BRIEF HISTORY OF CORRECTIONS 3 CHAPTER 1 BRIEF HISTORY OF CORRECTIONS Learning Objectives — at the end of this chapter, the student will be able to: * Understand the importance of correctional systems; Learn the important milestones in the history of . corrections; and «Know the different concepts of correctional systems HISTORY OF CORRECTIONS Ancient Times Welch (2004) traced back the beginning of prisons to the rise of i form of social organization. Along with the advent of itten language was Clesmlged which led to the creation a formalized legal codes as official guidelines for society. The Code lammurabi, written in Babylon around 1750 BC, was the mom popular of these early codes. In this Code, penalties for law violation: a on the concept of lex talionis (“the law of retaliation”) where of oo were punished, often by the victims themselves, as a form can on This concept of punishment as vengeance or retaliation ara * found in many other legal codes from early civilizations, Astra, te, whe Ancient Sumerian codes, the Indian Manama Dharma » the Hermes Trismegistus of Egypt, and the Mosaic Code.INSTITUTIONAL CORR! en Europe Barly Modern including Plato, began rent to reform offenders instead tially, those who could not aor, simply using it to aly, thos : imply using it 19 eee imprisoned. Eventually, } es, had to be held eS periods of imprisonment to be app) became the reas instead,(Allen, 2003] : : nw used various structures to house PriSOMers. These tnchted faa Mae jasement® of public buildings, and quar, included meta prison, established around 640 B.C. Located within a Te Mamereeath ancient Rome, it contained ¢ large network o seeeeone where prisoners were held in subhuman, tii qunster common form of punishment was avs projects. Prisoners were often Ket Middle Ages to the 17th Century ‘Turing offenders into gale sas to row naval or merchant r Castles, fortresses, and the basements of put caer shift prisons during the Middle Ages in Burope. $e mneon citizens, legitimized the existence of officials at al lev! epermnment, from city councils to sovereign kings. The same caps) fo have people incarcerated or even killed gave some officials that S°™* Sfpower o authority over others. [Turning, 2012] Spierenburg (1998) gave some insights into the penalt in early modern Europe, which usually consisted of p being exposed in public places where they were scorned by passe" From the Middle Ages up to the 16th and 17th centuries in Europ imprisonment per se was 1 Prisons were mainly to hold those awaiting trial and convicts punishment. ‘The Bridewell House of Corrections, located at Bridew" in London, was a significant milestone during this period e history when it led to the establishment of other correctional {% ‘These houses held mostly petty offenders, vagrants, and 1c! ty practie® 1770s and in Austr the early 18th century. The toughest pei du Diable (Devil's BRIEF HISTORY OF CORRECTIONS 5 _—________*_ rier nistory oF CORRECTIONS _5_ troublemakers. Inmates were given jobs and were taught how to work for a living. Towards the later part of the 17th century, these houses of correction were absorbed into local prison systems managed by the local Justices of the Peace, Modern Era ‘The 18th century saw widespread resistance to public execution and torture both in Europe and in the United States. The public particularly objected to death penalty being imposed even for petty crimes. Many jurors refused to convict defendants when they knew they would be sentenced to death for committing minor offenses. Heads of states were hard-pressed for alternative ways of punishments that would not picture them as heartless rulers. These rulers saw mass imprisonment, often coupled with hard labor, as the more suitable form of sanction, (Foucault, 2012; Kann, 2005) [At this time, the philosophies that heavily influenced the penal reform movement were contradictory in nature. On one side there was the suggestion that prisons should be ised simply as a more humane fubstitate for public corporal punishments, such as whipping. or hanging. This theory, aimed at being a deterrent, claims that prison Conditions should be so harsh and tering that they sow fear among Sould-be offenders, On the other side was the theory that regarded pasone as a form of rehabilitation of moral reform. It sprang fo os belief that saw crime and sin in the same light, and regarded fons as a place to teach prisoners concepts of Christian morality Ee thavior Modern reformers believed that prisons could be turned into more humane institutions where prisoners can be taught proper behavior and could still be productive when they reunite with the rest of society after they have served their term in prison. |Lewis, 2009], Penal Colonies and Prison Ships An alternative to the death penalty for many offenses in the British Empire was the practice of transporting convicted criminals to penal ‘This was also done in the An between 1788 icas between the 1610s and 1868. France also used tropical penal colonies including Louisiana in 1 colony of all time was Ile land). From 1852 until its shutdown in 1946, it6 _ INSTITUTIONAL CORRECTIONS has become s slowly stopped in Englan, g vessels were used as, mn ned authorities that mas, was a viable way of preventing Prison Reform Movement Early prison reform saw a champion in John Howard, a High sheriff of Bedfordshire, London. He visited several prisons in Englané ‘ope, and published The State of Prisons in England and Walesin contained very detailed accounts of the prisons he had visited disturbed by his discovery that some prison: who had been acquitted were still detained because they could not pa ‘ler's fees or the amount due those who owned the prison hou the j He then proposed several reforms through the Penitentiary Act, wh - British Parliament in 1779. .