Introduction

The original Sing Sing cell block first housed prisoners in 1828. By 1830, a hospital, kitchen, and chapel were added to complete the structure. During the 1830’s through the turn of the twentieth century, most hospital beds were housed on the top floor of the main structure. By 1900, the new hospital building was erected. Within the hospital, physicians, nurses, and inmate volunteers worked to maintain the health of the prison population. Dentistry, patient rooms, a pharmacy wing, and outpatient clinics were also created to allow for the treatment of chronic disease and tooth decay. In the main hospital wing, physicians employed by Sing Sing performed two essential duties: entrance examinations and urgent care. Although the hospital allowed for certain treatments, some conditions were beyond the capabilities of the Sing Sing facilities. According to records from the National Committee on Prisons in 1916, the hospital was equipped to treat most illnesses and perform emergency surgeries such as appendectomies, but specialized procedures such as brain surgery were not performed on site. Should a situation arise when the amenities at Sing Sing’s hospital were not sufficient, prisoners were sent to Matteawan State Hospital nearby and returned to Sing Sing at their recovery [1].

Entrance Examinations

Thomas Mott Osborne, a warden with interest in the inmate experience, voluntarily confined himself within a Sing Sing cellblock in 1913 and chronicled his findings in his book Within Prison Walls. Osborne offered a first-hand account of the doctor’s entrance examination in addition to the daily life of a prisoner. According to Osborne, the Doctor’s examination was both tedious and invasive, involving minute physical details and medical histories [2]. Intake records from 1910 revealed specific categories: complexion, eye color, hair color, tobacco use, size of forehead, shape of ears, size of nose, condition of teeth, shape of lips, shape of eyebrows, scars, identifying marks, and mental acuity. This level of specificity alludes to the scientific curiosity for discovering a common criminal archetype in the early 1900s [3].

 

Dr. Amos O. Squire took interest in criminology despite his lack of training in the field and desired to study the physical traits of Sing Sing inmates. Squire wrote during the early 1900’s that “hope of success [lay] in a careful, thorough, and systematic study of each individual case” [4]. By keeping detailed records, the data was available in a unified format for mass statistical analysis. Scientists aimed to analyze the information and uncover common traits from the most frequently occurring physical descriptions. Although eventually Squire asserted that no correlation existed between the body and predicting criminal activity, many other scientists were not convinced and instead misused the data to This movement aimed to determine whether the shape of a person’s head affected their psyche or likelihood to become a criminal.
In addition to closely observing physical details, the physician was responsible for determining the current medical condition of the inmate. The National Committee on Prisons in 1916 specified that any sort of contagious illness or incurable disease required further action. The majority of sick inmates were transported to the hospital building following their entrance examination or at the earliest available opportunity. If physicians detected acute diseases or minor ailments, employees transferred the inmate to a surgical dispensary where basic care was provided. This surgical dispensary served as a pharmacy and an outpatient procedure room. Patients diagnosed with tuberculosis or other easily spreadable diseases were separated for treatment to avoid contagion and placed on the “roof” [5] of the hospital. With the close quarters and poor cleanliness in the cell block, mass spread of disease was a major health concern and precautions were taken.

Mental health was also addressed by the prison physician. Although Squire was not a psychiatrist, he considered psychiatry a “promise of lessening crime”[6]. By diagnosing inmates with mental disorders during initial examinations, proper care and check ups were offered during the sentence. Sing Sing doctors divided mental health into special groups, such as “feeble minded” and “extreme”[7]. Mentally handicapped or unintelligent people were considered “feeble minded” while violent cases of schizophrenia and other more significant diseases were considered “extreme.” The state of New York had not created any specific institution or policy regarding mental retardation, resulting in any prisoner of this sort to remain in Sing Sing. Only severe or “extreme” cases were considered for removal to a treatment facility at Matteawan State Hospital. The psychiatric ward served as a long term treatment facility for these inmates, until the termination of their sentence. According to a report on Medical Examination procedures, one in 45 inmates were admitted to Matteawan State Hospital on the grounds of mental illness during the early 20th century.

 

Written by Kathryn Ziegner.

Notes

[1] Dr. Thomas W. Salmon, Proposed Medical Examination, Treatment, and Classification of Admissions to the State Reception Prison at Sing Sing (National Committee on Prisons, 1916), 4.

[2] Thomas Mott Osborn, Within Prison Walls

[3] Sing Sing Admission Records, 1910

[4] Amos O. Squire, Notes and Abstracts: Anthropology, Psychology, and Legal Medicine.

[5] Dr. Thomas W. Salmon, Proposed Medical Examination, 4.

[6] Amos O. Squire, Notes and Abstracts: Anthropology, Psychology, and Legal Medicine.

[7] Dr. Thomas W. Salmon, Proposed Medical Examination, 4.

Image Citations
[1] Guy Cheli, Images of America: Sing Sing Prison (New York: Arcadia Publishing, 2030).
[2] Ancestry.com, www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~asylums/matteawan_ny/.
[3] Bain News Services, the Library of Congress.
[4] Harper’s Weekly (1867).
[5] G. W. Pach, the New York City Public Library.
[6] Guy Cheli, Images of America: Sing Sing Prison (New York: Arcadia Publishing, 2030).