Imprisonment For Criminal Activities During The 19th Century

Imprisonment for criminal activities started in the 16th century following the American Revolution. The style of imprisonment was taken from the old English ways, which included dungeons, ducking stools, whippings, and brandings. Ironically, prison was a place where people were put in before their punishment began. Men, women, and children were all held together in the prison when these criminals were awaiting punishment. Prisons at this time had extremely horrible conditions and many people died in these prisons for diseases like typhus. In the 18th century, many people opposed the death penalty, as many people saw the punishment as counter-productive as they were influenced by the enlightenment era in France and England. Many people supported the views of liberty and human nature. This was the start of incarceration as a punishment. The theory behind it was that restricting a person’s liberty would be sufficient enough to fit the crime. In colonial America, even biblical cri mes such as blasphemy would land an offender in prison. In the beginning, prisons in America had horrible conditions but this soon changed overtime. The first prison that was established when America became independent were called â€Å"penitentiaries†. It was called this because it signified prisoners as being â€Å"penitents†, which meant that they were serving time for sins. The first few penitentiaries that opened garnered national attention for its attempt in transforming society withShow MoreRelatedThe History of Prison Reform1631 Words   |  6 Pagesprisoners of war were occasionally incarcerated, but few common criminals could expect such treatment. Almost the only time commoners were locked away was while awaiting trial, once a verdict was delivered, they were punished on the spot or released (Lynch, 2011). The eighteenth century transformed not only the physical form of prisons but their function and their place in American consciousness. Discussion Initially imprisonment was a means of detaining debtors to ensure payment, the accusedRead MoreThe On The Juvenile Justice System Essay1236 Words   |  5 Pagesjuvenile justice system, rehabilitation and treatment as opposed to punishment. During the 19th century, the American legal system tended to treat juveniles who violated the criminal law much as it did adult offenders. Consequently, if courts found children criminally responsible, they would then impose the same sentences, e.g. capital punishment, and committed these youths to the same penal facilities as they did adult criminals. Despite institutional innovation, states continued to try and punish juvenilesRead MoreThe Criminal Justice System Within The United States2357 Words   |  10 PagesThe criminal justice system is a set of agencies and process that have been established to control crime and impose punishment on those who violate them. They aide in apprehending, prosecuting, defending, sentencing, and punishing ind ividuals who have been convicted of a crim. There is no one criminal justice system in the United States but many individual systems. The way they work depends on the jurisdiction in which they exist. The laws are different in different types of jurisdiction. The differentRead MoreThe Between Right And Wrong Essay1740 Words   |  7 Pagespeople have been taught the difference between right and wrong. Some people grow up to do the right thing and some do not. For those who do not do the right thing, it results in them going to prison. â€Å"Prisons became popular in the 18th century and by the late 19th century prisons were going through the ‘reformatory’ movement† (Prison History, 2016). This movement attempted to reform inmates into model citizens by providing education, work, and counseling. The goal was to give inmates a chance to betterRead MoreHistory Outline: American Correctional Facilities1228 Words   |  5 PagesName Institutional Affiliation Date: Outline the History American Correctional Facilities 1. Outline the history of American corrections concentrating on a. The evolution of the penitentiary The American state prison was developed in the 19th century. The prison, named as the national penitentiary, holding over 800 prisoners separated in cells, allowed prisoners to socialize in the course of the day. Prisoners were assigned simple tasks such as weaving. The penitentiary is still used in theRead MoreAnyone Who Is Watching News Such As The Euronews Channel,2017 Words   |  9 Pagesinvestigate the real purpose of imprisonment due to the fact that almost no one knows if there are multiple purposes of prisons and if so which is the main aim of them. This essay examines firstly the main aim of prisons and secondly all the other purposes of imprisonment that are currently acknowledged by many people. By looking all these facts, I will gain the information that I need, to find out if the purpose of imprisonment is to help or to punish the criminals. Prisons and Sentences did notRead MoreMass Incarceration Is Defined As The Substantial Increase1072 Words   |  5 Pagescolor, imprisoned within the last forty years. Despite its intentions to serve justice, the system is flawed; the physical freedom, possessions, and educational/career opportunities for inmates are limited during and after imprisonment. Lockeian ideology provides insight into how our criminal justice system has come to operate in this way. In John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, Locke outlines two different types of slavery: justified and unjustified. His definition of justified slavery, whichRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Modern Prisons1261 Words   |  6 PagesThere was a time when criminals could anonymously wander within the populous and commit crimes, without getting caught or getting severe punishments. Now, with the idea and creation of prisons, the ability to lawfully punish criminals exists. The innocent are now safe. But is modern prison tr uly beneficial? London, the capital of England and the United Kingdom, is known as the birthplace of modern imprisonment (â€Å"History of Prisons†). Jeremy Bentham, a philosopher that was highly against the ideaRead MoreDiscipline And Punish : The Birth Of The Prison1345 Words   |  6 Pagesthe social system as a whole. Foucault, addresses in the first part of his work, the power of the sovereign. He guides the readers through the historical period of the power of the monarch and Feudal system and transforms them into the 18th and 19th century. He put particular emphasis on the spectacle of the tortured individual. â€Å"Among so many changes, I shall consider one: the disappearance of torture as a public spectacle (p.7).† The spectacle functioned for two purposes: (1) to unite the populaceRead MorePerspective And Critique Traditional Practices Of Prison Structures Of The Old, Bygone Regime2088 Words   |  9 PagesIn the 19th century, Europe was characterized by enormous changes in its economic, social and political sector. Between1815-1830, all over Europe was widespread political unrest regardless of the ongoing industrialization and institutions that were being developed. The period 1850-1900 was further characterized by new inventions, advances in science and global establishment of emp ires (Goldstein,100). However, the same period also saw a rise in labor and suffrage movements and a rebellious socialism