¢ Penitentiary Act had four basic princi abolition « jailer’s fees, (2) regular inspection of prisons, (3) provision o emphasis on reforming inmates. Howard's rel ‘ned discipline and humanitarian philosophy. It also incorP jous teachings, as well as productive labor and daily ' [Welch, 2004] Quakers, ar We jous movement formed after the English Civ so spearheaded prison reforms, The mover their primary recrul Welch also mentioned Elizabeth Fry, a who wrote about the conditions that prevailed at Newgate dies’ section in on was overcrowded with women and slept on straw. Fry found who were imprisoned with wn for the Refor BRIEF HISTORY OF CORRECTIONS _7 Development of the Modern Prison The foundation of the modern prison system which was laid in London, was influenced by Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon, a design that consisted of a circular structure with an “inspection house” at the ‘enter, from which the manager or staff of the institution were able to watch the inmates, who were stationed around the perimeter. This principle of observation and control became the basis for the design of the modern prison. The notion of prisoners being detained as part of their punishment and not simply as a temporary holding state until trial or hanging, was at the time revolutionary. His views influenced the establishment of the first prisons used as criminal rehabilitation centers, This thinking appealed to politicians and intellectuals who ‘were hungry for reforms. In the first half of the 19th century, capital punishment was deemed inappropriate for many crimes that it had previously been carried out for. By the mid-19th century, imprisonment had replaced the death penalty for the most serious offenses except for murder. Other milestones were also noted during this period: Millbank Prison, the first state prison in England that housed less than 1000 inmates, was established. Robert Peel’s Gaols (Jails) Act of 1823 introduced regular visits to prisoners by chaplains, provided for the payment of jailers, and prohibited the use of irons and manacles. FE | 1824 _54 prisons adopted the disciplinary system advocat r by the SIPD of London. oe ma 1840s Transporting prisoners to Australia and the use of sea vessels for this purpose started to decline. Joshua Jebb, Surveyor-General of convict prisons Started @ program in which one large prison was opened per year. Pentonville prison opened and started a trend of using prison as the primary form of crime punishment.8 _ INSTITUTIONAL CORRECTIONS: —______bnterisrony or connterions_9 _ were largely impleme; puropean countries, ; nglish-speaking coy," n after 1861,(Git,. tor and scholar who studied, handed dowr and emphasizing dis were still crammed in large rooms, alcohol use was common, and inmates had become riotous and prone to escapes. The Auburn system of New York was developed in an attempt implement a more rehabilitative process. Prisoners were confined in separate cells and were not allowed to talk when eating and working together. Almost all states adopted it and it became so famous that it 3000} Cesare Lombr0s0. 1's physical and mental characteris ses works. One of the visitors aoe chip between tecrimina ee oe developmen ttfacted vistors to th U.S, to observe how it works. One ofthe visit {his behavior, provided buge © ee eda ae was French historian Alexis de Tocqueville who wrote Democracy in and hi He was later Teg America. [Bosworth, 2002} fn advanced penology in Italy. 12) a aca ninology. [Knepper & Ystehede, 2012] Penology Reforms in the United States ¢ Pennsylvania passed a law in which ‘ed the death sentence, would be forcsi ich as building roads, -forts, and min: ly to be a source of free labor, b to discourage criminal activity by setting a scenario of (he Kindo that awaited lawbreakers. Unfortunately, it only resulted in cist conduct of prisoners. Worse, it directed sympathy to the conv the citizens who saw how the inmates were maltreated. The highly criticized for being cruel and degrading, and for failing the incidence of crime In 1786, the state of convicts, except those met do public works projects su ‘The law was expected not onl As a solution, reformers such as Dr. Benjamin Rush, a 92% of the American Declaration of Independence, proposed a com that would allow the practice of forced labor, but would not 2!" public to witness the abuse inflicted on the prisoners. The su was to send the prisoners to secluded “houses of repentane they would be subjected to the usual physical pain, hard solitude but out of the public eye. As a concession, they cleaner facilities and simple food.[MeClennan, 2008] yen ate Po This theory was put into practice in 1790 when P turned its old jail at Walnut Street in Philadelphia into 2S! This became the model for the “Pennsylvania system” (0° system”), in which all prisoners were placed in solitary cel religious literature, and were forced to be completely silent '° their sins.(Murty, 2004] The Newgate state prison in Green New York, was also modeled on the Pennsylvania system.