Corrections: History, Institutions and Populations Chapter 13 Corrections: History, Institutions and Populations

The History of Correctional Institutions Original legal punishments included: Banishment Slavery Restitution Corporal punishment Execution The first penal institutions were foul places devoid of proper care, food, or medical treatment Learning Objective One

The History of Correctional Institutions The origin of corrections in the United States is usually traced to 18th century developments in PA Under pressure from the Quakers, the PA legislature in 1790 called for renovation of the prison systems Use of mutilation and physical punishment Learning Objectives One & Two - Even though he himself was voluntarily committed to the asylum shown here, Vincent van Gogh captured the despair of the nineteenth-century penal institution in this detail from an 1890 painting sometimes titled Prisoners Exercising. The face of the prisoner near the center of the picture looking at the viewer is van Gogh’s.

The History of Correctional Institutions The Pennsylvania System Placed each inmate in a single cell for the duration of his sentence Based on total isolation and individual penitence Reflected the influence of religion and religious philosophy on corrections Learning Objectives One & Five - Eastern State Penitentiary, built in 1829, was at the time the largest and most expensive public structure in the country. Designed by John Haviland, it consisted of an octagonal center connected by corridors to seven radiating single-story cell blocks. Each cell had hot water heating, a water tap, toilet, and an individual exercise yard the same width as the cell. There were rectangular openings in the cell wall through which food and work materials could be passed to the prisoner, as well as peepholes for guards to observe prisoners without being seen. Each cell contained a skylight so that the inmate could look to the heavens.

The History of Correctional Institutions The Auburn System New York Tier system Cells were built vertically on 5 floors of the structure Congregate system Most prisoners ate and worked in groups Fear of punishment Silent confinement Learning Objectives One & Five

Thinking Point Compare and contrast the Pennsylvania and the Auburn system. Which would you advocate? Why?

The History of Correctional Institutions Contract system Officials sold the labor of prison inmates to private business for use either inside or outside the prison Convict lease system Contract system in which a private business leased prisoners from the state for a fixed annual fee and assumed full responsibility for their supervision and control Public account system Employment was directed by the state and the products of the prisoners’ labor were sold for the benefit of the state Learning Objective One

Thinking Point Think about the use of prisoner labor. In what ways, if any, do you believe it should be permissible to use (and benefit from) prisoner labor? Are there any ethical issues with the use of prisoner labor?

The History of Correctional Institutions Prison Reform Efforts The National Congress of Penitentiary and Reformatory Discipline Elmira Reformatory Indeterminate sentence Learning Objective One - Prison in the late nineteenth century was a brutal place. This line engraving from 1869 shows an inmate undergoing water torture in New York’s Sing Sing Prison.

The History of Correctional Institutions Prisons in the 20th Century Mutual Welfare League No more stripes No more code of silence No more lockstep shuffle Movies, radio, visiting, mail Specialized prisons Prison industries Learning Objective One - Elmira Reformatory, training course in drafting, 1909. Inmates stand at drafting tables as guards watch and a supervisor sits at a fenced-off desk at the front of the hall. Elmira was one of the first penal institutions to employ education and training programs.

The History of Correctional Institutions The Development of Parole Developed overseas and transported to the United States Ticket of leave By 1901 as many as 20 states had created some type of parole agency Learning Objective One and Three

The History of Correctional Institutions Contemporary Correctional Institutions Prisoners rights movement 1960-1980 Violence in the nations prisons Reconsideration on the purpose of incarceration Learning Objective Six

Jails Five Primary Purposes Detain accused offenders Hold convicted offenders Confinement for misdemeanor offenders Probation/parole violations Prison overcrowding Learning Objective Seven

Jails Jail Populations and Trends Decline in crime 1995 – 2008 while increase in jail populations The jail population has been declining since 2009 9 in 10 jail inmates are adult males 12% of jail inmates are women Learning Objective Seven - One problem faced by female inmates is forced separation from their children and families. A number of institutions have created programs to remedy this loss. Here, Harris County, Texas, inmate Gwendolyn Jackson and her son Jarell, 8, share a laugh together during a Christmas event for 15 female inmates in the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Reentry Services Program. The inmates had presents donated by Navidad en el Barrio to give their children. The women are minimum risk inmates who have had good relationships with their children. The female inmates are also working with Reentry Services in setting goals for a successful transition back into the community in efforts to reduce recidivism. Children accompanied by adults can visit inmates on routine visitation days but without physical contact.

