The history of correctional facilities in the US

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 reformatory era, the mass prison era, the industrial era, the punitive era, the community-based era, the warehousing era, and the just desert 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 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.