Chapter 13 Corrections: History, Institutions, and Populations

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Chapter 13Corrections History, Institutions,
and Populations
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The History of Correctional Institutions

• Prisons state or federal correctional
  institution for incarceration of felony offenders
  for terms of one year or more
• Jails place to confine convicted misdemeanants
  serving less than one year or to hold people
  awaiting trial

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The History of Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• Incarceration did not become the norm until 19th
  century
• Institutions constructed in England during the
  10th century were used to detain debtors,
  unemployed, or those awaiting trial and
  punishment
• First penal institutions were foul places devoid
  of proper care, food, or medical treatment many
  were run as private prisons
• In the 18th century hulks (mothballed, de-masted
  ships) were used to house prisoners in England,
  while awaiting transportation to colonies or
  execution
• Hulks had high death rates from disease and
  malnutrition
• Conditions in hulks lead to the creation of
  reform organizations in England (e.g., John
  Howard League)

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The History of Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• American developments
• First American jail built in James City, VA
• Confinement of liberty were often public (stocks,
  whipping posts)
• Modern American correctional system had its
  origin in Pennsylvania under leadership of
  William Penn (who was a Quaker)

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The History of Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• Quaker influence
• Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries
  of Public Prisons began focus on humane and
  orderly treatment
• Influence on legislature resulted in limiting the
  use of the death penalty
• Walnut Street Jail
• Penitentiary house
• Basic policy do penance, realize that you have
  sinned

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The History of Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• Auburn system
• In 1816 New York built a new prison in Auburn
  hoping to alleviate overcrowding at other holding
  facilities
• Tier system, because cells were built vertically
  on five floors
• Also known as the congregate system
• Three classes of prisoners were created
• Those in solitary
• Those allowed labor as a form of recreation
• Those who worked and ate together during the day
  and separated at night (largest class)

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The History of Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• Pennsylvania system
• Placed each inmate in a single cell
• Classifications were abolished because isolation
  would prevent inmates from contaminating each
  other
• Built in a circle with cells placed along its
  circumference
• The panopticon, Jeremy Bentham
• Designed as a place for prisoners to do penance

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The History of Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• Prisons at the turn of the century
• Prisons of the late 19th century were remarkably
  similar to those of today.
• Development of prison industry
• Contract system
• Convict-lease system
• Prisons farms

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The History of Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• Reform movements
• 1870 National Congress of Penitentiary and
  Reformatory Discipline began new era of prison
  reform
• Zebulon Brockway, Elmira Reformatory, advocated
  individualized treatment, indeterminate
  sentences, and parole
• Brockways achievements were limited although he
  did introduce a degree of humanitarianism into
  prisons
• Regimes and treatment options were based on
  stereotypes of criminals (e.g., Italians were
  natural criminals eugenics social hygiene)
• Elmira became a model for other states

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The History of Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• Creation of parole
• 1850s Walter Crofton created forerunner of
  parole in Ireland
• Inmates spent last portion of their sentences
  living in intermediate institution and working in
  outside community
• Croftons success led to creation of similar
  programs in United States
• Focused on transition back into society

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The History of Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• Prisons at the turn of the twentieth century
• Time of contrast in the U.S. prison system
• Advocation of reform, rehabilitation, education,
  religion
• Conservatives opposed to reform believed in stern
  disciplinary measures
• Ultimately many reforms would be implemented

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The History of Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• Development of specialized prisons
• Industrial prisons for hard-core inmates
• Agricultural prisons for nondangerous offenders
• Institutions for criminally insane
• Opposition by organized labor restricts the use
  of prison labor and sale of prison made goods

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The History of Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• Numbers
• About 1.3 million in prison, about 670,00 in jail
  (2005)
• Costs about 28,00 year for young adults rising
  to about 70,00 for older prisoners (health care,
  etc) and juveniles
• About 720,000 employees in the prison/jail system

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The History of Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• Contemporary correctional trends
• Prisoners rights movement
• Violence within the corrections system became a
  national concern
• View that traditional correctional rehabilitation
  efforts have failed prompted reconsideration of
  incapacitating criminals
• From rehabilitation to punishment and
  incapacitation

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Jails

• Five purposes
• Detain accused offenders who cannot make bail
• Hold convicted offenders awaiting sentence
• Principal institution of confinement for those
  convicted of misdemeanors
• Hold probationers and parolees arrested for
  violations and waiting for a hearing
• House felons when state prisons are overcrowded

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Jails (cont.)

• About 600,000 offenders are being held in jails
  today
• Number has risen significantly since 1990 even
  though crime rate has trended downward
• Almost 90 percent are males
• Poor, racial, and ethnic minorities are
  overrepresented

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Who Is in Jail, by Race and Ethnicity?
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Jails (cont.)

