Development of Corrections
Week 2 Checkpoint: Development of Corrections
CJS 230
In the 1800’s, there were very few women that were processed through the criminal justice system. The small amounts of women in prison were mostly prostitutes and habitual thieves in which case no one really cared about their situation or their well being. The female inmates were mixed in along with the male inmates and were not treated any differently then as the male inmates were treated. In today’s female prison system, many things have changed; Women are kept separately from the men and women needs are thought of as far more physically, emotionally, and psychologically unique then as those of men. In addition, the amount of women has increased dramatically making it “the fastest growing segment of the United States prison population (Prison Fellowship, 2011).” In the 1800’s there were three basic arguments established that supported the separation of juvenile prisoners from adult prisoners. One argument was that the penitentiary regimen was tough on tender youth. The other basic argument was that juveniles would learn bad habits from older criminals and be embittered by the experience of confinement. The third argument was that adolescents could be reformed if they were diverted early enough into institutions designed specifically for people their age. The youth has and still is considered misguided and poorly lead when it comes to making mistakes and breaking the law. If there were no distinctions between juveniles and adults, I believe that the chance of reforming them becomes very slim. In my opinion, there would be an increase of the amount of people in prison, with no possibility of a second chance at doing the right thing. The purpose of prison labor and work programs was to “save costs and earn profits which can offset prison expenses (Haslam, 1994),” in addition to helping victimized families. Prison labor was declined because of the way the inmates were treated was thought to
CJS 230
In the 1800’s, there were very few women that were processed through the criminal justice system. The small amounts of women in prison were mostly prostitutes and habitual thieves in which case no one really cared about their situation or their well being. The female inmates were mixed in along with the male inmates and were not treated any differently then as the male inmates were treated. In today’s female prison system, many things have changed; Women are kept separately from the men and women needs are thought of as far more physically, emotionally, and psychologically unique then as those of men. In addition, the amount of women has increased dramatically making it “the fastest growing segment of the United States prison population (Prison Fellowship, 2011).” In the 1800’s there were three basic arguments established that supported the separation of juvenile prisoners from adult prisoners. One argument was that the penitentiary regimen was tough on tender youth. The other basic argument was that juveniles would learn bad habits from older criminals and be embittered by the experience of confinement. The third argument was that adolescents could be reformed if they were diverted early enough into institutions designed specifically for people their age. The youth has and still is considered misguided and poorly lead when it comes to making mistakes and breaking the law. If there were no distinctions between juveniles and adults, I believe that the chance of reforming them becomes very slim. In my opinion, there would be an increase of the amount of people in prison, with no possibility of a second chance at doing the right thing. The purpose of prison labor and work programs was to “save costs and earn profits which can offset prison expenses (Haslam, 1994),” in addition to helping victimized families. Prison labor was declined because of the way the inmates were treated was thought to
Cited: Haslam, J. K. (1994). Prison labor under state direction: Do inmates have the.. Brigham Young University Law Review, 1994(2), 369. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Prison Fellowship. (2011). Women in Prison. Lansdowne, Virginia, United States. Retrieved from https://www.prisonfellowship.org/key-issues/issues-in-criminal-justice-reform/women-in-prison