The Auburn System became the basis for most US prisons in which centuries?

• A. 17th and 18th centuries
• B. 20th and 21st centuries
• C. 16th and 17th centuries
• D. 19th and 20th centuries

Answer: (D)

The Auburn System emerged in the early 19th century, starting at Auburn Prison in New York, and it emphasized congregate work, silent behavior, and strict discipline as a reform method. This model rapidly spread across American prisons, shaping the design and routine of many facilities throughout the 1800s. Its influence continued into the early 1900s, as many institutions maintained similar silent, labor-based regimes before later reforms broadened approaches to incarceration. Because its origins and widespread adoption occurred in the 19th century and persisted into the 20th, the period that best fits is the 19th and 20th centuries.