It is hard to trace the origin of punishment. Punishment was an evil act imposed to the wrongdoer on behalf of the society in which he or she was a permanent or a temporary member. Over the years, America has developed some mechanisms to assist in enforcing the rules of the society, assigning responsibilities and to punishing the wrongdoers. In the past, before the formal rules in America were established, the country, mainly relied on religion as a way of shaping individuals and their behaviors. Some of the crimes defined in the Bible were highly punishable. Some punishments such as stoning, dunking and whipping were designed mainly to lead the offender to repentance (Siegel & Bartollas, 2014). The progress in the United States has led to many changes, especially in justice matters.
Public punishment was common in the American society and it main aim was to reduce public shame. Branding, whipping, and mutilation were common penalties. Some of the penalties such as death by hanging were only adjudged for serious crimes or those that were incorrigible such as adultery. In the Northern colonies, cases of capital punishment were rare because the offenders were pardoned after they had expressed their contrition. It was not the same in the southern colonies where the black slaves experienced more of the capital punishments (Siegel & Bartollas, 2014).
Crime and sin were related in the past centuries in America. The law was regarded as divine as citations were extracted from the Bible. The criminal justice systems reflected the popular culture and to reaffirm the aim of the religion to the community. The expansion of both the population and location of America led to less frequency in the use of religion to guide the criminal justice system. The expansion of the population resulted in difficulties in detecting crimes, and thus there were more laws and rules enforced to fight crime (Richard, 2003).
Corporal punishment of the eighteenth century was replaced by psychological punishment. It was during this period that prison became famous. Usually, prisons were like jails whereby criminals were held for a short time before their judgment. The condition of these prisons was not conducive for prisoners as it was reported that more criminals died of diseases before receiving their judgment (Richard, 2003). One of the greatest inventions around this period was building of houses of correction. In the United States, they are referred to as correctional facilities. Their main aim was to restore the offenders and return them to the society.
The usage of the correction facilities today in the United States is almost similar, though there are some changes that have occurred. Initially, the correction facilities were used to ensure that the criminals changed their behavior and later returned to the society while the modern correctional facilities usually separate the criminals from the society (Richard, 2003).
In the early correctional facilities, there was congestion of prisoners and the health facilities were not conducive as many died of transmittable diseases while the modern correction facilities ensure that the prisoners have proper access to medical services. The early correction facilities used to separate the inmates so that they would reflect on their behavior and change while some of the correction facilities nowadays separate the inmates only during the night. In the day, they are left to interact, especially during the meals and when doing hard labor, which they do together.
There are standards set for all the correction facilities to meet in the present days. Mental treatment services have increased compared to the early correctional facilities whereby the issue of health was not taken into much consideration. Both early correction facilities and the new models aim at ensuring that the criminals have reflected on their lives and have taken another positive approach to life as they return to the society.
As the prisons aim at restoring the behavior of the prisoners, there are some of the outcomes related to prisons. For example, in Michigan, the amount used in the prisons was very little to the extent that some prisons were closed. In Texas, due to increase in population, the Federal Courts found that there were inadequate treatment services for those prisoners. The California prisons also experienced the same problem of overcrowding and as a result, the prisoners did not receive adequate treatment services (Taylor, 2008). The problem of overcrowding in California was due to ineffective rehabilitation programs and education.
Prisons in Michigan, Texas and California used to punish their prisoners through mass incarceration whereby the prisoners were made to do hard jobs. It was a way of reducing the torture the prisoners used to experience through other forms of punishment that were abolished. Despite the challenges that the prisons of the United States had faced, they have contributed positively to the society by reducing the rate of crime in the American society (Taylor, 2008).
In conclusion, it is evident that there are many improvements in the United States related to judicial matters. The types of punishments have evolved from inhumane punishments to humane punishments. It is also evident that the state of prisons has changed a lot when comparing the current situation with the past days. Initially, prisons were used hold the criminals before they receive their judgment, but nowadays prison are places to restore the behavior of the prisoners. Although much more needs to be done, the situation nowadays is far much better than in the 18th and 19th centuries.
References
Richard, Rosner. (2003). Principles and Practice of Forensic Psychiatry, 2Ed. New
York. CRC Press, 2003
Siegel, L. J., & Bartollas, C. (2014). Corrections today. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth,
Cengage Learning.
Taylor, A. (2008). The prison system and its effects: Wherefrom, whereto, and why?.
New York: Nova Science Publishers.
