Corrections Timeline
CJ121 – Corrections
14 JUL 2010
Corrections Timeline This narrative will illustrate a timeline depicting four eras within the correctional system of America. The eras that I will be discussing are: 1800, 1920-1950, 1990, and 2000’s. For each era, the following items will be described: the history and development, treatment and punishment of the offenders, the description of the holding and monitoring of the offenders. The conclusion will discuss the alternatives to incarceration and the influences of the eras in today’s correctional system, as well as, recommendations for ways in which the current correctional system could be improved upon. There is no doubt that America is one of the world’s most sophisticated and advanced countries. Therefore, the prison system must follow accordingly, abiding by the government regulated rules and regulations of equality and fairness that this country was founded upon. Unfortunately for some of the citizens of the United States, they do not always abide by these rules and regulations, which results in incarceration. The federal government, states, counties, and many individual cities have facilities to confine these people who become incarcerated. There are a number of sanctions available to the criminal justice system to reprimand those who commit criminal offences, such as: jail, probation, prison, parole, and execution; each of which has their own definition and guidelines. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, jail is defined as a place of confinement under the jurisdiction of a local government. Jail is generally reserved for those who have been accused of a crime and are awaiting trial or for those who are convicted of minor offenses, such as misdemeanors, where the period of incarceration is less than one year. Probation is the action of suspending the sentence of a convicted offender and giving the offender freedom during good behavior under the supervision of a probation officer. This can be issued
14 JUL 2010
Corrections Timeline This narrative will illustrate a timeline depicting four eras within the correctional system of America. The eras that I will be discussing are: 1800, 1920-1950, 1990, and 2000’s. For each era, the following items will be described: the history and development, treatment and punishment of the offenders, the description of the holding and monitoring of the offenders. The conclusion will discuss the alternatives to incarceration and the influences of the eras in today’s correctional system, as well as, recommendations for ways in which the current correctional system could be improved upon. There is no doubt that America is one of the world’s most sophisticated and advanced countries. Therefore, the prison system must follow accordingly, abiding by the government regulated rules and regulations of equality and fairness that this country was founded upon. Unfortunately for some of the citizens of the United States, they do not always abide by these rules and regulations, which results in incarceration. The federal government, states, counties, and many individual cities have facilities to confine these people who become incarcerated. There are a number of sanctions available to the criminal justice system to reprimand those who commit criminal offences, such as: jail, probation, prison, parole, and execution; each of which has their own definition and guidelines. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, jail is defined as a place of confinement under the jurisdiction of a local government. Jail is generally reserved for those who have been accused of a crime and are awaiting trial or for those who are convicted of minor offenses, such as misdemeanors, where the period of incarceration is less than one year. Probation is the action of suspending the sentence of a convicted offender and giving the offender freedom during good behavior under the supervision of a probation officer. This can be issued
Cited: "jail." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010. Merriam-Webster Online. 9 July 2010 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jail Fortress Alcatraz - Guardian of the Golden Gate . Berkely: Ten Speed Press, 2004. 14- 18, 60, 72, 102. Print. Gill, Robert. "The American Prison System." Associated Content (2009): 3. Web. 11 Jul 2010. Sherman, Michael, and Gordon Hawkins. Imprisonment in America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook