Jails and Prisons History and Development Essay Example for Free

chuck outs and Prisons score and Development EssayJails and prison house accommodates lay at the heart of the Criminal Justice System. These facilities helped forge the concept of rehabilitation. These institutions concur changed over era and now reflect the modern methods of housing convicted individuals who need to be enlightened or punished.Description of jailsThe clear concise difference between a jail and a prison is the time limit a convicted person is sentenced to and what offenses were committed. In a jail, pris mavenrs atomic number 18 usu whollyy confined because they were convicted of a littleer or petty offense. Examples of petty offenses are driving without a license or a trespass drug possession charge. Most of these offenses come with a sentence of a year or less and anyone with over a year sentence is usually sent to a prison readiness (Seiter, 2011). Jails comport as holding facilities where gyps rarely get time to be out of their cells, to reflect , or to engage in recreational time. Because jails are so short term the focus is on inward reflection of annoyance through solitude.Some of these restrictions are a product themselves of the lesser amount of time spent in the punitory facilities. Criminals are charged more in a jail facility with reflecting on their iniquity by being exposed to sheer solitude. Furthermore, jails rarely demand any vocational or rehabilitation programs utilized within their walls. On the other hand, prisons sire an ample amount of time to work with, rehabilitate, and disentangle offenders. Prisons do this with the hope that offenders can eventually be mystifyd backward into society and limit their recidivism back to crime.History of state and federal prisonsThe jail component of the American corrections governing body came well beforehand the initiation of any prisons, probation, pa component part, or even halfway houses. The diachronic origins of jails or local corrections facilities in A merica come from England. American jails suffer developed and progressed so much further than that of its roots. Jails served a contrasting purpose in England. Throughout the progression to the modern age, past mentality was altered from a place of confinement before harsh punishment could be administered to a place that rehabilitation and reflection could occur. The historical developments of jails and prisons overtime sustain gone from detention for purpose of public humiliation or deterrence, to an out of descry out of mind mentality, which segregated convicted individuals from the rest of society.State prisons have their roots in the penitentiary clean up ideals of the Age of Enlightenment. The Three Prisons Act is the first law that authorized the establishment of federal prisons. This act was an in-chief(postnominal) milestone for U.S. prison reform. This around important fact is that this act laid the foundation for the federal prison system to be created. Prior to the act being passed in that location were few penal facilities in the joined States. Before this time period and the passing of this act only one facility, the Walnut Street Jail located in Philadelphia, stood the possibility of housing a large capacity of inmates charged with federal crimes. The role of a jail is a diverse one and conducts a in truth difficult mission.Few offenders overleap the pace of passing through a jail as they enter the correctional system. Jails hold a variety of offenders including those arrested those detained pending trial those sentenced to short terms of confinement for minor crimes those awaiting transfer to another facility and those who are held administratively for a vicious rightness agency. Some jail systems are larger than all but a few state prison systems while others are extremely small and have only four or five beds. Jails face unique issues such as dealing with unappreciated offenders, detoxification and medical problems, and serving th e court with bail and prisoner transportation. Jails are operated by local authorities and to begin with hold pretrial detainees. Other jail inmates are serving time for misdemeanors, while others are held for a variety of reasons.Comparison of security levelsThe jail-prison distinction, however, is a very simplified label to attach to a very diverse set of facilities. There are in fact a myriad of confinement facilities meant to house criminals of all levels of seriousness. These facilities are broken up by government boundaries of local, state, and federal confinement facilities. The time needing to be served and the severity of the crime determine which of the facilities a convicted person might be sent. Prisons range starting from the most basic minimum security that houses the offenders that are less violent and are often for more administrative type offenses like white collar offenders or drug related crimes where no one else was stirred or harmed. These types of prisons ar e considered more like camps, because they have a relatively low staff-to-inmate ratio, and limited or no perimeter fencing. These institutions are work-and program-oriented and many are located adjacent to larger institutions or on military bases, where inmates help serve the labor needs of the larger institution or base. The next step above the minimum security is low security institutions which have double-fenced perimeters, mostly dormitory or mobile phone housing, and strong work and program components.The staff-to-inmate ratio is increased compared to the previous stage. Medium security prisons are the next level up. They are stronger facilities with hardened perimeters that have double chain link fences and an electronic monitoring system surrounding the facility and its corridors. Confinement in the medium-security prisons is cell type but treatment programs are uncommitted to convicts to help propel them forward in their reformation. Here the ratio is reversed and the st aff greatly outnumbers the inmates. The strictest of prison facilities is the high or maximum security institution. Within its walls are some of the most severe criminals who have committed some of the most heinous acts. This final type of institution is comprised of reinforced fences and walls. Prisoners are contained in solitary cells and their movements are controlled and monitored extremely closely.Because of the severity of the crimes committed by the convicted individuals that are incarcerated in these maximum security facilities, there is an extremely high ratio of staff to inmates (Prison Types General Information, 2012). For prisons to be safe and secure there must be sufficient physical security, consistent implementation of security practices, established methods to control inmate behavior, and adequate preparation to reduce the likelihood or to respond to inmate unrest. For prison staff to exit effective rehabilitative services there must be an assessment of the needs a nd best practices of a programs focusing on substance abuse, mental health, religious services, education recreation, rehabilitation, and work opportunities. Fully understanding the grandeur of these programs and implementing them effectively is crucial for prisons to accomplish their dual mission of confinement and rehabilitation.Factors that influence growthThe United States shortly incarcerates more people of its citizens per capita than any other country in the world. If you count the amount of prisoners which currently put down in the U.S. prison system, it is approximately two million. This would mean that one out of every hundred and cardinal residents are incarcerated in a U.S. prison of jail at any given time. Some of the factors that have led to the explosion of the prison population are poverty driven crime and the increased formula of pitying and social behaviors (Ruddel, 2011).In the 21st century, we are still contemplating the dilemmas of overcrowding and the best way to correct criminals behaviors. The world needs to constantly evolve its correctional systems to meet the concerns of its society and effectively reform criminal behavior to create less of a strain on law abiding citizens. Jails and Prisons are a tremendous and vital piece to the Criminal Justice process. These facilities have been a part of the correctional system for over 200 years. It stands to reason that while the system will change based on new technologies and ideas, the principals of reform and correction will always hold true (U.S. Prison Populations-Trends and Implications, 2012).ConclusionIt is hoped that justice will prevail through the rehabilitation and reform of convicted individuals, and our prison system is the best way of correcting the factors that whitethorn influence a person to commit such offenses. Incarcerated individuals today should feel fortunate that the times and ideals of prison life have changed and criminals are classified and housed based on the type and severity of the crime, rather than one large melting pot of criminals. Crime will never be completely eradicated therefore the indispensability for facilities to incarcerate offenders will perpetually be needed. Free will is one of the greatest inherent rights human kind has but this right makes some people commit crimes and others remain compliant with the rules and regulations of society. The fact that we have free will conclude that criminal behavior will not ever truly go and every attempt should be made to inform/reform and rehabilitate offenders, making them act in an appropriate manner that is socially acceptable.ReferencesPrison Types General Information. (2012). Retrieved from http//www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/index.jspRuddel, R. (2011). American Jails A Retrospective Examination.U.S. Prison populations-trends and implications. (2012). Retrieved from http//www.prisonpolicy.org/scans/sp/1044.pdfMackenzie, D. L. (2001). Sentencing and department of correct ions in the 21st CenturySetting the Stage for the Future. College Park, Maryland Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Seiter, R. (2011). Corrections an intromission (3rd ed.). Upper saddle Hall, NJ Pearson/Prentice Hall.