• Jail conditions
• Usually low priority item in the criminal justice
  system run by county officials
• No unified national policy on what constitutes
  adequate conditions
• Among the most dilapidated and under funded
  confinement facilities in the USA
• Administered by local police, sheriffs
• Current movement to remove people from jails
  through bail reform and pretrial diversion

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Jails (cont.)

• Jail overcrowding
• Prison overcrowding forces officials to use local
  jails to house inmates
• Mandatory jail sentences for drunk driving
• Crackdown on substance abuse
• Mandatory arrest policies for domestic violence

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Jails (cont.)

• New generation jails
• Modern design to improve effectiveness
• Use of pods or living areas rather than
  linear/intermittent surveillance model of
  traditional jails
• Allow for continuous observation of residents
• Believed to result in safer environment for staff
  and inmates
• Seeks to involve inmates in controlling each other

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Prisons

• Types of prisons
• Maximum-Security houses dangerous felons, strict
  security, high walls, limited contact with
  outside world
• Super-Maximum Security used to incapacitate
  most dangerous felons with 23 hour day lockdown
• Medium-Security less secure institution to house
  nonviolent offenders and provides more contact
  with outside world
• Minimum-Security houses white collar and
  nonviolent offenders, few security measures,
  liberal furlough and visitation policy

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Alternative Correctional Institutions

• Prison farms and camps
• Found primarily in the South and the West
• Prisoners on farms produce dairy products, grain,
  and crops
• Forestry Camp inmates maintain state parks, fight
  forest fires, and do reforestation work
• Some famous for abuses and mistreatment of
  prisoners (Angola, Tucker Farm)

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Alternative Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• Shock incarceration in boot camps
• Typically for youthful, first-time offenders
• Military discipline and physical training
• Short periods of high intensity exercise will
  shock the inmate into going straight scared
  straight
• Some have educational and training elements

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Alternative Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• Evaluating shock incarceration
• Cost is no lower than traditional incarceration
• High failure rates
• Doris Layton Mackenzie
• Reduce prison overcrowding

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Alternative Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• Community correctional facilities
• Bridge the gap between institutional living and
  the community
• Offer specialized treatment
• Used as intermediate sanction
• Halfway houses

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Alternative Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• Private prison enterprise
• Percy Amendment (1979)
• State-use model
• Free-enterprise model
• Generally limited to few experimental programs

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Alternative Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• Private prisons
• Prisons operated by private firms as business
  enterprises run for profit
• Expectations specified in contract with
  government
• In some instances private company builds the
  prison and leases it back to the government
  allowing state to avoid the difficulty of getting
  voters to approve bond issues.
• Some companies contract to provide specific
  services in an institution such as medical or
  food services
• (2006) 264 prisons, hold about 95,000 prisoners

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Alternative Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• Evaluating private prisons
• Some research shows recidivism rates lower for
  private than state-operated prisons
• But Creaming tend to take the best prisoners
• Private and public prisons cost about the same to
  operate, but privates are cheaper to build

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Alternative Correctional Institutions (cont.)

• Concerns over profit-driven decisions by private
  prisons
• Quality and training of personnel provision of
  services (food, medical, treatment) as cheaply as
  legally allowed
• Unresolved legal issues mistreatment of
  prisoners, use of deadly force and immunity from
  lawsuits
• Effects on inmates
• Often sent far away from home, families cannot
  visit, isolation and difficulty of reintegration

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Correctional Populations

• Reflects common traits of arrestees held in local
  jails young, single, poorly educated, male, and
  minority group members.
• Number of women incarcerated is increasing at a
  faster rate than males
• Many inmates suffer from multiple social,
  psychological, emotional, and health problems
• Prison populations continue to increase despite a
  decade long drop in the crime rate

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Prison and Jail Population Trends
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Correctional Populations

• Some numbers for prisons
• About 640/100,000 (2005) highest ratio in the
  world
• Female rate 60/100,000 Male rate 906/100,000
• Race/ethnicity rates
• White 450/100,000
• Black 3,437/100,000
• Hispanic 1,176/100,000
• Offenses committed about 45 percent violent
  about 15 percent property about 15 percent
  drugs about 9 percent public order offenses

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Correctional Populations

• Corrections and race, ethnicity, and gender
• Prison experience (2001)
• 5.6 million adults have been in prison
• Blacks 17 of adults Hispanics 7.7 Whites
  2.6
• Men 11.3 women 1.8
• Life rates chances of being in prison during
  life for adults
• These are projected numbers from current
  practices
• Blacks 1 in 3 will experience prison
• Hispanics 1 in 6
• Whites 1 in 17

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Correctional Populations (cont.)

• Explaining population trends
• Legislation fueled by public concern about drugs
  and violent crime
• A large proportion of new admissions are for drug
  offenses
• Use of mandatory sentences
• Truth in sentencing laws result in longer prison
  stays
• Policy decisions driven by political concerns