First Advisor

David A. Johnson

Term of Graduation

Spring 1992

Date of Publication

5-5-1992

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.) in History

Department

History

Language

English

Subjects

Oregon State Penitentiary, Prisons -- Oregon -- History

DOI

10.15760/etd.6224

Physical Description

1 online resource (3, v, 164 pages)

Abstract

This thesis examines seven crises at the Oregon State Penitentiary between 1866 and 1968 which are symptomatic of a larger pathology of power at play at the institution. These prison crises brought the pathology of power out from behind the thick grey walls of the institution and to the eyes and ears of an uninformed public. This arousal of such attention forced the prison to re-evaluate its penal model, enact half-hearted reforms, but then resume to the institution's traditional pattern and style of punishment. This inability to address the crises or resolve the immediate problem points to a larger problem--namely a pathology of power. The pathology of power is evident in the prison administration's abuse of the political, financial, and physical power that the prison offers. This pathology is innate to the philosophy of the institution, regardless of the penal model then in application (rehabilitative or disciplinary).

Just as these pathologies have remained hidden behind the institution's walls so too has much of the records for the penitentiary. The central records at the Oregon State Penitentiary are in total disarray. What records remain are scattered between the Oregon State Library, the Oregon State Archives, and the Oregon Historical Society. Even then, these records offer little insight into the daily life of the inmate. Quantitative history, using the inmate registers and disciplinary records, has been used to fill this void. Through an examination of these state records, newspapers, prison registries, and general prison history works it becomes abundantly clear that the institution is a "failure" in that it fails to deter, reform, or warehouse Oregon's deviant classes. This failure is not confined only to the Oregon State Penitentiary, but is a phenomenon throughout all prisons. This thesis exposes the pathology of power, details its symptoms, and describes the "gargantuan" enterprise which has stripped our society of its ability to create an alternative to the prison model.

Rights

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Comments

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Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/25549

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