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Prison system plays a significant part in promoting the well-being and sustainability of the global societies. The American prison system is an example of the prison system that has undergone significant transformation over decades to become what is seen in the present. The origin of the American prison system is traceable back to early ages before the 19th century when incarceration was introduced as a method of criminal punishment to those who violated the law. The early ages of the development of the prison system was characterized by a geographical widespread of the penitentiary systems that could serve the purposes of law. However, exposure of this system to significant changes such as scientific and political developments alongside reform movements resulted in the improvement of the prison conditions.
Traditionally, the prison systems of the U.S. were used for punishing people who evaded paying their taxes. The history of the U.S. prison system can be described using various stages that it has undergone over the last century. these eras include the penitentiary era,...
The penitentiary era occurred between 1790 and 1825. The era was under the philosophy of rehabilitation of offenders and deterrence of criminal acts in the society. This phase witnessed the introduction of human treatment of offenders by the Quakers. Rehabilitation was achieved using Bible study and solitary confinement. Crime of theft was the leading form of crime during this stage of the growth of the U.S. prison system.
The mass prison era featured between 1825 and 1876. The use of treatments such as hard labor and whipping of the criminal offenders characterized this period. The system was the key competitor of the Pennsylvania system of prison that persisted between 1790 and 1825. This stage of the history of the U.S. prison system was dominated by the cases of vandalism, stealing water from the standpipes, and failure of individuals to pay taxes to the government. The reformatory era came between 1876 and…
The mass prison era featured between 1825 and 1876. The use of treatments such as hard labor and whipping of the criminal offenders characterized this period. The system was the key competitor of the Pennsylvania system of prison that persisted between 1790 and 1825. This stage of the history of the U.S. prison system was dominated by the cases of vandalism, stealing water from the standpipes, and failure of individuals to pay taxes to the government. The reformatory era came between 1876 and 1890 where the prison system adopted the used of intermediate sentencing as a form of punishing the criminal offenders. This phase aimed at reforming the criminal offenders rather than punishing them. As such, it adopted the use of graded stages where there was the use of parole systems to achieve the desired social sustainability and well-being. However, the system failed due to the effects of recidivism during this period. Urban crimes such as burglary, robbery with violence, and murder were the most common crimes during this stage of the growth of the U.S. prison system.
The industrial era followed where the prisoners were used to provide cheap labor. Among the systems of inmate labor that were used during this period, include the piece-price system, the contract system, public account system, lease system, public works system, and state-use system. However, the passing of the Ashurst-Sumners Act and the Hawes-Cooper Act reduced the labor that could be provided by the inmates. Among the crimes during this period included murder, robbery, and rape cases among other forms of crimes. The 1935-1945 punitive era was characterized by the holding of prisoners owed a debt to their societies. As such, there were few innovations during this period and the form of crimes committed during this era-included robbery, murder, and other forms of violence against humanity.
The treatment era of 1945-1967 came where there was the recognition of the need of the use of medical models for the sick inmates. The forms of crimes encompassed the above crimes. The community-based era (1967-1980) followed where inmates were provided with privileges such as work release, study-release, and halfway houses. This was followed by the warehousing era (1980-1995) and the Just desert era (1995 to the present) that recognized the need for provision of services that recognized human needs of the inmates. The forms of crimes included terrorism, robbery, murder, and all other forms of crimes present in the other eras. Therefore, it is apparent that the prison system of the U.S. has undergone significant transformations over time to become the present prison system.
Unfortunately many feel that appellate rulings don't always benefit modern correctional institutions. As mentioned previous, while prisoners are afforded more rights, many institutions now have stricter standards that have in part contributed to overcrowding. Many have described today's appellate rulings as inconsistent as best, "contributing rather than reducing disparity" and crippling state's abilities to prosecute as needed (Duke, 2005). Some good has come out of appellate rulings however. Devries (2004) points
Drugs in Federal Corrections Corrections issues One of the issue faced by the criminal justice system is offenders with drug problems. Research has indicated that almost 70% of criminals entering the correctional institutions have injected drugs 12 months prior to their incarceration (Ruiz, Douglas, Edens, Nikolova, & Lilienfeld, 2012). These patterns of drug abuse clearly demonstrate that many prisoners begin their prison terms with drug problems. If the problem is not recognized
History Of Juvenile Justice System, Court and Corrections History of Juvenile Justice System, Court, and Corrections What would happen to him if he committed the crime of breaking and entering with the aggravating circumstances of assault during the colonial period? Explain in detail. In the colonial era, individuals involved in burglary related crimes were given many different punishments from what they are given now. From crimes of breaking, Jim would have been given
Correctional Development 3 Strikes As California goes, some say, so goes the nation. There is little doubt but that the single most important event in recent correctional history in the nation's progressive state was the development of the Three Strikes laws. Having accepted this idea, the state is now faced with massive budget shortfalls and is confronting federal court orders to immediately and dramatically reduce its prison populations simply because it
Ladow. Similar boards were provisioned for federal prisons not in the penitentiary category. Each prison was also provided with a parole officer to supervise parolees during their community corrections phase. Inmates became eligible for parole after serving a third of their total sentence -- by 1915 this was expanded to mean fifteen years for inmates serving life sentences -- contingent on the decisions and good graces of the local
industrialized nation in the world has a higher percentage of its population residing in its prison than the United States (Liptak). This fact has witnessed a corresponding increase in the cost of housing and caring for the incarcerated which has correspondingly raised the public concerns for these costs. This combination has spurred conversation relative to how to address both issues and one of the methods suggested is the possible