Appendix No. 11: Conversation with Mr. Elam Lynds

Abstract

Tocqueville and Beaumont record their interview with Mr. Elam Lynds, superintendent of the Auburn and then SingSing penitentiaries. Lynds describes how he initially began reforming the Auburn prison and argues that the discipline of labor in silence can be applied in any country, especially in France. Lynds supports the principle that a superintendent must be vested with unlimited authority in the prison, particularly over surveillance of the guards, prisoners, and contractors. Lynds believes that corporal punishments are necessary to enforce discipline; he supports prison labor outside the prison walls and updating older prisons with cells. Finally, Lynds argues that although complete moral reformation is impossible for mature prisoners, they can be made into good citizens.