crim

The approach towards corrections has fluctuated between punitive and reformative strategies.
Deterrence of crime remains a consistent focus, but both harsher penalties and reformative approaches have not effectively improved recidivism rates.

Colonial America Corrections
- Early focus on retaliation and punishment.
- Punishments were often public spectacles and designed to reflect retribution: the idea of "an eye for an eye."
Corporal Punishment
- Definition: Physical punishments intended to discipline offenders, including whipping, caning, and the death penalty.
- Corporal refers to the body; punishments were meant to instill fear and deter crime.

Public Executions and Shaming
- Hanging was a punishment for serious offenses; the last public hanging occurred in 1946, and the last execution by hanging in 1996.
Flogging
- A form of corporal punishment administered publicly until ceased in 1952.
Stocks and Pillories
- Used for public humiliation of offenders.
Mutilation
- Punishments included removal of body parts correlated with the crime (e.g., hands for theft, eyes for spying, tongue for gossiping).
Branding
- Visible marks characterized offenders (e.g., heated metal pressed into the skin). Women were not branded physically but marked on clothing.
- Notable reference: Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" - a story of public shame represented through a letter "A" on a woman's dress.

Initial corporal punishments were perceived as harsh and inhumane, leading to the creation of penitentiaries by the late 18th century.
William Penn and Quakers advocated for humane imprisonment focused on rehabilitation.

Two key systems emerged: Pennsylvania System & Auburn System.
- Pennsylvania System (Separate System): Focused on isolation and silence, viewing crime as a moral failing requiring individual reflection.
- Eastern State Penitentiary is an example, where inmates had no contact with others.
- Auburn System (Congregate System): Inmates worked together in silence during the day but were isolated at night. This system allowed for productivity and earned revenue through convict labor.

Definition: Incarcerated individuals were leased out to private entities for labor without compensation.
Connection to the 13th Amendment: The amendment abolished slavery but contained a loophole allowing forced labor for convicts.
Convict leasing was prevalent particularly in the post-Civil War South and resulted in extreme abuses of incarcerated laborers.

Due to black codes, many formerly enslaved African Americans were incarcerated for minor offenses, thus increasing prison populations significantly (10 times between 1868 and 1908).
The reliance on prison labor continues with modern products produced in prisons, including exam blue books.

A reformation movement emerged in the late 19th century in response to overcrowded prisons, leading to new methods focusing on rehabilitation and training of inmates.
Indeterminate sentencing was proposed to encourage good behavior through incentives. However, this did not effectively reduce recidivism.

Trends oscillate between punitive and rehabilitative approaches:
- Early 20th century moved back to punitive punishment due to ineffective reform.
- 1950s-1960s favored rehabilitation and reformation again.
- 1980s introduced a harsh punitive approach centered on incarceration (get tough on crime policies).

Definition: Isolation from all human contact, typically kept in a small cell 23 hours a day.
Justifications for solitary confinement include punishment for rule violations and protection of vulnerable inmates, but there are significant mental health concerns associated.
It leads to mental health deterioration and is considered by some to be cruel and unusual punishment.

High rates of mental health issues among incarcerated individuals, exacerbated by solitary confinement.
Continued questioning of the ethical implications surrounding solitary confinement and its effectiveness for rehabilitation or maintenance of order.
States are slowly starting to reduce the practice.

Reflection on changes in policy regarding solitary confinement. Discussion point on whether to keep, discard, or revise policies around solitary confinement for different groups of inmates based on their safety and behavioral issues.