How was the Auburn system different from the Pennsylvania system?

The Pennsylvania and Auburn systems were both 19th-century penology models designed to prevent inmates from corrupting one another, but they differed significantly in their daily operations.12

The Pennsylvania System

Also known as the "separate system," this method relied on total solitary confinement to foster penitence and reformation. Inmates at institutions like the Eastern State Penitentiary lived, ate, and performed handicraft work (such as weaving or shoemaking) entirely within their individual cells, having no contact with other prisoners and seeing only institution officers or occasional visitors.32

The Auburn System

The Auburn system, or "silent system," allowed for congregate labor. While inmates were kept in individual cells at night, they worked together in workshops during the day. To prevent the "contagion" of criminal influence, strict silence was enforced at all times, often maintained through a quasi-military routine, the use of lockstep marching, and corporal punishment.421

Ultimately, the Auburn system became the dominant model in the United States because it was less expensive to construct and maintain than the solitary-focused Pennsylvania model.42