The Elmira Reformatory is the brainchild of former prison guard Zebulon Brockway who decides that imprisonment could be used to rehabilitate offenders rather than merely punish them. The facility opens in 1876 with Brockway serving as warden from then until 1900. He initially selects 30 first offenders between 16-30 years of age and enrolls them in a range of educational programs from reading, writing and math to hands-on training in 30 trades. All prisoners enter with a conditional sentence of five years, which can be reduced depending on their classroom success and general deportment. Brockway’s Elmira experiment initiates research into the causes and treatment of what becomes known as juvenile delinquency.
Elmira Reformatory
