Female Admissions and Paroles of The Western House of Refuge in the 1880s: An Historical Example of Community Corrections

• NCJ Number: 116149
• Journal: Journal of Research in Crime and Delinguency Volume: 26 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1989) Pages: 36-66
• Author(s): B A Smith
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 31 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Best Practice/State-of-the-Art Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Unpublished institutional records from the Western House of Refuge (WHR) in Rochester, N.Y. from 1885 and 1886 form the basis of this analysis of the backgrounds, admissions, institutional lives, and paroles of the females admitted to this correctional facility.

Abstract

WHR was one of the most famous 19th century correctional facilities for juveniles. During 1885 and 1886 it admitted 75 females. The average age was 13.2 at admission. The females who were admitted were labeled as deviant and criminal and were often the orphaned, abused, or neglected for whom the WHR was yet another institutionalization. Within this refuge, rigid discipline and intensive labor marked their lives before they were released. Community interest and characteristics also played roles in their admissions and their paroles. Finally, the chaplains, who acted as parole officers, faced problems similar to those of parole officers today. Note and 76 references. (Author abstract modified)