History of Corrections in America - Research Paper Example

Running head: HISTORY OF CORRECTIONS IN AMERICA History of Corrections in America History of Corrections in America American prisons have come a long way to be what they are today. Their history dates back in the colonial times when punishments were severe and in today’s standards, inhumane. It is in the 1600s where offenders were punished in public as a deterrent to all like-minded people. After these systems of punishment some regions established penitentiaries which isolated offenders from the outside world. Many reformation movements occurred in the late 19th century that led to the progressive period which was characterized by continued reforms in the prisons sector. After this period a medical model was adopted widely from 1930s to 1960s when it was replaced by the community model which lasted till 1970s. Crime control model emerged after this with heightened level of crime and sophistication. This short overview shows that numerous changes have occurred and can be a perfect indicator that judging from the past, a great deal is still on the way. This paper will concentrate on the history of corrections in America by touching on evolution of punishment, William penny and Pennsylvania system and related models as they have unfolded with time. For quite a long time colonial America did not have state or federal prisons. This is because the first prisons emerged after the Revolutionary War. Local towns had the responsibility of constructing their own jails. These jails however incarcerated only those sentenced to hanging or other forms of executions. Many states at the time enjoyed separate laws and punishment systems but in general terms, criminal acts were punished through physical means. Some of these physical punishments were quite severe even in those days’ standards for example mutilations of body parts e.g. noses and ears (Cole & Smith, 2007). Others included branding with hot iron, flogging, banishment and hangings among others. Depriving offenders of their liberty was not a common scenario and huge emphasis laid on infliction of pain. It is after the Revolutionary War that people went back to the drawing board to develop new mechanisms of dealing with crime and punishment. At this time America had just received its independence from England and liberty was the most important of all individual assets. Those in positions of governance at the time thought that depriving a person of this treasured asset was a better punishment than the traditional pain-related punishments borrowed from England. Much of Americas and to some extent the world, owe the current developed state of prisons to Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. William Penn is accredited to have abolished a number of severe punishments and substituted them with lesser ones. One of the abolished punishments was death penalty as applied in kidnapping and homosexuality among other cases. All other crimes except murder were relieved of the death penalty. Instead offenders of the so called lesser crimes were either fined or imprisoned to do hard labor. However, sexual offenses attracted heavy penalties with 1 year sentencing for first offenders and life sentencing for second offenders. It is however unfortunate that this system did not last long as the old punishments of death by hanging in public places among others returned soon after Penn’s death. Jails were flocked with people irrespective of their gender, age or crime. In other places like Chester County fees were charged for extra special services for example food and heating. Richard Wistar is a notable figure who pioneered in forming a group whose role was to enhance the lives of those jailed by providing them with free food and soup although the group was abolished soon afterwards by the British. A group led by Benjamin Rush emerged in 1783 which aimed at reforming the penal code of 1718 to bring back the severe punishments. The new laws were later revised in 1787 as sentiments against public executions mounted. The jails were also in pathetic situations and major reforms followed in 1790s. This marked the arrival of the penitentiary which aimed at putting people in solitary confinement. Offenders also worked as laborers and these measures were meant to reform them by instilling a culture of hard work. Confinement also ensured that they had time to reflect on their actions. The major punishment was isolation as humans are known to be social beings. This method was highly preferred and was replicated elsewhere as it was cheaper to operate and that it required few guards and offenders served shorter sentences. A great deal of investment money was relayed towards the building of a state of the art penitentiary in the Eastern State in early 1980s. Prisoners rarely left their cells as they were big enough to be worked in and there were heating and toilet facilities as well. This 24 hours lockdown and separation of prisoners became popularly known as Pennsylvania System and it lasted throughout the 19th century. The above model was replicated in other regions in United States and was somehow duplicated by the Auburn System. These penitentiaries did not have much room of technological sophistication as compared to that of the Pennsylvania System. Auburn System also known as the competing model forbade any communication among prisoners as each had a small self contained room. One notable characteristic was the fact that prisoners were brought together for silent labor in factories operated by these kinds of prisons. The Pennsylvania System was quite sophisticated as it was build with wagon wheel-like design where long corridors met at a single point (Schmalleger & Smykla, 2004). This way a single guard was able to monitor movements over a large area from a central tower. In contrast to the Pennsylvania System, the Competing Model was more of a Congregate System where during the day inmates worked together but confined separately at night. Prisoners did hard labor in factories and the rule of silence and utmost discipline were to be upheld at all times. The centre of reformation was after depiction of good working habits and proper discipline for a considerable period of time. The Pennsylvania System on the other hand operated to completely isolate the prisoner even at the time of work. The reformation that was accepted was salvation and evident religious enlightenment. The Southern States at this time practiced different models whereby people used to receive a number of prisoners to take care of and work for them in their private firms and businesses. Since the South had been hugely affected by the Civil War, maintaining high number of inmates proved difficult. Penal farms were then established where inmates worked to feed themselves and states sold any surplus. These are the types of prisons that existed until the 1970s. During this time the Prison Society advocated for better living conditions for prisoners and worked to ensure the release of some inmates. They have done so by working with the Board of Pardons that allows for early parole in cases where good behavior is continuously exhibited by a prisoner (Allen, Latessa & Ponder, 2006). Their active role in regards to changes in the prison system slowly culminated into major and widespread reforms. It is at this time that the Medical Model was established. Some of the calls for reforms included the abolition of capital punishment and increased accessibility of employment by ex-offenders and other social benefits that normal Americans enjoyed as free people. Parole actually worked well with officers being assigned to follow up on ex-prisoners to find out how they were readjusting to the community life. The main focus of the Medical Model was to eliminate or curtail criminal behavior through medical intervention. At this time scientific researches were underway that aimed at showing the relationship between criminal behavior and socio-psychological and biological deficiencies. The proponents stated that prisons were just but mental hospitals which shaped the prisoners to be able to be reabsorbed into the society. The Community Model was then born in the 1960s and 1970s which emphasized that corrective measures should be aimed at reintegrating the offenders back into the society. As such prisons were not the best alternatives as they offered just but an artificial environment. The Crime Control Model then emerged since then. This new model has lost faith in rehabilitating criminals through the justice system and has instead advocated for more control, incarceration and supervision. High crime rates, public concerns of the length of sentences and huge discretion at the disposal of parole officers among other factors triggered the need to have stricter measures to deal with crimes and prisoners in general (Clear, Cole & Reisig, 2008). It is now more than two centuries since the first significant change towards the current prison environment began. The prison system has undergone complete metamorphosis to embrace justice and compassion for those incarcerated while at the same time endeavoring to enforce restoration systems. The prison system is still on this long and patient-demanding journey of serving justice to the offended and transforming the offenders into responsible members of the society. It is important to note that United States currently has the highest percentage of incarcerated people in prisons at a minimum of 450 in every 100,000 citizens. This shows that more needs to be done to stop this looming trend. References Allen, H. E., Latessa, E. J. & Ponder, B. S. (2006). Corrections in America: An introduction. Pearson Prentice Hall. Clear, T. R., Cole, G. F. & Reisig, M. D. (2008). American corrections. Cengage Learning. Cole, G. F. & Smith, C. E. (2007). Criminal justice in America. Cengage Learning. Schmalleger, F. & Smykla, J. O. (2004). Corrections in the 21st century. McGraw-Hill. Read More