A World Apart: Inside Penitentiary
orld zA World Apart 1
A World Apart
Farrah Anglada-Lauer
Axia College of University of Phoenix
2
The first penitentiary was opened in a wing of the Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Jail in 1790. This penitentiary operated with the belief that silence and labor was the appropriate rehabilitation tactic. “A system of behavior modification was introduced in the Walnut Street Prison, the system of secondary reinforcement so widely used in today 's prisons. Each prisoner was given fair pay for his/her labor. The prisoner was debited for the cost of maintenance, and an additional sum was deducted for the prisoner 's share of tools. The prisoner was also required to pay the costs of the trial, as well as a fine to the State. If there was a balance against the prisoner at the time of expiration of sentence, the person was retained until it was liquidated.”(Takagi, n.d)
Incarceration in the United States is one of the main forms of punishment for the commission of many offenses. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world and the highest prison population in the world. When researching the American Correctional System there is a lot of information to cover, such as the types of offenders in the system and the different levels of security. How do the United States correctional system compare to Canada’s correctional system?
In the American correctional system there are varying levels of security ranging from minimum security to high security prisons. “Prisons are operated on the basis of care, custody, and control. Prisoners are classified by security level or type of crime as well as by custody level and privileges earned by good behavior, but prisons are only classified by security level. A maximum security prison tends to put the cellblocks near the center of the facility, and the movements of inmates are severely restricted.
3
Medium security prisons still have some restrictions on movement, and frequently require inmates to be at a
A World Apart
Farrah Anglada-Lauer
Axia College of University of Phoenix
2
The first penitentiary was opened in a wing of the Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Jail in 1790. This penitentiary operated with the belief that silence and labor was the appropriate rehabilitation tactic. “A system of behavior modification was introduced in the Walnut Street Prison, the system of secondary reinforcement so widely used in today 's prisons. Each prisoner was given fair pay for his/her labor. The prisoner was debited for the cost of maintenance, and an additional sum was deducted for the prisoner 's share of tools. The prisoner was also required to pay the costs of the trial, as well as a fine to the State. If there was a balance against the prisoner at the time of expiration of sentence, the person was retained until it was liquidated.”(Takagi, n.d)
Incarceration in the United States is one of the main forms of punishment for the commission of many offenses. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world and the highest prison population in the world. When researching the American Correctional System there is a lot of information to cover, such as the types of offenders in the system and the different levels of security. How do the United States correctional system compare to Canada’s correctional system?
In the American correctional system there are varying levels of security ranging from minimum security to high security prisons. “Prisons are operated on the basis of care, custody, and control. Prisoners are classified by security level or type of crime as well as by custody level and privileges earned by good behavior, but prisons are only classified by security level. A maximum security prison tends to put the cellblocks near the center of the facility, and the movements of inmates are severely restricted.
3
Medium security prisons still have some restrictions on movement, and frequently require inmates to be at a
References: Alighieri, D. (2009). Institutional Corrections. Retrieved December 1, 2009 from http://www.apsu.edu/oconnort/1010/1010lect07a.htm Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2009). Prison Statistics. Retrieved December 1, 2009 from http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/prisons.htm Correctional Service of Canada. (2007). Conditional Release. Retrived Novemeber 30, 2009 from http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/faits/03-03-eng.shtml Irwin, J., Schiraldi, V., & Ziedenberg, J. (2005). Incarceration Does Not Reduce Crime. At Issue: Alternatives to Prisons. Ed. Jennifer Skancke. San Diego: Greenhaven Press. Retrieved December 2, 2009 from the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Johnson, D. (2009). Prison Architecture. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 31, 2009 from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0009130 Takagi, P. (n.d). The Correctional System. Social Justice. Retrieved October 24, 2009 from http://www.socialjusticejournal.org/pedagogy/syl-taka.html