[L¢" Other states soon followed. ‘The value of legal reform came under fire by 1820 whe? ‘changes on the level of crime’and the prisons could be see” " SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN PRISON DESIGN AND SYSTEMS IN THE UNITED STATES ‘Walnut Street Jail The Walnut Street Prison was a pioneering effort in prison reform. Originally builtas aconventional jail just before the American Revolution, it was expanded in 1790 and hailed as a model of enlightened thinking about criminals. The prison, in fact, was known as a “penitentiary” (from the Latin word for remorse). It was designed to provide a severe environment that left inmates much time for reflection, but it was also designed to be cleaner and safer than past prisons: It became the first state penitentiary in the country. ‘The main addition to the Walnut Street complex was a new celiblock called the “Penitentiary House.” Built in the courtyard of the existing structure, it included a series of small cells designed to hold individual prisoners. The cells and the corridors connecting them were designed fo prevent prisoners from communicating with each other. Each cell had a mattress, a water tap, and a privy pipe. Inmates were confined to their cells for the duration of their confinement. The only person they saw was the guard and then only briefly once a da Legal Encyclopedia, 2016} Eastern State Penitentiary Eastern State Penitentiary set the standard for penal reform, with its massive, castle-like Gothic architecture designed by British architect John Haviland. It occupied all of 11 acres and had central heating system, running water and flush toilets. A number of big-name criminals, including Al Capone, served time here. The prison was the first to use solitary confinement, as reformists felt that isolation led to reflection and ultimately penitence. TheP INSTITUTIONAL CORRECTIONS le. The penitentiary had a distinct,* ecalguate vier at Seman coenaic ean Mbandoned in 197) ae a8 Yaris tandmati and are tary confinement at lent system, which evolved during the 1820s at Auburn Prison in Auburn, N.Y., was a modification of the Pennsylvania system of solitary confinement, which it gradually replaced in the United States. Both the Pennsylvania and Auburn systems were based on the belief that criminal habits were learned from and reinforced by other criminals. Some significant features of the system include the lockstep (marching in single file, placing the right hand on the shoulder of the man ahead, and facing foward the guard), the striped suit, two-foot extensions of the walls between cells, and special seating arrangements at meals—all designed to ensure strict silence. Elmira System This American penal system intended. for young felons was named after the Elmira Reformatory in New York. It was an innovat: of Zebulon R. Brockway, a noted reformer who was inspired by the “mark” system developed in Australia by Alexander Maconochie, Under this system, inmates were awarded credits or marks for good behavior. ‘A certain number of marks was required for release. Brockway added a new regimen of moral, physical, and vocational training to the system Prisoners were classified and separated and received individualized treatment emphasizing vocational training and industrial employment. It differed from many prisons then as it focused on reformi the convict using psychological rather than physical methods. The tn con wnt he refernatery tcuded coumsea Drea, THe Prvon, vocational training in various trades, end exiaeeso oe activities, such as a prison band and various athletic leagues SL ltl BRIEF HISTORY OF CORRECTIONS Discipline was largely patterned after military academies. Inmates were classified into three “grades.” New prisoners were placed at second grade for their first six months, The most responsive and cooperative prisoners earned a first grade, with the opportunity to earn additional privileges or “marks,” including reduction of their sentences or being granted parole, Those who were less responsive to rehabilitation or had behavioral problems were placed at third grade had mixed results. Tension got high .d on how long their detention hat eventually resulted The system, however, because prisoners were often not informe’ would last. The “Paddler Brockway” system th in the transfer of several prisoners to mental asylums, caused some ‘the Elmira system was to question the reformatory system: Still, influential in prison reform for two Seasons ieee be _ juvenile and adult offenders, and acknowl oss i mn. ‘Spitamencibbiies In the late 1970s through late 1980s, college professors from Corning Community College volunteered to lecture within the prison, ‘and inmates were able to earn an associate degree. However, during the recession of 1990-1992 there was a public outcry over spending taxpayer money to educate felons while many middle-class families struggled to pay their children’s college tuition. Asa result, the program was cut, and although there were attempts to revive it, eventually it ‘was completely terminated. SIGNIFICANT TRENDS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CORRECTIONS 1. Age of Reformation — Replaced corporal punishment, exile, and physical disfigurement with the penitentiary. Age of Rehabilitation ~ Assumed that criminal were handicapped persons suffering from mental or emotional deficiency. Under this, individual therapy aimed at healing these personal maladjustment became the preferred system. Age of Reintegration — Society becomes the patient as well as the offender. Much more emphasis is placed on the pressure exerted on the offender by the social groups to which he belongs and on the society which regulates his, opportunities.INSTITUTIONAL CORRECTIONS ——nment connections —_________ isaeuphemism ora more politically accept, and prisons. For many professionals invo) though, the word represents a sense of hope 1, | ‘h—the ones commonly referred to as crim istakes and return to society as produ, rhe history of corrections is full of various interpretai of segregating criminals from society. The debate o the people they deal can learn from citizens. needs to rethink and redesig treatment process in order to keep up with the new the modern approaches to rehabilitation, and to comply with the gi standards in the treatment of offenders. | EXERCISES Student's Name: Year/ Section: Instructor: ‘School: Review Questions: 1. Explain the concept of correction, 2. Relate how the concept changed from one era to another.