Introduction:

While the Indiana Women’s Prison could be considered the “first separate prison for women,” it is not. The Magdalene Asylum is the first prison designated for women.  When it opened in 1843, Magdalene Asylum pursued the Catholic mission of “reforming the fallen.” Furthermore, the Asylum was considered the first association for reforming prostitutes. Reform occurred by isolating women and placing them on a strict regimen of prayer and work.

History:

Originating in the 1600s, the founding society, Magdalene Laundries, went without a physical presence until 1758. The first Magdalene Laundries facility opened in England in honor of Mary Magdalene, a prostitute. The society aimed to be places of reform and repentance so women could “wash away their sins” by doing laundry. The institution was also designed to control and rehabilitate prostitutes and other vulnerable populations. The organization spread to Ireland and eventually the United States. In the early years of the Philadelphia branch, the Asylum was seen as a refuge and open to prostitutes in need. Prior to 1850, concerns among administration involved the prevention of escape. This concern arose because guards were consistently having to secure the fences and borders, after multiple escape attempts. During the 1850s, major changes were enacted by the Board of Managers. The Asylum seek out individuals “whose early opportunities for improvement were superior to those who preceded them” (66). In other words, they were looking to recruit younger, better educated, and less corrupt women. Changes also occurred in the treatment of prisoners. Overall, the asylum underwent a series of changes which were supposed to be beneficial to the patients and staff.

Diary Connections:

Many of the women discharged from prison mentioned throughout the diary spent some time at the Magdalene Asylum in Philadelphia. One person was Alice Devenport. In the Diary, she expressed a wish to go to the Asylum because she had been living a life of “dissipation”. Hopper, wrote in regard to the situation, “My faith in any beneficial result by her going to Philadelphia is rather weak yet as she seems very desirous of going and offers as a reason that she will [be] there out of the way of her vicious acquaintance…” Another diary entry stated that Mary Rogers expressed similar concerns and wished to go to the Asylum. Her admission into the asylum was a result of her drinking. Overall, the asylum was home to many women mentioned throughout the Diary, that felt that their time in prison or elsewhere was not beneficial and other courses of action were needed.

Fate of the Asylum:

What happened to the Magdalene Asylum after Hopper’s passing and the diary ended? First, in 1842, the original asylum was destroyed in a storm and several years later, a new building was built. The asylum functioned in Philadelphia until 1914, when the city forced them out. In 1915, the society and asylum moved to Montgomery County. In 1918, the name changed to the White-Williams Foundation for Girls and began to act as a clearinghouse for other institutions for girls, as well as, cooperating with the Philadelphia Public Schools’ Placement Bureau. In 1920, the foundation dropped the “for Girls” from their name. In 1994, the name changed to White-Williams Scholars. In 2011, the society and asylum merged with Philadelphia Futures. Other asylums from the Magdalene Society struggled and began to close throughout the 1900s. On September 25, 1996, the last Magdalene Asylum, located in Ireland, closed.

Conclusion:

Just like many institutions that have developed through times, the Magdalene Asylum faced a similar fate. Even though the asylum intended to help reform former prostitutes and others, it faced its fair share of scandals and drama. While the Philadelphia branch continues to live on, though under a new name, the other branches have faded away and faded into history.

Sources:

Conn, Marie. "Magdalen Society." The Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania. 2017. Accessed February 27, 2019. https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/magdalen-society/.

Jones, Michelle, and Lori Record. "Magdalene Laundries: The First Prisons for Women in the United States." Journal of the Indiana Academy of the Social Sciences 17, no. 1 (2017): 166-79.

Michaels, Beth. "September 25, 1996: Last Magdalene Asylum for Prostitutes and Other "Fallen" Women Closes." History and Headlines. September 25, 2016. Accessed February 27, 2019. https://www.historyandheadlines.com/september-25-1996-last-magdalene-as….

Ruggles, Steven. "Fallen Women: The Inmates of the Magdalen Society Asylum of Philadelphia, 1836-1908." Journal of Social History 16, no. 4 (1983): 65-82. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3786992.