...19th Century Crime and Punishment From 1880 to 1895, the number of offenders in a state prison jumped from 30,659 to a whopping 54,244. In just 15 years, there were 23,585 more offenders. During the 19th century, there were many different crimes committed for different reasons. With those different crimes, jails were overcrowded and punishments were needing to be reconsidered and changed to fit the modernizing time. In order to understand crime and punishment in the 19th century one should analyze the newer crimes, a rough economy, law enforcement, and mental health. One element that affected crime and punishment were the different crimes being committed. In Mark J. Collins analysis, “A Daily Life in the 1800’s United States”, he describes...
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...Jails and Prisons CJA/234 February 13, 2013 Janice Rachal Jails and Prisons WHAT IS JAIL? Jail in my opinion is a temporarily place of confinement until the final sentence is issued. According to Prisons and the Criminal Justice System by Lois Smith Owens, “A jail is a facility where people are detained for the following reasons: (1) they cannot pay bail or are ineligible for bail; (2) they have been convicted of a crime and are awaiting sentence; (3) they are being confined because they have committed a misdemeanor; (4) they are waiting for a hearing; (5) the state facilities are overcrowded.” The difference between jail and prison is that jail is used by local jurisdictions such as counties and cities to confine people for short periods. Jails are used to house those with petty crimes or those who are waiting to be sentence. A prison or penitentiary, is administered by the state, and is used to house convicted criminals for periods of a much longer duration. Both are part of a larger penal system, which includes other aspects of criminal justice such as courts, law enforcement, and criminal labs (law.umich.edu). The History of Prisons The 19th Century saw the birth of the state prison. The first National State Penitentiary was completed at Millbank in London, in 1816. It held 860 prisoners, kept in separate cells, although association with other prisoners was allowed throughout the day (bop.gov). Work in prison was mainly centered on simple tasks such as coir (tarred...
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...Jails and Prisons Sarrita Will CJA/234 January 13, 2014 Helen Ford Jails and Prisons From 1790 to 1995 the criminal justice system went through nine different eras: penitentiary, mass prison, reformatory, industrial, punitive, treatment, community-based, warehousing, and just desserts. Each era described the jails place in corrections and outlines the role of jails throughout history to the present day. The Pennsylvania Quakers believed that honest labor would be the best and most humane way to deal with offenders and their irrational behavior within the community. In the year of 1786 convicts that were put to work on public projects. To distinguish the convicts from the public they wore clothes that were bright and shabby along with a ball and chain that was attached at their ankles. This was believed to prevent offenders from escaping into the community (University of Phoenix, 2011). As the criminal justice system evolved humiliation turned towards incarceration. With the population growing someone had to manage these lock-ups and the control was given to the local areas. Within the lock-ups there would be a mixture of women and men, and petty thieves with violent offenders. As the population grew not only counties but states as well began to maintain their own correctional systems. The correctional systems were managed by local sheriff department (Texas Education Agency, 2011). The duties of these departments housed suspects until their trial or sentencing, provide...
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...What: In the 19th century the big question that this reform movement was all about was “Are these criminals to be treated like criminals or like human beings.” Another big problem was that prisons were used as punishment for serious crimes but legislatures wouldn’t supply the prisons with the money to run them. Since they didn’t have the money to fund these prisons they couldn’t have large amounts of inmates which they did in the 19th century so instead of holding them they rehabilitate them. Since there were so many prisoners prisons had chaos and the guards were forced to use torture to keep the inmates in line. (A) WHo: Dorothea Dix had a big impact on the prison reform movement. She helped inmates who were mentally ill in the US. She believed that the prisoners were being mistreated and deserved better treatment than they were...
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... 3. How have societal viewpoints concerning mental illness or health influenced human services over the past three centuries? Over the past three centuries societal viewpoints have changed greatly towards mental illness. In early history society viewed mental health as being caused by evil spirts and that they could only be removed through trephining and exorcizing. Colonial times brought about the greatest move toward human services this was the start of formal institutions for people with mental disturbances. In the 19th century society began to realize that mental illness was a brain disorder and needed research, treatment, and physical facilities. The 20th century was a move in a new direction with the start of human services as we know it today with the development of free clinics and social services where treatment was provided. Society gradually opened their eyes to the needs of the mentally ill and developed the National Institute for Mental Health. 4. How have societal viewpoints concerning child welfare influenced human services over the past three centuries? In early history society viewed child welfare as the churches responsibility. In colonial times society started viewing children as dependents and created institutions called Almshouses which forced children in the same category as the elderly and mentally disabled. In the 19th century child welfare was addressed with the first juvenile reformatory in America the House of refuge for juvenile delinquents...
