Incarceration In The 18th Century

1. Before the rise of imprisonment there were a number of alternatives to incarceration that were being used. These alternatives include; flogging, which is historically, the most widely used of physical punishment. The bible mentions instances of whipping, and Christ himself was scourged. Whipping was widely used in England throughout the Middle Ages, and some offenders were said to have been beaten as they ran through the streets, hands tied behind their backs. As such, American colonists carried the practice of flogging with them to the New World. Mutilation was another know alternative, which involved a strategy of specific deterrence that made it difficult or impossible for individuals to commit future crimes. Throughout history, various

Branding in the American colonies was customary for certain crimes, with first offenders being branded on the hand and repeat offenders receiving an identifying mark on the forehead, Women were rarely marked physically, although they may have been shamed and force to wear marked clothing. Public Humiliation was also a well-known alternative to prison, which involved humiliating offenders in public and allowing members of the community an opportunity for vengeance. Offenders who would be sent to the stocks or pillory could expect to be heckled and spit on by passersby and other citizens might gather to throw tomatoes or rotten eggs. Workhouses, were implemented as another form of early punishment before prisons implemented by the governments to instill “habits of industry” in the unemployed. Workhouses were judged successful, if only because they were constantly filled. Lastly, the early punishment of Exile was used by society in order to banish criminals. The French sent criminal offenders to Devil’s Island, and the Russians used Siberia for centuries for the same purpose. England sent convicts to the American colonies beginning in

The major periods in the development of prisons involved; The Penitentiary Era (1790), which had the philosophy or rehabilitation deterrence, mostly developed in Philadelphia. The Mass (Congregate) Prison Era (1825), which had the philosophy of incapacitation deterrence, and was developed in Ney York State Prison. The Reformatory Era (1876), which had the philosophy of rehabilitation, developed in Elmira Reformatory, NY. The Industrial Era (1890), which had the philosophy of incapacitation and restoration, developed mostly in NY, CA, and IL. The Punitive Era (1935), which had the philosophy of retribution, developed in Alcatraz, CA. The Treatment Era (1945), which had the philosophy of rehabilitation, developed in Marion, IL. The Community-based (Decarceration Era) (1967), which had the philosophy of restoration and then rehabilitation, developed in Massachusetts Youth Services and Halfway Houses. The Warehousing Era (1980), which had the philosophy of incapacitation, developed in most state and federal prisons. The Just Deserts Era (1995), which had the philosophy of retribution, incapacitation, and deterrence, developed in many state prisons today which are heavily influenced. Lastly, the Evidence-Based Era (2012), which has the philosophy of cost-effective workable solutions and is known as a new and growing emphasis in an era of economic