Corrections: History, Institutions, and Populations Chapter 15
Apr 01, 2015
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