Criminal Justice Today: Prisons and Jails

A series of flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to prisons and jails based on the lecture notes.

Prison

A state or federal confinement facility that has custodial authority over adults sentenced to confinement.

Lex talionis

The doctrine of retaliation, often described as 'an eye for an eye.'

Early Punishments

Methods of punishment in the past that included flogging, mutilation, branding, public humiliation, workhouses, and exile.

Selective incapacity

A strategy used to reduce prison population by identifying and removing the most dangerous offenders from society.

Overcrowding

A serious issue in prisons where the population exceeds capacity, affecting conditions and inmate safety.

Maximum Security

Prisons designed to house the most dangerous offenders, featuring high security measures like armed guards and secure cells.

Medium Security

Prisons that allow more freedom for prisoners, with facilities often resembling those of maximum security but designed to be less strict.

Minimum Security

Prisons characterized by a lower level of security, allowing greater freedom of movement among inmates.

Direct supervision jails

A modern jail architecture and management strategy that promotes inmate-staff interaction and uses open living spaces.

Privatization

The process of transferring the management of prisons from public to private firms, which began in the 1980s.

National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Recommendations

Guidelines suggesting that states privatizing corrections should monitor and inspect facilities regularly.