Slavery, State Building, and Labor in the South's First State Prison
Subsequent Statement of Responsibility
Plant, Rebecca Jo
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
UC San Diego
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
2016
DISSERTATION (THESIS) NOTE
Body granting the degree
UC San Diego
Text preceding or following the note
2016
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
This dissertation explores the genesis of the United States' penal system through the lens of one of America's first prisons, the Virginia Penitentiary. The penitentiary in Richmond was built by Benjamin Henry Latrobe in 1797 and opened for operation in 1800. Because the institution was founded and operated in a slave society, bondage directly impacted the function of the prison system in ways not yet explored by historians.