Chaplains of Sing Sing (2)

By Caroline Ranald Curvan

This is the second in a series of posts investigating the role religion played in the early development of Sing Sing by writer and researcher Caroline Ranald Curvan.

One of the best resources for early Sing Sing Prison history comes to us from the Annual Reports of the Prison Discipline Society of Boston (PDSB).

Founded in 1825 by Congregational minister, Rev. Louis Dwight, the PDSB stood out as the most influential, vocal, and well-known American prison reform organization of its time. Under his leadership, the PDSB promoted the “Auburn System.” Developed in the 1820s at Auburn Prison, it allowed inmates out of their cells during the day to work but separated them at night. To maintain control, Rev. Dwight endorsed judicious application of “humane” forms of punishment, like the whip, describing the results he observed as “a beautiful example of what might be done by proper discipline.” (Endnote 1)

The PDSB reports were widely circulated, purchased by numerous state legislatures, and even read across Europe. It was concerning to some that a religious organization held such sway over state officials and their resulting policies, but their reports and influence were considered crucial for maintaining prison order and, most importantly, for generating profits.

Rev. Dwight was a pioneer in many ways. The PDSB’s observations and meticulous reporting highlighted numerous issues within the prisons across the country: the cycle of imprisonment for alcoholics, the harmful practice of mixing first-time offenders with repeat offenders, the presence of the mentally ill in prisons, the overrepresentation of Black inmates in Massachusetts jails, and the prevalence of homosexuality and rape behind bars. Additionally, he emphasized the Society’s belief that improving education of Black individuals would help address the racial disparities in the prison system.(2)

It’s from these reports, often written by the on-site prison chaplain, that we get detailed, human-first perspectives of life inside prison walls. 

The PDSB’s first report on Sing Sing was published in 1827, while the prison was still under construction. Prison Agent (the early term for Warden) Captain Elam Lynds’ leadership is described in almost glowing terms: “All is order, industry, silence and activity. The work goes on rapidly, with little murmuring, and scarcely an effort to escape or rebel.” (3)

And Lynds is given credit for bringing a chaplain into this prison that was not yet built: "At the earnest solicitation of Capt. Lynds that a chaplain might be sent, Mr. Gerrish Barrett was engaged to assume the responsibilities of the situation." (4)

Rev. Barrett, born in 1797 in Massachusetts, attended Union College and then Princeton Divinity School. Assuming his duties at Sing Sing in May of 1827, it would be his very first posting.

​With no experience and no one to guide him, he made it up as he went along.  A month into his tenure, he describes his ministry as follows:

A little after 7 o’clock every evening, I commence reading the scriptures to the convicts, afterwards make some remarks, and then offer a prayer on each side of the prison.  I have found by experience that to stand as near the center of the Prison as possible, on the pavement below, is far better, for the purpose of being easily heard, than to stand upon the gallery . . . After divine service on the Sabbath, a considerable portion of the time is spent in talking to the men in their cells . . . I have found no one yet who showed any disrespect or unwillingness to hear what was said.  It is surprising to see, sometimes, how a few minutes conversation, concerning the soul, will make the muscles of a hardy-looking face relax and his eyes fill with tears. (5)

Though this photo was likely taken in the 1890s, not much would have changed from the prison’s initial design, and the darkness inside each cell can easily be imagined.

He soon noted that out of 400 inmates “I found fifty among them who could not read.” Using nothing but the Bible, the only book available, he wrote: “they surprise me, as well as themselves, by the ease and rapidity with which they learn.” (6)

Rev. Barrett would write copiously about the enthusiasm and facility with which previously illiterate incarcerated individuals learned to read:  

I heard a black man read.   Four weeks ago, he could not say his letters.  Now he can read slowly and is seldom obliged to spell any words of one syllable. . .  I found him the other day reading in the Psalms.  On asking the reason, he replied, ‘it seems to do me more good to read here.’  Such artless replies, connected with his general conduct, leads me to cherish the hope that the truth of God is beginning to fasten on this mind, which will be the means of purifying his heart and fitting him for heaven. (7)​

From these observations, Rev. Barrett proposed that he officially take on teaching the men to read, in addition to ministering to their souls.

But Capt. Lynds did not support this plan, briskly decreeing that there was no room for instruction nor were there “spelling books” available. He was also especially contemptuous of the concept of inmate reformation, believing that this was unrealistic and naïve.

Undaunted, Rev. Barrett persevered, teaching through the “grated iron doors of their cells.” Regarding the lack of spelling books, Rev. Barrett showed that he could teach reading just by using the Bible:

Show the convict the first letter of the Bible, that is I.  Let him find the same wherever it occurs in the first verse.  Having done this, show him the second letter in the Bible, that is N.  Let him find every N in the first verse.  Having done this, and being told what I-N spells, he has already learned the first word in the Bible . . . It may be found that the convicts can learn to read in this manner. (8)

Through his concern for their spiritual and intellectual well-being, the inmates began to confide in him, and an extremely dark and troubling picture of the prison began to emerge. Through these conversations, Rev. Barrett would hear about arbitrary and excessive floggings with the cat o’nine tails, the withholding of medical care from the sick and injured, and the starvation rations all were given, causing some to eat dirt and grass to fill their empty bellies.  Further, the inmates claimed that Capt. Lynds was defrauding the State in various ways – one accusation was that he purchased “offal beef” instead of better-quality meat, pocketing the difference. (9)

Rev. Barrett felt compelled to report this information to the Board of Prison Inspectors, who quickly began an investigation. When news of Rev. Barrett’s report reached Capt. Lynds, he apparently physically assaulted the good Reverend, and kicked him bodily out of the prison. (10)
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This was the end of Rev. Barrett’s ministry at Sing Sing. He would go on to work alternatively as a General Agent for the PDSB, (travelling the country to observe penitentiary conditions, writing reports and giving lectures) and as Chaplain at the State Prison at Wethersfield, Connecticut. He would retire from the ministry at the age of 46, marry, have several children, and die at the age of 59.

Though a year would pass before a new chaplain was appointed, the Sing Sing chaplaincy endured. Barrett’s reports and the subsequent investigations led to Capt. Lynds’ downfall, sparking incremental change by briefly shifting focus to Sing Sing’s leadership, with an increased concern for inmate treatment.  

SOURCES CONSULTED

Prison Discipline Reports of Boston, 1825 – 1830

Graber, Jennifer. The Furnace of Affliction:  Prisons and Religion in Antebellum America. University of North Carolina Press, 2014.
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ENDNOTES

1. PDSB, “First Annual Report, Vol. 1, 1826,” 17, 36.
2. Quen, Dr. Jacques.  “Historical Reflections on the Sesquicentennial of the Founding of the Boston Prison Discipline Society (1825-1854).”  A paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, October 26, 1975.
3, 4, 5. PDSB 2nd Report, 1827 p. 67/115
6, 7. PDSB 3rd Report, 1828, p. 63/21
8. PDSB 3rd Report, 1828, p. 212/64
9. PDSB, 5th Annual Report, Vol. 1, 1830
10. PDSB, 5th Annual Report, Vol. 1, 1830, 17/347