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...into the community as a law abiding citizens.Up until the mid-point of the 20th century, the sentences imposed on juveniles in the court system were similar to those just like adults convicted of crimes. Sentences given to juveniles emphasized punishment over rehabilitation during this time period. Ultimately, juvenile sentencing changed from punishment to rehabilitation, something that continues to this day. This is an introduction to Juvenile Justice in America. Since the 1990s, youth crime rates have gone up . These falling crime rates have led many jurisdictions to rethink the juvenile justice practices that happen in the 1980s and 1990s. Today, states are using major reforms designed to reduce institutional confinement, closed old 19th century era reform schools, and expand community-based interventions.In the late 18th and early 19th century, courts punished and confined youth in jails and penitentiaries. Since few other options existed, youth of all ages and genders where often confined with hardened adult criminals and the mentally ill in large overcrowded institutions. At the same time, American cities were dealing with high rates of child poverty and neglect putting pressure on city leaders to find a solution to this growing social issue. In response, reformers Thomas Eddy and John Griscom, organized the Society for the Prevention of Pauperism, in stead of housing youth in adult jails and prisons and the creation of a new type of institution. Their work led to the...
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...Although the 19th century literally was the rebirth of the prison system it essentially was still corrupt, or so they thought. In the year 1799 the penitentiary act was made. Basically, it made a law that the prisons were built to mostly hold one inmate per cell and they would operate on continuous labor, which specifically is quite significant. There actually was a system that generally was made in Pennsylvania and the Eastern state penitentiary in Philadelphia, it for all intents and purposes was said that all of the prisoners should remain isolated from each other, sort of contrary to popular belief. There was to be no communication from the prisoners in a subtle way. Prisoners were treated wrong for their doings and would basically often...
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...In the year 1619 through 1865 slavery was allowed in America. The southern states are pro slavery. Frederick Douglass was a slave during this time. He wrote an autobiography called, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. He was treated poorly as a slave. He overheard his master talking to his wife about slaves needing to be illiterate and taught himself how to read and write in secret. Once he becomes educated he will try to escape. Eventually he overcame many obstacles and became a free man. It is clear in Douglass’s autobiography and the research conducted that his portrayal of 19th century America is accurate because slaves are mistreated badly, illiterate, and are given little resources to survive. An indication that Douglass’s portrayal of 19th century America is accurate due to his...
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...The division of the criminal justice system that is responsible for housing criminals is known as The Department of Corrections. The Department of Corrections gives communities protection by providing jails and prisons for criminals. These facilities allow offenders to receive fair service while serving their time. The mission of places to house criminals is to reduce the risk of criminal conduct through a partnership with communities, with a continuum of community supervision, incarceration, sanctions and services to manage offender behavior. The fundamental value in the continuum of probation, prison, and parole is the principle that the least restrictive method be used to oversee offender behavior (Schmalleger & Smykla, 2009). Corrections have been around for quite some time. During the 1700’s, prisons were a terrible environment for prisoners. Prisons were nasty and did not provide good care for prisoners. The prisons were unsanitary and many prisoners got sick because of the filthy conditions. It has been proven that many times prisoners did not eat properly in prison and they received harsh corporal punishment on a regular basis. As time progressed, the prisons began to develop in a positive manner (www.prisonsociety.org/about/history.htm). During the 19th century, America was the first nation to hold convicted criminals in areas away from those awaiting trial. America also outlawed torture and corporal punishment. Americans brought about two main developments....
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...Purpose and History Paper Purpose and History Paper For at least a century, Prisons have always been a part of society. For many decades, penitentiaries have been embedded into our society as form of rehabilitation; or in some cases, a form of order and public safety. Throughout history, penitentiaries had evolved steadily; however, some may say that these facilities have evolved into something that was never intended. With that being said, let’s explore how penitentiaries were originated. Today, Prisons are recognized as a ‘method” of corrections, as well as, a form of deterrence; however, this wasn’t the case many years ago. During the early 1600s, prisons were known as jails. These jails were recognized as temporary rehabilitation facilities for just minor offenders (National Institute of Corrections, 1986). These jail facilities instituted punishments in the forms of shackles, lashings, and hard labor on the minor offenders. Even though these facilities were known to be a huge success, they were still primarily for minor offenders. Serious offenders were still tortured, mutilated, deported, and even executed (Smith, 2006, Chapter 4). During the 1700’s, Europe & North American jails weren't so organized. Jail and workhouse administrators were allowed to anything that they wanted with their inmates. The government was very lenient. Inmates were permitted by jail keepers to do anything they pleased. Inmates were permitted to make up their own rules. While there...
