Evolution of Prisons

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the process of conviction through history, from martial and colonial law to the modern court system. It goes on to discuss methods of punishment from branding and flogging, through export to colonies, to modern prisons. It looks at various prison systems and philosophies from rotting squalor, to hard labor and chain gangs to the modern healing and rehabilitation. The paper also looks at the severity of punishments meted out over history for various crimes and discusses debtor?s prisons. It is well laid out in chronological historical periods.

From the paper:

?Crime is an issue of paramount social concern, one that directly and indirectly affects each and every member of society. The costs of crime are not merely financial; there are also emotional costs such as when a criminal murders an individual?s family member or close friend or when an offender is incarcerated, depriving his or her family of emotional and/or financial support. Public concern has increased over specific aspects of the crime problem, namely juvenile crime, prison reform, the role of television in producing violence, and urban gangs. This paper analyzes and examines prisons and how they have evolved over the centuries to match the attitudes and ideas of society. In Part II, the history surrounding prisons is analyzed. Finally, this paper concludes with recommendations for ways to improve how the criminal justice system handles punishment.?

More papers on Evolution of Prisons:

• Term Paper # 128710 : "Prison Privatization"
• Research Paper # 108488 : "The Penalty of Death - Should it be Abolished?"
• Research Paper # 59194 : "Debtor's Prison"

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