History of Corrections and Penal Systems

Early prisons were primarily designed to punish criminals and deter crime, rather than to rehabilitate them.

The Pennsylvania System was a major reform movement in the 19th century that sought to improve the conditions of prisons by isolating prisoners in individual cells.

The Auburn System was a prison system that aimed to deter crime by imposing harsh punishments on criminals.

The Progressive Movement was a major reform movement in the 20th century that sought to rehabilitate criminals by providing them with education and vocational training.

The Great Society was a set of social programs enacted in the 1960s that aimed to eliminate poverty and improve the lives of Americans.

The War on Drugs was a major reform movement in the 1970s that sought to reduce crime by cracking down on drug trafficking and use.

The Community Policing Movement was a reform movement in the 1970s that sought to improve police-community relations by increasing police visibility and building trust between police and the community.

The Three Strikes Law was a major reform movement in the 1990s that sought to reduce crime by imposing life sentences on criminals who had been convicted of three felonies.

The Sentencing Reform Act was a major reform movement in the 1990s that sought to reduce the prison population by increasing the use of alternative sentencing and improving the fairness of the criminal justice system.

The Second Chance Act was a major reform movement in the 2000s that sought to reduce crime by providing job training and other support services to ex-offenders.

The Fair Sentencing Act was a major reform movement in the 2000s that sought to reduce crime by eliminating racial disparities in sentencing.

The use of evidence-based practices is a current trend in corrections that seeks to improve the effectiveness of correctional programs by using research to identify what works.

The primary goal of the focus on rehabilitation is to help offenders change their behavior so that they can successfully reintegrate into society.

The use of diversion programs is a current trend in the reduction of mass incarceration that seeks to divert offenders from the criminal justice system into treatment or other programs.

The primary goal of the increase in the use of technology is to improve the efficiency of the criminal justice system by automating tasks and improving communication.