjamin Rush offers a new form of punishment: the world's first penitentiary.
The House of Refuge is the nation's first institution for the reformation of juvenile delinquents.
During the Reconstruction Era, an outlaw captures the public's attention: Jesse James.
When a crime is committed, should we look to punish or to move forward toward healing?
There has always been a fascination with those that commit crimes and how they're punished for them.
President Abraham Lincoln sentences 38 Native Americans to death for attacks against settlers.
Austin Reed recounts his experiences over two decades of being incarcerated in Auburn Prison.
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