Correction System The correction system is one of the umbrella sections of criminal justice that is mandated to deal with lawbreakers and offenders. Primarily, the correction system serves three main functions of punishing, protecting and correcting the criminal offender. In America, the government agencies work together with correction systems to ensure that these responsibilities are met. Also referred to as the penal system, the correctional system is charged with the duty of administering jurisdictions, especially to community based programs, parole and probation victims. This paper is a description of the history of correctional systems in America and discusses two needs that require to be fixed so that correction systems run more safely and efficiently.
History of correction systems in America The history of the correctional system in the United States dates back to the 17th century during which imprisonment as a form of punishment had begun to become popular (Roth, 2006). The American Revolution largely contributed to the efforts of initializing a system that would deal with law offenders. During this period, prisons in the form of detention facilities and dungeons were commonly used in different parts of America. The efforts of building prisons in and around America began in three major waves were the first wave began during the infamous Jacksonian Era (Stanko et al, 2004). This era led to extensive use of imprisonment and heavy labor as a way of punishing penalty for most crimes, especially in the wake of the civil war. The second wave began soon after the civil war and brought many new mechanisms in the criminal justice and correctional system. This change involved the inclusion of parole, uncertain sentencing of criminals and probation. The final wave occurred during the early 1970’s that saw the United States emerge with an unexpected expansion