History and Purpose of the American Prison System

Introduction

The American prison system has throughout the years developed to become home to an ever-increasing population of the nation's criminals. This growth is due in part to the fact that incarceration has consistently been used even in cases where alternative punishment would be adequate. Furthermore, the growing inmate population reflects sentence disparities that include both unusually long and unusually short terms. Currently, the maintenance of prisoners in American prisons is funded entirely by taxpayers. The American prison system has become the largest in the world, with the number of inmates increasing annually. While the purpose of American prisons is to serve as a place of punishment for criminals, they have in many respects become places of relative comfort — indeed, it is widely argued that inmates in American prisons are treated more like guests at a resort than like convicted criminals.

History and Purpose of the American Prison System

The greater use of incarceration in the American prison system, along with divergent public attitudes toward prisoners, became pronounced after the Great Depression in the 1930s. Prior to this shift, the rate of imprisonment in America had already increased significantly — rising to approximately 137 per 100,000 residents between 1925 and 1939. This increase was largely driven by a surge in the imprisonment of Black Americans, with Black incarceration rates rising to nearly three times the white incarceration rates. During this same period, white incarceration rates declined significantly while Black incarceration rates continued to climb. In the late 1930s, sociologists analyzing prison communities reported the presence of rigid class systems among inmates. The informal social system of prisoners was found to be governed by a convict code that stood in direct opposition to the official rules of the institution ("Prisons: History," n.d.).

By the end of the 1930s, the prison systems had been in existence for over one hundred years, with most penal institutions remaining largely unchanged. During this period, prisoners lived in a desolate environment characterized by bare essentials. One of the major developments of the era was the introduction of the prison labor system; however, this system was soon curtailed after Congress passed the Hawes-Cooper Act, and many states enacted laws limiting the sale and movement of prison-made products. Throughout its history, the American prison system has existed for the dual purpose of protecting society from individuals who may harm innocent civilians and rehabilitating those who pose a threat to public safety.

The Great Penitentiary Rivalry

One of the most significant developments in the history of the American prison system began in New York in the early 19th century. During this period, prison administrators held competing ideas about what was best for inmates and were challenged to develop a more efficient system of punishment. Out of this ongoing challenge emerged some effective forms of punishment that are still reflected in today's prison system. The great penitentiary rivalry involved the introduction of two distinct concepts of imprisonment — one originating in New York and one in Pennsylvania — that differed in both the physical structure of prisons and in how those institutions should be operated. The penitentiary was conceived in America as a more balanced and humane alternative to the prevailing reliance on capital and corporal punishment (Pray, n.d.). Prior to these reforms, the criminal justice landscape in both New York and Pennsylvania was similar: most crimes were punishable by capital punishment, and corporal punishment was widespread. Both concepts were designed not merely to house criminals but to reform them into productive citizens capable of returning to society. Accordingly, sentences were set long enough for prison programs to have a meaningful impact on inmates' lives.

The development of these two competing prison models became the basis for an extraordinary rivalry that lasted roughly thirty-five years. The Pennsylvania concept represented what became known as the individual system, while the New York concept represented the congregate system. Proponents of the individual system argued that the New York model was cheap and insufficiently reformative, while defenders of the congregate system contended that prolonged isolation under the Pennsylvania model led to death and insanity among inmates. This debate had a lasting influence on the development of penology in the United States.

Conclusion

The American prison system has undergone significant developments throughout its history, each of which has shaped its structure and operations. Today, this system serves the dual purpose of protecting society and rehabilitating criminals, while being sustained by public tax revenue. The tensions between punishment and rehabilitation, and between public and private management, continue to define ongoing debates about the future of American corrections.

Greene, J. (n.d.). Comparing private and public prison services and programs in Minnesota: Findings from prisoner interviews. Retrieved April 6, 2011, from

Pray, R. T. (n.d.). How did our prisons get that way? Retrieved April 6, 2011, from

"Prisons: History — Modern Prisons." (n.d.). Jrank.org: Law Library — American Law and Legal Information. Retrieved April 6, 2011, from http://law.jrank.org/pages/1782/Prisons-History-Modern-prisons.html