Jails In Corrections

The description of jails place in correction and its role throughout history
Jails were initiated before any other component within the correctional system such as prisons, probation, or halfway houses. These institutions are considered the front line of the correctional system because nearly every offender starts their journey through the system here. King Henry II ordered the first jail or gaols as they were known then, to be built in 1166. The purpose of these jails was to house displaced persons, the mentally ill, and the poor. The conditions within the jail were horrid, they were filled with violence, lack of sanitation, poor food, and lack of discipline. In 1773 John Howard, sheriff of Bedfordshire, was disgusted by these conditions
The first prison dates back to the end of the eighteenth century when the Quakers of Pennsylvania established the eastern state penitentiary. The mission of this prison was to reform criminals in a more humane and efficient way rather than capital punishment and public humiliation. Two hundred years following this theory the role of prisons has evolved with the many changes in philosophy and practice. Inmates convicted of federal crimes (drugs distribution, bank robbery, murder of public officials) were held in state prisons if the sentence was longer than a year prior to the late 1800s. All federal prisons became the responsibility of the U.S. department of justice after it was established in 1870. During this time state prisons were extremely overcrowded and were reluctant to house anymore federal offenders. To alleviate this problem the Three Penitentiary Act was passed by congress on March 3, 1891 which allowed the construction of the first three federal prisons, Leavenworth, Kansas, McNeil Island, Washington, and Atlanta Georgia. As these facilities became over crowded the department of justice would construct more prisons and by 1927 the first federal prison for women in Alderson, west Virginia was
The “Tough on Crime” mentality, the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, and the “War on Drugs” where three very big influences that have many jails and prisons operating well above the capacity limit. Federal prisons held less than 300,000 inmates since the first prison was established up until the late 1960s. Prior to this, the medical model was implemented focusing of the rehabilitation of inmates so they can be released back into society. Once the emphasis on inmate rehabilitation began to diminish, in the early 1970s, the public demanded tougher sentencing laws to deal with the fear of a growing crime rate. As a result, elected official implemented the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 which mandated minimum sentences, abolished the idea of parole and led the way for the “Truth in Sentencing statues (inmate must serve 85 percent of sentence before release). This kept inmates incarcerated for longer periods of time all the while new inmates were being processed in to the jails. The major factor since the 1980s has been the “War on Drugs” which is an emphasis by law enforcement agencies focusing on targeting drug crimes. These crimes, by law can hold a mandatory sentence and in many cases be considered a federal