CJ101: Ch.10

Summarize the purposes of confinement in Europe before it became a major way of punishing criminals.

Confinement became a major way of punishing criminals in Europe in the 1600s and 1700s. Before that, it was used to (1) detain people before trial; (2) hold prisoners awaiting other sanctions, such as death and corporal punishment; (3) coerce payment of debts and fines; (4) hold and punish slaves; (5) achieve religious indoctrination and spiritual reformation (as during the Inquisition); and (6) quarantine disease (as during the bubonic plague).

Describe how offenders were punished before the large-scale use of confinement.

Before the large-scale use of confinement, punishments were directed more at the offender’s body and property. One basic goal was to inflict pain. Those punishments commonly were carried out in public to humiliate the offender and to deter onlookers from crime. Examples of such punishments are fines, confiscation of property, and diverse methods of corporal and capital punishment.

Explain why confinement began to be used as a major way of punishing offenders in Europe.

Reforms of the Enlightenment era led to an emphasis on deterring and reforming criminals through confinement. Confinement also was advocated as a humane alternative to older punishments. In addition, during the 1500s and 1600s, workhouses were established as places where offenders could be sent to learn discipline and productive work habits

Describe the recent trends in the use of incarceration in the United States.

Until 2009, there had been a dramatic increase since the mid-1970s in the number of people incarcerated in the United States, partly because of the war on drugs. That increase was accompanied by much concern over rising costs and institutional crowding. In response to those problems, confinement alternatives to traditional incarceration were developed. One of the primary alternatives was contracting with the private sector for the construction or operation of some confinement facilities. Since 2009 and through 2017, the trend has reversed and the number of people incarcerated in the United States has been decreasing steadily.

List some of the characteristics of the incarcerated population in the United States

State and federal inmates are disproportionately male, non-Hispanic black or Hispanic, 25–44 years old, never married, have less than a high school education, a U.S. citizen, and no military service. State prison inmates more likely are incarcerated for violent offenses, while federal inmates more likely are incarcerated for drug and public order offenses. Jail inmates also are disproportionately male but evenly divided between non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics. The most serious type of offense for which most jail inmates are incarcerated is felonies; still, more than half of jail inmates are unconvicted, usually awaiting trial or other case disposition.

Describe how incarceration facilities are structured, organized, and administered by the government in the United States.

Incarceration facilities in the United States are administered primarily by the executive branch of government. They exist at all three levels of government. Prisons are administered at the federal level and state levels, while jails tend to be locally administered. Despite this diversification, all the institutions have somewhat similar administrative structures, ranging from the warden or superintendent at the top to the correctional (line) officers at the bottom.

Name some of the common types of correctional facilities in the United States

Common types of adult correctional facilities in the United States include (1) classification and special facilities; (2) “supermaximum-,” maximum-, medium-, and minimum-security men’s prisons; (3) women’s prisons; and (4) jails and lockups.

Identify some of the procedures that institutions employ to maintain security and order

To maintain security and order, correctional institutions employ a number of procedures. Among them are the use of custody designations for inmates, inmate counts, property control, searches of inmates and their living quarters, and restrictions on inmate communication (mail, phone calls, and visits) with outsiders. Also, institutions commonly rely on inmate-informant, or snitch, systems to maintain security. Inmates found guilty of violating institutional rules may be subjected to a variety of disciplinary sanctions (such as loss of good time, restriction of privileges, and solitary confinement) to deter future rule infractions.

List the services and programs that commonly are available to inmates

Some of the services and programs available to inmates are subsistence services (food, clothing, and shelter), health care services, legal services, recreation, and religious services. There are also a number of programs designed to improve inmates’ lives. They include low-paying work, education and vocational training, and group and individual counseling.