History of Corrections Essay

The corrections sy group in America began generall(a)y with the arrival of William Penn and his Great Law. This was back in 1682 the Great Law was ground on humane principals and also foc employ on hard delve as a punishment. The corrections system really began to take stand up in North America in the late 1700s with the thought processs and philosophy of Beccaria, Bentham, and Howard. These philosophies were base on the thought that pris integrityrs could be case-hardened and reformed back into society. This hard restriction was used as an substitute to separate cruel forms of punishments that were used in earlier condemnations such as physical abuse or even brutal death.In 1790 came the birth of the Penitentiary in Philadelphia. The penitentiary was different than other systems in that it isolated prisoners, isolated from the bad influences of society and one from another so that, while engaged in productive labor, they could reflect on their ancient miss-deedsand be reformed, (Clear, Cole, Reisig). The Ameri back tooth penitentiary and its peeled concept was observed and select by other foreign countries. The protoactinium system of the penitentiary was establish on inmate isolation so that they could ponder their past behavioural choices. In this system the inmates were confined to labor on their own. In recent York they had a different system, known as the Auburn system. This system differed from the Pennsylvania system be pay back inmates would come together during the day to do their work and labor but were otherwise held in isolation.In the early 1900s a group of progressives sought to reform the slipway of the corrections system. Their ideas ab stunned the cause of crime were more centered around the social, economic, and psychological pressures on population. The progressives brought up programs that were discussed in 1870 at the Cincinnati meeting. These programs included probation, parole, and other indeterminate sentences that atomic number 18 tranquil used in corrections today.As we can see the penitentiary system has changed over the years. As we advance and learn more as a society, we atomic number 18 able to fine tune these programs for all pickies involved. Overall, the headstone point of all of these systems and the ultimate goal is general safety. Keeping our people safe and moving in a peaceful direction is substantial to our society.Goals of CorrectionsThe corrections system in the U.S. has five main goals when traffic with malefactor sanctions. Originally the system had four main goals Retribution, Deterrence, Incapacitation, and Rehabilitation. Later on there was much focus placed on a 5th goal Restorative and lodge Justice. These goals are designed to be impressive toward different types of viles and a combination may be used in m whatever cases.Retribution, also known as Deserved Punishment, is much analogous the old saying an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth(Clear, Cole, Re isig). Basically this is a punishment where the acerbity of the sentence should fit the severity of the crime. If a criminal has done wrong to someone then they deserve to feel that said(prenominal) wrong doing.There are two types of Deterrence used in corrections. The first is just a general deterrence, which is a method of utilise punishments and making them visible to the public with the goal of deterring others in the public from missing to commit crime. Public hangings were once used as this type of deterrence. The other type is directed toward the criminal in hopes that they will not replicate crimes in the future. The punishment is to be severe enough to discourage any future criminal activity. This type is called Specific Deterrence. Deterrence theory contends that if the public knows the consequences of deviance, numerous individuals will not commit a crime (Long).Incapacitation is typically understood as the detainment of a criminal. The goal of incapacitation is to keep criminals from being able to commit further crimes. There are several different ways of using incapacitation. Reducing the movement and involvement of a criminal in society will hopefully demean crime on the streets. incapacitation focuses on the characteristics of the offenders instead of the characteristics of the offenses(Clear, Cole, Reisig).Rehabilitation is more of a therapeutic method to sustain the criminal ditch crime and blend a constructive atom in society. Rehabilitation involves teaching inmates silks and trades that will, hopefully, give them a chance to become law-abiding citizens once they are released from prison (Long). This method is looked at as more of a treatment than a punishment, to guide the criminal to separate better choices and live a better life.Restorative or Community Justice is a fairly new concept. It is aimed more at repairing remedy caused by the crime to the victim(s) and the community involved. In this method the victim lays out con ditions for the offender and what is necessary to help repair any losses. The community take into accounts assist to help restore the offender to the community. Some say that this method can be dangerous and bypasses