History of corrections & its Impact on Modern Concepts Imagine an era when stealing was punished by chopping off the offender’s hand. Or when an offender could lose a finger for interfering with a neighbors crops.

Early corrections reaches from 2,000 B. C Early corrections reaches from 2,000 B.C., all the way through the 19th century. Many different cultures influenced the development of corrections during those early times, there were many philosophies and practices used. Two important changes shaped the evolution of corrections during this early period. A shift from vigilante justice to government justice. - In ancient times Vigilante justice was common. It meant a victim or a victim’s family would seek revenge for a crime.

This practice was based on the criminal punishment philosophy of retribution, Which simply means that a criminal should get what he or she deserves. Based on the adage “eye for an eye.” Eventually, organized governments stepped in through government justice. This newer philosophy was that the government “owned” the crime and bore the responsibility for punishing the criminal. A crime committed against one citizen was considered to be a wrong committed against all society. This remains the overall philosophy regarding crime and punishment in most of the world to this day.

2. The second shift was from physical to psychological punishment. There were many different ancient and barbaric forms of torture used as criminal punishment. This practice is generally known as corporal punishment and includes any kind of physical punishment to inflict pain or discomfort. ex. Amputation, beating, shackling, and locking into stocks. However most societies settled on flogging which is whipping or caning. * Corporal punishment is based on the philosophy of deterrence. If people are humiliated, or injured, they will not commit another crime.

By the 18th century, corporal punishment was largely replaced with psychological punishment. Prison became more popular. The early prisons of the 16th and 17th centuries were more like jails, where criminals were held for short periods of time while awaiting their trials or punishments. The 18th century prisons were a bit closer to what we know today. * They were correctional facilities used for long term confinement of criminals, who had been convicted of a crime and were serving a sentence.

Transportation and Servitude Prison wasn’t the only type of psychological punishment option used at that time. In 18th century England, criminals were often sentenced to Transportation: offenders were banished from England and deported to the new British colonies in America or to other countries. This practice would end when the colonies won independence and formed the United States. This practice was based in the punishment philosophy of incapacitation: meaning that a criminal can’t commit crimes if he or she doesn’t have access.

Two other punishments were commonly used during this time as well. Hard Labor: a sentence of time to a work house, where inmates performed manual labor all day, everyday. Penal Servitude: Criminals were sentenced for a period of years to the military or to plantations where they worked and did not have access to the outside world. * Both of these were types of incapacitation and psychological punishment, but had elements of physical punishment also.

Of course, the ultimate form of incapacitation is capital punishment, the death penalty. In early times, executions were public and carried out in many different ways, including burning at the stake, hanging, beheading, drawing and quartering or impaling. Capital Punishment used to be allowable and common for all sorts of crimes, like stealing or cutting down a tree. - These days, it has been abolished in more than 140 countries. In those that continue to allow it, most have tight restrictions on the type of crime and the method of execution.

Houses of Correction Incarceration, or confinement in prison, eventually emerged as the most popular form of criminal punishment. The earliest European prisons, which operated more like jails, all types of offenders were held together in one large room. This meant that children were with adults, and debtors were with murderers. The facilities weren’t maintained, and the prisoners weren’t cared for. Many died from disease while awaiting their punishments. However, by the end of the 17th century, prisons in and around London began to operate as houses of correction.

In the United States, we call these correctional facilities In the United States, we call these correctional facilities. These focus on restoring offenders and returning them to society. This evolution largely began with Bridewell Prison, England’s first correctional facility. Bridewell was innovative because it was the first prison to use an inmate classification system and separate cells. Around this time, three important factors merged to force change in the correctional system. 1. English philosopher and social reformer Jeremy Bentham advocated for the strict treatment for prisoners but safe and sanitary.

2. The Quakers initiated the Prison Reform Movement in which they advocated for humane treatment of prisoners and a move away from corporal and capital punishments. 3. The 18th century’s Age of enlightenment brought a new view regarding criminals. Offenders were no longer thought to be fundamentally flawed but widely thought to be capable of correction and rehabilitation. Rehabilitation is the philosophy that most criminals can and should be rehabilitated through treatment, education, and training, so they can become productive members of society. (Still used today)

Prisons in the U.S. By the late 18th century, American prisons resembled work houses but strived to offer humane living conditions while reforming offenders. Our first prison, operating under this new system, opened in Pennsylvania in 1789 on the site of the Walnut Street jail. Pennsylvania adopted the solitary system, or separate system. Meaning that inmates were kept in separate cells, even for eating, sleeping, and working. New York’s early prisons adopted the congregate system, or silent system. Meaning that inmates were kept in separate cells, but allowed to eat and work together, though they had to remain completely silent.

The New York system became the most popularly used in the U. S The New York system became the most popularly used in the U.S. Floggings were used in both systems when prisoners failed to follow prison rules. The Prison Reform Movement gained ground and lasted through about 1930. Advocated continued to work to end the torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners. The movement was successful, as corporal punishment and the use of the silent system was ultimately abandoned.

20th Century Prisons During the prison reform movement at full swing, many new prisons were being built. Including Alcatraz, which was built in 1909 and first used as a federal prison in 1934. The Great Depression led to an increase in crime and our nation’s prison overcrowding crisis. Inmates were crowded into cells and dormitories.

Prison conditions deteriorated and prison violence escalated. By the 1970s, the United States had experienced several large prison riots, including the 1971 Attica riot that left 43 people dead. The 70s also marked President Nixon’s “War on Drugs”, which was followed by other “get tough on Crime” laws, such as “three Strikes Laws”. These laws became popular in the 1990s and order mandatory life prison sentences for offenders convicted of three violent or serious felonies. Both policies incorporated incapacitation and led to higher inmate populations.

Between 1970 and 1999, the U.S. saw a 500% increase in inmate population. The last quarter of the 20th century also saw a marked increase in prison building. Over 200 new prisons built between 1990 and 1995, however, overcrowding continued to be an issue. 21st Century Prisons: * At the end of 2010, about 5% of state inmates and 12% of federal inmates were housed in private prisons. Still overcrowding is a critical issue.

Despite overcrowding, 21st century prison conditions are much improved over years past. - Inmates have access to health care, mental health treatment. Many other programs available with offender rehabilitation in mind.

Modern incarceration is based on a combination of incapacitation, deterrence, and rehabilitation. Many scholars believe: Being placed in prison and away from society incapacitates the most serious offenders. However, unlike early times, most aren’t incapacitated for long and will be returning to society. The threat of incarceration is meant to act as a deterrent. Modern prisons offer a wide variety of rehabilitative opportunities. This includes drug treatment programs, work programs, and educational programs designed to aid prisoners in their return to society.