to Bridewell and Almshouse, another Corrections facility. This panel ofcommissioners is almost definitely the administrative beginning of the New YorkDepartment of Corrections. New York opened its first state prison in 1788. It opened on November 28th. Itwas named the Greenwich State Prison. The structure included Doric columns, hugesurrounding walls and four acres of grounds. 1816 brought about New York’s firstpenitentiary, named Bellevue City Penitentiary. This penitentiary is the home of a largenumber of female felons. Next came Auburn prison which was opened in 1817. In 1821Auburn prison opened a new wing to their facility. It was built in a cell system to replacethe old dormitory housing. Inmates in the sell system are allowed to leave their cellsduring the day to work in the prison shops. This new system was then deemed the“Auburn system” and soon after became the standard for American prisons. In 1824the New York State Legislature incorporates the society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents as a subsidiary of the New York Society for the Prevention of Pauperism. Authorization was then given to build a house of refuge for delinquentchildren. An old War of 1812 arsenal was used for the refuge. It was rebuilt as a secureresidential institution and was named the New York City House of Refuge.Ossining prison was opened in 1825 to compensate for the overcrowding atAuburn and the Greenwich State Prison. Greenwich State Prison was then destroyed anda prison at Mt. Pleasant that became known as Sing Sing was reconstructed to hold theinmates that were transferred from Greenwich. Also in 1828, the New York CityCommissioners of Bridewell and Almshouse bought The Blackwell Island so that theycould have facilities under their jurisdiction. This included the New York CityPenitentiary. In 1830 the Provost, a jail that was used when the British were in control, wasclosed down an...