sealed safeguards.The goals of corrections are solid efforts to reduce crime. There are many improvements that could be made. As we learn and canvas these methods, they need to be fine tuned and encounter the bugs worked out. If something isnt working in the appropriate way it needs to be addressed and refocused. I mean that many of these goals will become weak and maybe overlooked with the new AB 109 bill and other reforms currently taking place in California Corrections.Prison SanctionsThere are three types of sentencing structures used in the corrections system. Each type leaves some discretion for the judge and varies on the goals for the criminal. The different methods used are called indeterminate sentences, determinate sentences, and mandatory sentences. eq uivocal sentences go in line with the idea of rehabilitation. These sentences usually have a minimum and a maximum term. It is a lam and the courts use this range to determine parole and it is somewhat based on the amount of eon presumption for a treatment program. The purpose behind this form of sentencing is incapacitation, deterrence and rehabilitation.Determinate sentencing is quite the opposite from indeterminate, hence the name. This sentencing structure follows the concept of vengeance mainly. Retribution is a deserved punishment, so basically the offender is given a length of sentence based on the crime that was committed. It is a fixed sentence that goes with the specific crime committed. After the offender has served his time he is then released and is free to go without any parole or program ties.The third sentencing structure is mandatory sentencing. This structure is based on the crime committed. It has a minimum time termination attached to certain crimes that the government deems fit. This type of sentencing does not take into account the different wad of the crime but only looks at the crime itself. The three strikes and youre out laws, now adopted by several states and the federal government, provide one example of mandatory sentencing(Clear, Cole, Reisig). The purpose behind these sentences is incapacitation and deterrence.The sentencing structures are all a bit different. I am not sure if I can say for sure that I check out with any one more than another. I think the best way may be a good mix between indeterminate and mandatory. I do agree with the idea of the rehabilitation concept to an extent but the severity of some crimes should absolutely be accompanied with a minimum period to ensure some justice.Probation, Parole, and mediocre SanctionsProbation, Parole, and Intermediate sanctions all seem to stem from confusable concepts and ideas. Each of these forms of punishment seems to be a way of move the harsh criminal laws for cert ain offenders in some cases. They were all genuine in order to provide different means to support the offenders yield in society.Probation, which began with John Augustus in 1841, allows the offender to serve out a punishment in the community while under watchfulness quite than be sent to prison. John Augustus is known as the first probation officer. He began by helping people with bail back in capital of Massachusetts in the 1830s. It was introduced as a way to alleviate the harshness of the criminal law (Clear, Cole, Reisig). It is now a form of sentencing that includes investigation and supervision and is used in every state today.Captain Alexander Maconochie, who I call up is actually an ancestor of mine but will need to do more research, created a system back in the mid 1800s that would fix prisoners based on their good behavior. He developed stages that prisoners could go with based on their conduct that were like steps to freedom. He is the founder of the concept behi nd what we call parole today. His staged system was to compute the offenders willingness to accept societys rules much like parole is supervision back into society with a set of rules. This system is also a way to ease the intensity of criminal law for those with good conduct.Intermediate Sanctions came about a bit later but for very similar reasons. Some expressed these reasons as imprisonment is too restrictive for many offenders, traditional probation does not work with most offenders, and justice is well served by having options in between (Clear, Cole, Reisig). These were other ways of softening the criminal laws for offenders based on certain circumstances. These intermediate sanctions were aimed at lower risk offenders as a type of rehabilitation effort. The different intermediate sanctions include programs such as community service, restitution, home confinement, boot camp, and more.I would have to agree with the basis of all three of these programs. I think that there are many offenders that would fare well in these types of sentences. However, these are more for the lower risk type offenders that have shown good conduct and that may have a chance in becoming a functioning part of society. There are many other higher risk offenders that do not deserve the option of these sanctions. It is better for the safety of the public that these sentences are highly monitored and that the offenders are ready to be placed back in society.