Question

Why do you think the penitentiary first caught on in pennsylvania and new york? how would you explain the increase in the number of penitentiaries throughout the united states after eastern state penitentiary and auburn prison began operating?

Answer 1

Considering that the original 13 colonies were founded in the eastern seaboard of the country and that until the post WWII period the major population centers shifted from the East to the West of the country it is only natural and logical. Indeed, the eastern seaboard was the most industrialized and populated area of the USA for a long time and most immigrants entered the country through New York. Pennsylvania was also heavily industrialized and a major mining area.  

With more immigrants pouring in every year, the potential for more criminal acts increased and to keep up, more prisons were necessary. There is also the huge factor of labor rights activism, which was criminalized by employers and judges in order to keep workers docile and submissive. Many strikers and labor unions were incarcerated as well and more prisons were needed for that purpose.