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 of blacks with the black incarceration rates rising to three times than the white incarceration rates. 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…