The Purpose and History of PenitentiariesFrank PfliegerCJA/234March 24th, 2013Running head: THE PURPOSE AND HISTORY OF PENITENTIARIES 1

THE PURPOSE AND HISTORY OF PENITENTIARIES 2

Helen Ford

The Purpose and History of PenitentiariesA prison is a word that describes facilities that keep under lock and key sentenced individuals. A penitentiary often describes the prison building. The penitentiary was introduced in the 18thcentury in England and Wales. During this time, the British society chose to do away with physical penalty and introduced imprisonment with the intention of restructuring the mind and body of the lawbreakers. The changes cemented the way for penitentiaries around the world and Europe (Barnes, 1997).History of PunishmentMany countries and cultures have come up with laws to safeguard citizens from crime. These laws have been functional to keep the society from disorder. Many cultures used a wide variety of punishments. In the present-day society, many countries have come up with trustworthy justice system for doing away with their threats to the society. The code of Hammurabi by the Babylonians is the foremost legitimate record to exist, though most nations tend to keep an eye on the laws started by ancient Rome. A majority ofthe people accept the earliest form of the law to be the Justinian code. Different nations dealt with delinquents in their country with different ways since then life has become more enlightened as new punishments became fashioned. In the barbaric times, torture was the form of penance used by the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire soon fell, and different societies began their growth in the world. The modern age took over, and prisons were built in the 19th century (Barnes, 1997).In the 20th century, a new uprising took charge as the British rule began to fade leading to change in the new world. The prisons became congested leading to probations given to petty thieves and criminals rather than locking them up. Young offenders were removed from the adult court system and dealt with in the juvenile court. In conclusion, many cultures have come up with means of stopping criminals, by creating a justice system to building prisons. No matter how the criminals were stopped, they still oppressed innocent people.History of prison developmentPrisons started in the ancient times, and its concept formed by the ancient civilizations. After years of inactivity in the prison setting, the modern system of prisons was presented in England. The prisons in England started employing laws that were strict. It was at this time when the renowned tower of London held its first detainees. As the centuries went on, the increase in crime and joblessness brought the situation in England to a breaking point. The penitentiarieswere crowded and made it difficult to hold inmates for long periods of time before their death. A new reform in prison became employed, and many prisoners were moved to prison colonies located far away in America, Australia and Africa (Johnston, 2003).Comparison of the Pennsylvania system and the Auburn systemThe auburn system is also commonly known as the congregate system. It was applied at the New York State prison at Auburn in 1819. Although it does include compassionate conditions, many people thought it to be a less pure model in comparison to the Philadelphia system. In this system, the prisoners were often together during the day but returned to their cells during the night. The required work of the inmate was demanding, such as the construction of roads and buildings. This system classified inmates by their race. Unlike the Pennsylvania system, the auburn system generated income, making it more effective and practical (Johnston, 2003).The Pennsylvania system commonly referred to as the separate system, usually encouraged privatization of the offenders. It was the leading system for over a century in penology and a substantial forerunner of corrections done in the modern way. The system aimed to keep the prisoners separate, avoiding distraction, and hampering their repentance. The Philadelphia society introduced the idea of keeping prisoners in solitary confinement to alleviate the miseries of the public prisons, and its most active members were Quakers.Impact and involvement of prison labor over timeAs a result of the tight labor market, major leading companies are banking on inmates for labor. This deal is terrific both to the prisons as well as the companies involved. The advantages of exploiting the labor provided by the prisoners are that there is a decline in union strikes, immense health advantages, andunemployment benefits. On the other hand, the penitentiaries are often guaranteed payment. Providing the inmates with jobs usually makes them active enabling the prisons to be run more easily and also management of the institution is better (Ignatius, 2002).

ReferencesBarnes, H. (1997). The story of punishment: A record of mans brutality to man. Montclair, New Jersey: Patterson Smith Publishing.Johnston, M(2003). The human cage: A brief history of prison architecture. New York: Walker and Company.Ignatius, M (2002). A just measure of pain: The penitentiary in industrial revolution1750-1850 New York. Pantheon books