Corrections: History, Institutions, and Populations

Chapter 15

Community residential centers

Jails

Reformatories

Penal institutions

Houses of corrections

Juvenile and adult schools, ranches, camps, homes

Halfway houses

“Correctional Facilities” aka “Incarceration Facilities”

Gaol could be any secure place

Hulks were abandoned ships

Prisoners were mixed together:

Adult & juvenile / male & female

Hardened & first time offenders

No state responsibility for health, safety & welfare

Survival of the fittest

English Gaols & Hulks

New, more humane system introduced, forbidding torture

Imprisonment at hard labor & moderate flogging with restitution

All lands and goods were to be forfeited

Ordered houses of corrections to be built

The Pennsylvania System and William Penn

Single inmate to a cell

Cells designed as miniature prisons

Constant solitary confinement

The Eastern State Penitentiary (in Philadelphia) became the most

expensive and most copied building of its time.

The Pennsylvania System

Modestly appointed:

Bed

Table

Chair

Bucket

Bible

A place to reflect on wrong doings and improve one’s moral

character (“to get right with God”)

The Pennsylvania System (cont.)

Sometimes called the tier or congregate system

Based on fear of punishment & silent confinement

Congregate work conditions

Separate & silent conditions at night

Enforced silence was the key to discipline

The Auburn System: An Alternative to the Pennsylvania System

Zebulon Brockway begins reforms at Elmira (NY) Reformatory

Reform measures include education, vocational training, military-

like training, and humanitarianism

Parole brought to America

Prison Reform

Contract System

Convict Lease System

Prison Industries

Organized labor unions oppose forced labor (unfair competition)

Sumners-Ashurst Act (1940): federal offense to transport interstate

commerce goods made in prison for private use

Demise of Prison Industries

The modern era has been a period of change and turmoil in the

nation’s correctional system

Why reform efforts have failed:

Failure of the medical model to rehabilitate coupled with high

recidivism rates

Increase in prison violence

Increase in prison costs

Failure of Reform Efforts

Young, single, male

Undereducated

Minorities

Low income

Single parent family

Drug/alcohol abuse

Property crimes

Who are the Most Common Kinds of Jail Inmates?

Increase of 6% annually since 1990

Substance abuse common

Victims of child abuse

Women in Jail

Operated under concept of custodial convenience

Understaffed, underpaid

Lack of basic programs and services

Suicides common

Jail Conditions

To relieve overcrowding and improve effectiveness, a jail-building

boom has been underway. Modern designs are being used to

improve effectiveness.

New generation jails allow for either direct or indirect continuous

observation of residents.

New Generation Jails

As of 2003, there were more than 1,600 public and private adult

correctional facilities housing state prisoners.

There are 84 federal facilities and 26 private facilities housing federal

inmates.

The number of prison institutions has increased 14% since 1995.

Types of Prisons

Fortresses

Cells/blocks/wings

Standard uniform and dress codes

Everything based on security (lock psychosis)

State Prison Organization: Maximum Security Prisons

Similar appearance to maximum security

Security is less intense

More privileges

More treatment effort

State Prison Organization: Medium Security Prisons

No armed guards or walls

House most trustworthy & least violent offenders

Dormitory style housing or small rooms

Often farms or ranches

State Prison Organization: Minimum Security Prisons

House most dangerous, predatory criminals

Extra-tight security and isolated conditions are common

All potential weapons removed, e.g., mirrors, toilet seat, soap dishes,

etc.

Some claim violations of United Nations standards for the treatment

of inmates

State Prison Organization: Ultra-Maximum Security Prisons

Young

Single

Poorly educated

Disproportionately male

Disproportionately minority group member

Prison Inmates Personal Characteristics

Public demand for punitive punishment

Mandatory & determinate sentencing

More drug and violent crimes

Increased use of incarceration by judges

Lack of employment opportunities slow the rate of prisoners released

on parole

Why Have Prison Populations Grown?

37 states operating under court orders

State prisons are over 100% capacity

Some responses:

Double/triple bunking

Tents & military bases

River barges

Use of local jails

Prison Overcrowding

Typical inmate is a youthful, first time offender convicted of a

property crime

Often used when drug use was a factor

Uses a military regime discipline and physical fitness

Shock Incarceration (aka Boot Camp)

Private company builds prison and contracts to run it

In some cases, the prison and programs are leased to the state

In other cases, specific service program contracts are made

More than 264 private facilities operate under federal or state

authority

The number of inmates in private facilities has risen 459% since

June 1995

Private Prisons

Biased evaluations re: effectiveness

Cut corners to save costs

Hard core prisoners not accepted for state care

Maintenance of liability

Loss of state jobs

Difficult to control quality

Moral considerations

Problems with Private Prisons

The prison boom means that a significant portion of American

citizens will one day be behind bars. One in 37 adults living in the

U.S. on December 31, 2001 had been confined in prison at some

time during his or her life.

Between growth in the population and increases in life expectancy,

the number of current or former inmates increased by 3.8 million

between 1974 - 2002.

There were racially significant differences in the likelihood of going to

prison.

Going to Prison During Your Lifetime

Politicians respond to “get tough” demands from certain segments of

the public

Public concern increases over drug and violent crime

Mandatory sentencing laws increase eligibility for incarceration and

limit the availability for early release via parole

Increased number of ex-inmates who have failed on community

release

Explaining Prison Population Trends