Origins of American prison systems

Prison systems have been an intricate part of American society for centuries. As early as the act of war, imprisonment has been used to incarcerate societal wrong doers until punishment was administered. American prison systems were initially modeled from British penal methods, as America is their daughter country. British law allowed for harsh punishments and conditions for prisoners. Punishments, such as stockades and/or whippings, were perceived as effective deterrents to crime. These penalties were always public, quick, and in a form of humiliation, as well as based on capital punishment. The current idea of prison as rehabilitation, as well as restitution and retribution, is also based on British influences. The penal system within the colonies was riddled with bad conditions and quick decisions, as well as keeping alive the tradition of detaining the prisoners until chastisement. Since these were all small settlements, based on their specific religious beliefs, criminal punishments depended on the criminal being an active member/church goer within the community. The colonists believed the doctrine that man is naturally sinful and evil and the focus of punishment was not for reformation but for deterrence. Payment for crimes were automatically harsh and this only increased with the number of offenses. Offenses as small as stealing bread to feed a hunger family would result in death. During the 18th century, the idea of harsh punishment for small crimes was beginning to be greatly opposed. As protest, to counter the harsh punishments, jurors would purposely find defendants not guilty of petty crimes that would lead to death. The idea of imprisonment with hard labor was proposed as a much better way to handle criminals. In addition to the colonies’ own criminals, Britain was practicing the use of transportation and prison hulks, which shipped unwanted British criminals to the colonies where, living on prison hulks, they work