Development of Corrections

Women’s prisons prior to the 1800’s were not separated from the male’s prisons system. Women who convicted a crime and sanction to prison time face horrific brutality and unsanitary living environments. Women were housed in tower of prisons or above the mess hall. Mostly unsupervised by any guards these women faced brutality from other prisoners because of the lack of supervision along with brutality from the guards. Women were also condemned to no supplies, unfit living conditions, and lack of medical attention for their gender needs. Women also spent two more years in prison than there male counterparts. These facilities have changed since these travesty by offering supplies, programs to reform the women housed in the prisons, supervision, and medical treatment when needed.

The three basic arguments established in the 1800s that supported the separation of juvenile prisoners from adult prisoners are prison are to harsh for the youth, the youth could learn bad habits from these adult, and the youth had a better chance at becoming reformed member of society. If there were no distinction between prisons for juveniles and adults youths may be corrupted by the adults by told and taught to continue future criminal acts without being caught. The youth could also suffer physical, emotional, or sexual abuse from the adults.

The purpose of labor was to combat idleness; the prisoners could use their time and energy in producing a product. This would keep the prisoners busy so that they did not focus on the environment surrounding them. Another reason for hard labor was so that the prison could collect money for housing the inmates. The decline in hard labor in prison came about during the depression when many people were unemployed and in needs of jobs. Many free people needed jobs, hence taking away the jobs from the prisoners and giving the m to the rest society. Then the prisons faced the reforms and hard labor became obsolete as programs to retrain prisoners...