History of Prison Reform in the US Essay - 2067 Words

When people think of reform movements, they often look for one key sign, and ask one key question of whether that the reform was a success. Did the reform create a lasting change in the way people view the institution that was reformed? All the great reformation movements, from Horace Mann and his education reforms, to Martin Luther, and the Protestant Reformation, to the civil rights movement, all created lasting change in the minds of the average person. One other reform, often overlooked historically is the Prison Reform movement. As the world shifted from 18th to 19th century ways of life, many key aspects of life underwent tremendous change. As the United States gained their independence from Britain and began to shape their own†¦show more content†¦While the reforms of the 1820s through the 1850s were well intended, what began as a moral reform transformed into one of secular interest. Capital punishment played a pivotal role in the punishment of criminals in the ear ly colonial period, with William Penn of Pennsylvania being the first responsible leader to utilize imprisonment as a corrective treatment for major offenders. In 1682 his â€Å"Great Law† provided the confinement of both major and minor violators of the law to be placed in houses of correction.3 There they would partake in work for moderate compensation, for a period of time proportional to their respective crimes. Soon an amendment was ratified making murder a capital offense, and remained the only capital offense until 1700 when treason could also be punished by death. Up until the death of William Penn in 1718, Pennsylvania largely relied on fines and imprisonment, shifting to a different system of criminal punishment only after the passing of Penn. Soon after conservative groups gained control, and Pennsylvania reimposed the English criminal code, which increased the number of crimes punishable by death to twelve, and allowed punishments such as whipping to be doled out. This system lasted until the post colonial age, when in 1786 the state eliminated the death penalty for robbery and burglary and subsequently only retained capital punishment for first degree murder in 1794.4 Sparking the changes was theShow MoreRelatedAttica Prison Riot and Prison Reform1362 Words   |  6 PagesWe live in a society today filled with crime and fear. We are told not to go out after a certain hour, always move in groups, and even at times advised to carry a weapon on ourselves. There is only one thing that gives us piece of mind in this new and frightening world we live in: the American penal system. 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She does believe that we can have some sort of a reform; howeverRead MoreChanges Of The Corrections System911 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Due to all the failures throughout history in corrections, there are several changes that have been made since the initial developments of reform. Humans need to be punished in order to understand wrongdoing, therefore the corrections system will need to change not only to modern society, but also to the populations to avoid overcrowding. Americans should transition to more probations and community corrections programs, but eligibility for the new lenient methods of correction shouldRead MoreHistory Of The Prison System1067 Words   |  5 PagesThe history of the prison system in the US is very extensive and encompasses nine different eras which include the Penitentiary era, Mass Prison, Reformatory, Industrial, Punitive, Treatment, Community-based, Warehousing, and the Just-desert era. Each era had its own strength and weaknesses that influenced each subsequent era that came after. the idea of a prison system came about from the colonist desire for a more humane method of dealing with criminal offenders. It was a key move away from corporalRead MoreThe Prison Industrial Complex Has Created A System Of Force Free Labor931 Words   |  4 PagesThe Prison Industrial Complex has created a system of force free labor that strips prisoners of their political, economic, and social rights, ultimately relegating them to second-class citizenship, inside and outside of the prison walls. Denying former enslaved people citizenship was essential to the formation of the original union and hundreds of years later, America remains a nonegalitarian society. Not only are those incarcerated barred from suffrage, as throughout much of US history for AfricanRead MoreThe Prison System1048 Words   |  5 PagesFinal Exam Essay Question #2 Question: Discuss the history of the prison system in the United States. Be sure to identify the various stages that the American prison system has gone through. Also identify what problems were present with each stage as you see them. Response: American prison system incarceration was not officially used as the main form of punishment in United States (U.S.) until around the 1800’s. Before that time criminals were mainly punished by public shaming, which involved punishmentsRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency Is A Problem1508 Words   |  7 PagesJuvenile Delinquency When looking into the history of United States and elsewhere juvenile delinquency is a problem and has been one for over a century. Like other systems in place, the system involving juvenile delinquents has gone through many stages. In the case of the juvenile delinquency, it has gone through four stages, with us presently in the fourth. The causes behind juvenile delinquency are still unknown even today. Some blame it on the current culture, the over-exposure to violenceRead MoreOver Population in the Prison System Costs Billions, and That Affect Us All!1299 Words   |  6 Pagespopulation in the prison system costs billions, and that affect us all! Tjy Helms Composition 1 ENG1001 BH Week 5 Professor Henry 05/6/2011 I say why should we the people pay to house, feed, and provide medical care for people who have never had a history of violent behavior? The issue becomes compounded when we cram thousands of people into a space designed for hundreds. Look at the number of people who are doing hard time, for non-violent crimes. These are the people who are costing us unneeded expenses