Robin Bernstein, "Freeman’s Challenge: The Murder That Shook America’s Original Prison for Profit" (U Chicago Press, 2024)
Aug 23, 2024
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Robin Bernstein, an author and scholar, dives deep into historical perspectives on incarceration and capitalism. She discusses the story of William Freeman, a wrongfully convicted teenager, who challenged the exploitative prison system in 19th-century New York. This led to a shocking murder that highlighted the intertwining of profit and punishment. Bernstein also connects Freeman's story to broader themes of race, criminality, and modern prison reform, revealing how historical injustices continue to impact society today.
The podcast reveals the origins of the prison-for-profit system in the North, countering the common belief that it began in the South.
William Freeman's case exemplifies the struggle against unjust prison labor practices and highlights the broader implications of systemic exploitation.
The discussion connects historical narratives of race and criminality to contemporary efforts aimed at reforming prison labor rights in New York.
Deep dives
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Understanding the Origins of Prison for Profit
The podcast highlights the historical context and origins of the prison-for-profit system, revealing that it began in the North, not the South as commonly believed. The discussion centers around the case of William Freeman, a teenager who challenged the unjust practices of the Auburn State Prison, which exploited prisoners for labor without compensation. The narrative underscores how the 13th Amendment, often linked to the emergence of for-profit prisons, merely perpetuated existing forms of Northern carceral slavery. By reframing the history of prison for profit, the episode seeks to hold the North accountable for its role in maintaining systemic injustice.
William Freeman's Story and its Themes
The story of William Freeman serves as a focal point for discussing critical themes of freedom and labor within the prison system. Freeman, raised in a prominent Black family near the Auburn State Prison, faced wrongful conviction and harsh treatment that ignited his resistance against forced labor practices. His life reflects the struggle for justice against a system designed to exploit both individuals and communities. The podcast emphasizes the complexities of his experiences and the broader implications for understanding racial dynamics and economic coercion in America.
Recontextualizing Abolitionism and Cultural Memory
The conversation delves into the connection between the abolitionist movement and the prison-for-profit system, highlighting the unique perspective offered by Freeman's story. The concept of collective memory emerges as it explores how cultural narratives shape societal views on race and criminality stemming from Freeman's trial. The episode underscores the lasting impact of racism that was crystallized during that period, reflecting on how collective memory informs contemporary understandings of justice and equality. It illustrates the ongoing relevance of historical narratives in shaping current debates around incarceration.
Current Implications and Legislative Efforts
In 2024, the podcast addresses the continuing relevance of Auburn State Prison, now linked to active discussions regarding prison labor reform in New York. Two significant legislative proposals—the No Slavery in New York Act and the Fairness and Opportunity Act—aim to redefine labor rights for incarcerated individuals, ensuring they have the right to choose and receive fair wages for their labor. These initiatives signify a historical moment reminiscent of William Freeman's challenge, seeking to address the unjust systemic practices of forced labor. The episode encourages listeners to reflect on the historical context while contemplating future reforms that could fulfill the goals of social justice established by figures like Freeman.
In the early nineteenth century, as slavery gradually ended in the North, a village in New York State invented a new form of unfreedom: the profit-driven prison. Uniting incarceration and capitalism, the village of Auburn built a prison that enclosed industrial factories. There, "slaves of the state" were leased to private companies. The prisoners earned no wages, yet they manufactured furniture, animal harnesses, carpets, and combs, which consumers bought throughout the North. Then one young man challenged the system.
In Freeman’s Challenge: The Murder That Shook America’s Original Prison for Profit(U Chicago Press, 2024), Robin Bernstein tells the story of an Afro-Native teenager named William Freeman who was convicted of a horse theft he insisted he did not commit and sentenced to five years of hard labor in Auburn's prison. Incensed at being forced to work without pay, Freeman demanded wages. His challenge triggered violence: first against him, then by him. Freeman committed a murder that terrified and bewildered white America. And white America struck back--with aftereffects that reverberate into our lives today in the persistent myth of inherent Black criminality. William Freeman's unforgettable story reveals how the North invented prison for profit half a century before the Thirteenth Amendment outlawed slavery "except as a punishment for crime"--and how Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and other African Americans invented strategies of resilience and resistance in a city dominated by a citadel of unfreedom.
Through one Black man, his family, and his city, Bernstein tells an explosive, moving story about the entangled origins of prison for profit and anti-Black racism.
