THE EVOLUTION OF THE PRISON SYSTEM
How the justice system has developed over years to finally allow prisons for rehabilitation
16'TH CENTURY
Banishment
forcing an offender to leave his home and go abroad or to another region either permanently or for a fixed period of time has been used as a punishment.
forcing an offender to leave his home and go abroad or to another region either permanently or for a fixed period of time has been used as a punishment.
17'th century
This is a hallway of an American Prison in the 17th century.
Branding
Branding people with red-hot irons is a very old punishment. In Britain branding was abolished in 1790.
Branding people with red-hot irons is a very old punishment. In Britain branding was abolished in 1790.
18'th Century
Electric chair
In the late 19th century it occurred to people that electricity could be used to kill. It was first used in the USA in 1890 when a man named William Kemmler was executed. Unfortunately his death was not quick. Nevertheless the electric chair became a popular method of execution in the USA.
In the late 19th century it occurred to people that electricity could be used to kill. It was first used in the USA in 1890 when a man named William Kemmler was executed. Unfortunately his death was not quick. Nevertheless the electric chair became a popular method of execution in the USA.
19'th century
Gas Chamber
The gas chamber was first used in the USA in 1924. The condemned man is strapped to a chair in a sealed room, which is then filled with cyanide gas. After his death powerful fans remove the gas.
The gas chamber was first used in the USA in 1924. The condemned man is strapped to a chair in a sealed room, which is then filled with cyanide gas. After his death powerful fans remove the gas.
20'th Century
This is an American prison in the 20'th century. It shows the overall theme of how a prison would look like in the 20th century..
Before ANd After
Evolution of The Prison System
The Poor Law of 1601 in England, assigned responsibility for the poor to parishes (local civil government). These parishes built workhouses to employ the poor on a profitable basis. This turned out to be a difficult thing to accomplish and during the 18th century workhouses degenerated into mixed receptacles (places to store things), where every type of person was dumped.
Prison in the 1850's jails were mostly dark, overcrowded and filthy. All types of prisoners were herded together with no separation of men and women, the young and the old, the convicted and the unconvicted, or the sane and the insane.
In the early 1860's prisons were reformed. In some prisons the cooking was excellent. It seemed that the convicts were not just well fed, but fed as well or even better than some non-criminal. The bedding was good, the whole building was warm and every corner was thoroughly ventilated. It provided schooling for the criminals. They were also allowed to borrow books from an excellent library in the prison.
Prisons Today
Today, prisons range from minimal security prisons and juvenile halls, to maximum-security prisons and mental institutions. Most prisons in the U.S. are facing the threat of overcrowding. Overcrowding in prisons is not only a problem in the states though. Until the 18th century, the most common forms of punishment were execution andexile (banishment i.e. from one's country). Nowadays there are many alternatives such as fines and probation. The government doesn't kill you for stealing an apple, however, at one time they probably would have. It just goes to show that times change!