Jails Jail Conditions Low-priority item in the criminal justice system County level administration results in lack of regulation Physical deterioration Many jail inmates are sexual abuse survivors Many jail inmates suffer from mental illness Learning Objective Seven

Jails New-Generation Jails Modern designs to improve effectiveness Continuous observation, both direct and indirect Learning Objective Eight

Prisons Types of Prisons Maximum security prisons Super maximum security prisons Medium security prisons Minimum security prisons Learning Objective Nine

Prisons Maximum Security Prisons Houses dangerous felons and maintains strict security measures, high walls, and limited contact with the outside world Byword is security Prisons are designed to eliminate hidden corners where people can congregate

Prisons Super Maximum Security Prison Houses the most predatory criminals Can be independent correctional centers or locked wings of existing prisons Lock inmates in their cells 22 to 24 hours a day Effectiveness has achieved mixed review Fear that long hours of isolation may be associated with mental illness and psychological disturbances

Thinking Point Super Maximum Prisons How do you feel about super maximum prisons? Do you believe there are situations for which these are an acceptable form of confinement? Why or why not?

Prisons Medium Security Prisons Less secure institution that houses nonviolent offenders and provides more opportunities for contact with the outside world Promote greater treatment efforts

Prisons Minimum Security Prisons Least secure correctional institution, which houses white-collar and nonviolent offenders, maintains few security measures, and has liberal furlough and visitation policies Inmates are allowed a great deal of personal freedom Criticized for being like country clubs

Alternative Correctional Institutions Prison Farms and Camps Shock Incarceration in Boot Camps Community Correctional Facilities Private Prisons Learning Objective Nine

Alternative Correctional Institutions Prison Farms and Camps Found primarily in the South and the West Been in operation since the 19th century “The Life of Jesus Christ” - a three-and-a-half-hour play with a cast of 70, plus a mule, two horses, a lamb, and a camel - made its debut in a three-day run at the prison farm at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. The production featured men from Angola and women from the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women, who traveled nearly two hours by bus each morning to this 18,000-acre prison farm on the Mississippi River. Much of the cast was in rehearsal on and off for two years. Shown here on right is Levelle Tolliver, who plays Judas. Tolliver, a talented actor, shot a man in the head in 1993.

Alternative Correctional Facilities Shock Incarceration in Boot Camps Shock incarceration Short term correctional program based on a boot camp approach that makes use of a military like regime of high intensity physical training Boot camp A short term militaristic correction facility in which inmates undergo intensive physical conditioning and discipline Inside the Ordnance Road Correctional Center in Glen Burnie, Maryland, 19-year-old inmate Kenneth Lee puts sheets on his plastic covered mattress. He serves his prison sentence one weekend at a time, living in a dormitory-style room housing a dozen men. Alternative correctional institutions have sprung up around the nation as a response to overcrowding and high recidivism rates.

Alternative Correctional Facilities Community Correctional Facilities Community treatment The attempt by correctional agencies to maintain convicted offenders in the community rather than in a secure facility Includes probation, parole, and residential programs Halfway house A community based correctional facility that houses inmates before their outright release so that they can become gradually acclimated to conventional society

Alternative Correctional Institutions Private Prisons Corrections Corporations of America There are about 450 correctional facilities run by private firms Little sound evidence that private prisons are cheaper to run and/or produce better results Some state governments still view private prisons as a low cost alternative Learning Objective Nine

Thinking Point Determine whether or not the state you reside in uses private correctional facilities. In what ways? Do you support or oppose this idea? Defend your position.

Inmate Populations Disproportionately young, male, minority, and poor Growth Trends Why has the prison population continued to grow as crime rates dropped? Future Trends Rate of increase has slowed Budget cutbacks may halt the expansion of prison construction and cause the housing of ever more prisoners in already crowded prison facilities Learning Objective Ten