Verified Document

Criminal Justice In Action Essay

Criminal Justice in Action: The American prison system has throughout the years developed to become home to the increasing population of the nation's criminals. The increasing population of these criminals in the American prison system is due to the fact that incarceration has always been used even in cases where alternative punishment would be adequate. Furthermore, this growing population of inmates is due to sentence disparities that include both long and short sentences. Currently, the maintenance of these criminals in American prisons is entirely drawn from the taxes that citizens pay. The American prison system has now developed to become the largest across the globe since the number of inmates increases annually. While the purpose of American prisons is to serve as a place of punishment of criminals, they have now become places of leisure. Actually, it's widely considered that inmates in American prisons are treated like guests at a resort rather than criminals.

History and Purpose of American Prison System:

The greater use of incarceration in the American prison system and divergent attitudes towards prisoners was after the Great Depression in the 1930s. Prior to this, the rate of imprisonment in America increased significantly to approximately 137 per 100,000 residents from 1925 to 1939. This increase was largely driven by the increase in the imprisonment...

During this period, the incarceration rates of whites reduced significantly while the black incarceration rates continued to increase. In the late 1930s, sociologists analyzing several prison communities reported the presence of rigid class systems among criminals. The informal social system of criminals was found to be governed by a convict code that was contrary to the official rules of the institution ("Prisons: History," n.d.).
Towards the end of the 1930s, the prison systems had been in existence for over one hundred years with most of the penal institutions being unchanged. During this period, criminals lived in a desolate environment that was basically characterized with absolute bare essentials. One of the major developments in the American prison system was the introduction of the prison labor system during this period. However, this development was soon abolished after Congress passed the Hawes-Cooper Act and many states enacted laws to limit the sale and movement of prison products. Throughout its history, the American prison system has existed for the purpose of protecting the society from criminals who may harm innocent civilians. Additionally, the American prison system is for the purpose of rehabilitating individuals who are a threat to the security of the society.

The Great Penitentiary Rivalry:

One of the major developments in the history of the American prison system began in New York in the early 19th Century. During this period, prison systems had several ideas regarding what is best for inmates and were challenged to develop a more efficient prison system. As a result of this continual challenge, the system created some effective form of punishment that is in use even in…

Sources used in this document:
References:

Greene, J. (n.d.). Comparing Private and Public Prison Services and Programs in Minnesota:

Findings from Prisoner Interviews. Retrieved April 6, 2011, from http://archive.epinet.org/real_media/010111/materials/greene.pdf

Pray, R. T (n.d.). How Did Our Prisons Get That Way? Retrieved April 6, 2011, from http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1987/5/1987_5_92.shtml

"Prisons: History -- Modern Prisons." (n.d.). Jrank.org: Law Library -- American Law and Legal
Information. Retrieved April 6, 2011, from http://law.jrank.org/pages/1782/Prisons-History-Modern-prisons.html
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Criminal Law and the Criminal Justice System
Words: 1044 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

law that you believe has most strongly influenced modern criminal law. Explain the theory and the basis for your selection. From there, explain why an understanding of statutory law is necessary in a criminal justice context. Select one statute on any criminal law. Use that statute as your point of reference to support your positions and conclusions. Conclude by selecting one case involving a criminal procedural issue and another

Criminal Justice: On September 18 at Around
Words: 1446 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Criminal Justice: On September 18 at around 2:30 PM, the victim, a famous citizen in the community was assaulted and robbed of his wallet by the defendant on his way home. The victim was not only assaulted but he was also pushed against his car and threatened with a knife. The crime generated huge media attention because of the victim's popularity as calls for speedy arrest and conviction of the criminal

Criminal Justice System: Ethics in Criminal Procedure
Words: 958 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Criminal Justice System: Ethics in Criminal Procedure Ethics refers to the principles of morality that govern an individual's behavior. Ethics, therefore, provides the basis through which an individual defines, and distinguishes between the good and the bad. This implies that it is ethics that provides the framework for the duties and responsibilities an individual owes to himself, and to the community. Today, ethics define how corporations, professionals, and individuals relate with

Criminal Procedure: The Criminal Justice
Words: 1602 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

D.). Armed robbery is an offense carried out while in possession of a drawn weapon like gun despite of whether it was fired or not. Plea negotiation or bargaining is usually conducted in order to lessen trial expense and involves the provision of a lesser sentence by the prosecutor in exchange for admission of guilt. Pre-trial conference involves discussions between the defense, prosecutor, and judge to ascertain the need for

Criminal Justice Administration Taking Into
Words: 798 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

" (Weinstein, 2003) This range is dependent upon the charges that are brought against the defendant in the criminal case as well as "some aspects of the conduct underlying the charges." (Weinstein, 2003) Judges are legally required to "impose a specific sentence is subject to the exercise of discretion in two areas" which are those of: 1) the judge makes the determination that the sentence must be within the Guideline range;

Criminal Justice Field Define What
Words: 4874 Length: 15 Document Type: Research Paper

In the experimental community, the researchers instituted a media campaign to increase seat-belt usage, followed by increased police enforcement of the seat-belt law. It was found that the percentage of drivers using seat belts increased in the experimental community but remained stable or declined slightly in the comparison community (Piquero and Piquero, 2002). An example of the before-and-after design would be the analysis of the impact of the Massachusetts Bartley-Fox

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now