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...History and Development of Prisons The historical account of jails in our country can be traced back to the Epic age. In Ramayana, when Bharata saw Rama at Chitrakut, the latter, while making detailed inquiry about the state of polity and welfare of people of Ayodhya, did not forget to elicit the situation in jail there. References of jail are also there in the Mahabharata. In those mythological period there were eighteen important state officials and one of them was the bead of the institution of jail (karagriha) designated as kamyadhyrrkrkcr". In Manusmriti it is stated that "(the King) should have all the prisons built on the royal highway, where the suffering and mutilated evil doers can be seen". Development of the prison system Until the late 18th century, prisons were used mainly for the confinement of debtors who could not meet their obligations, of accused persons waiting to be tried, and of convicts who were waiting for their sentences--either death or banishment--to be put into effect. But imprisonment gradually came to be accepted not only as a device for holding these persons but also as a means of punishing convicted criminals. During the 16th century a number of houses of correction were established in England and on the continent for the reform of minor offenders. The main emphasis was on strict discipline and hard labour. The unsanitary conditions and lack of provisions for the welfare of the inmates in these houses of correction soon produced widespread...
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...disciplines that influence human services. Professional disciplines that influence human services are mental hospitals and clinics, and probation services and jails. 3. How have societal viewpoints concerning mental illness or health influenced human services over the past three centuries? Before the American Revolution those with mental illness were left in the care of their families. If they had no family, there were placed in Almshouses. They were often locked up in the attic or cellar by their families. Some of them were even left to roam the countryside alone. 4. How have societal viewpoints concerning child welfare influenced human services over the past three centuries? There are many social viewpoints concerning child welfare that influenced human services because these children were put into juvenile facilities. They were put in crowded and poor conditions. This ultimately led to children being put in private homes because many people believed that children were the most vulnerable and deserving group in society. Other forms of child welfare were mother or widow pensions, juvenile courts, probation systems, and specific laws for children. 5. How have societal viewpoints concerning incarceration and probation influenced human services over the past three centuries? The earliest form of probation began in 1813, when Judge Peter O began placing youthful offenders...
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...Rehabilitation in Prisons Joseph Iadanza CJA/234 July 15, 2013 Christopher Marco Rehabilitation Paper “Definition and origin of rehabilitation in prison” Rehabilitation is the aspiration with probability of programs to restore the individual to a prior state. Theoretically rehabilitation is special programs that focus on the needs of the inmate to reunite with society. The origin of rehabilitation evolved from different ideas starting in the 17th century England into the late 19th century in the United States. The purpose of jail and prison were forms of rehabilitation by punishment. By the removing the offender from society punishment would be the form of rehabilitation. In 1779 Parliament passed the Penitentiary Act that made rehabilitation of criminals a functioning part of the prison system. When examining the following histories of parole, Transportation, Norfolk Island, The Irish System, and New York’s Elmira each mention the conditions of behavior as a term of release. In the United States, Zebulon Brockway took the ideas of Alexander Maconochie and Sir Walter Crofton’s in which he modified and integrated in the 1869 New York’s Elmira Reformatory. The theory was to humanize prison life and make prisoners fit for society (University of Phoenix, 2011). “Definition of parole and how it differs from mandatory release” Parole is the supervised early release of an offender from confinement. The purpose behind parole is the offender will serve a substantial portion...
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...detour criminals however many citizens still were inclined to break the law. The death penalty is common in many regions for extreme crimes. Jails or bastille’s are meant to be for citizens awaiting trial and those convicted of misdemeanor crimes. Jails are normally run by local officials or county sheriff’s departments. Prior to the architecture of accessories accurately advised for apprehension and correctional confinement, trials and punishments were abrupt on the American frontier. Which caused bands to be placed on methods thought to be humiliating and as such happened many states had different logic, beliefs, or moral standards so each created their own legal system. Many people felt the laws were a safe haven and that it protected them. The systems created jobs such as sheriffs, judges, and lawyers. The notion of living with the law made life more civilized as time progressed. The justice system grew to be a major part in society as it developed. Jails had fewer amenities as prisoners were to be held no longer than a year. Till the backward 18th century, prisons were for the debtors who could not accommodate their agreement and altitude and for those who were cat-and-moused for their afterlife sentence. In aboriginal canicule U.S. prisoners were kept in isolation, after they were acceptable to plan calm but in silence. At the end of 19th aeon prisoners were absolute on...
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...Dorothea Dix Paper Born in Hampton, Maine, Dorothea Lynde Dix is known for being a nurse, educator, and social reformer. Dix had a rough childhood. She was the oldest out of three with a mother that was suffering from mental health issues and a father that was an alcoholic. Because her household was not the best environment for she and her siblings to live, Madame Dix, Dix’s grandmother took them to live with her in Boston. By that time, Dix was twelve and was already very familiar with taking care of her siblings. Her compassionate nature heavily influenced the decisions she makes later in her life. Dix’s dedication and devotion in fighting to improve the conditions at jails and mental asylums are the reasons she is also known as the “Voice...
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