Changes

Prisons have developed as part of society since urbanism began by about 5000 years ago. The concept of punishment has shaped how prisons have been used by society, at times acting more like a holding area for criminals before punishment, while at other times they have been used to reform criminals. The use of prisons has shifted as societies have shifted their perception of justice over the centuries, where prisons were often the most clear physical manifestation of these philosophical shifts.

The first recorded prisons occurred in southern Mesopotamia during the time of Ur-Nammu, who was a king of the Ur III state at around 2000 BCE. The king was attributed with a law code, which spelled out the types of crimes people were put in prison for. This included kidnapping and extortion. At this time, prisons were presented as part of punishment, where people would be placed in these facilities for some period. It is not evident that prisons were intended to reform or change the behavior of the person incarcerated. In effect, prisons were an end point for punishment, but they could also be temporary before a different punishment could be given (e.g., such as enslavement). In ancient Egypt, prisons seem to be very unpleasant places that were purposely made uncomfortable, suggesting that prisons served as part of punishment and deterrent of crime, but not for any reform.<ref>For more on ancient prisons in Mesopotamia and early punishment, see: Tetlow, E.M. (2004) <i>Women, crime, and punishment in ancient law and society.</i> New York, Continuum.</ref>

For the Romans, it seems most prisons were temporary places where people were kept before the final punishment was delivered. For instance, hard labor was a form of Roman punishment, but keeping someone in prison, unlike Mesopotamia, was not often a final sentence. Wealthy or high status individuals could be incarcerated, but they were often kept in a form of house arrest. In effect, another wealthy person or citizen may be in charge of a wealthy or well known person. The best known Roman prison was the Tullianum, where people believe Christians, including Apostles, were kept there before they were given their final punishment, in many cases being death.<ref>For more on Tullianum and Roman punishment, see: Norval Morris (ed.) (1998) The Oxford history of the prison: the practice of punishment in Western society. Oxford paperbacks. New York, Oxford Univ. Press, pg. 18.</ref>

Medieval prisons often were ad hoc facilities that simply utilised existing buildings such as basements of buildings or castle keeps (Figure 1). However, cities, such as York in England, began to develop specialized facilities, where the Mayor and Sheriff of the city had responsibility in placing prisoners within. At this time, the authority to jail often varied from the king to local officials. Detentions were at times used as part of the punishment, although torture and other harsh punishments were commonly conducted in prisons as the main punishment. Hard labor was also a common form of punishment. For much of Europe, having been influenced by ancient Rome, imprisonment was a temporary measure before the punishment was administered, often being harsh labor or death.<ref>For more on Medieval European prisons, see: Geltner, G. (2013) <i>Medieval prison: a social history</i>. Place of publication not identified, Princeton Univ Press.</ref>

Things did begin to change by 1601, after the Poor Law (1601) in England was passed. This law stipulated the establishment of houses of correction, which were facilities that provided jobs and work for those who had been convicted of petty crime or those who refused to work. In effect, it was the first law that focused on putting some form of reform on petty criminal behavior rather than use prisons as holding centers or strictly for punishment. Eventually, these correction houses were placed as part or within prisons, beginning the process of using both prisons and facilities to work in for prisoners as part of the same institution. The correction houses in the 1700s began to expand to other forms of crime, except usually severe crime such as murder. These correction houses also served as a pretrial places to put prisoners, often making them work, while they waited to be heard by a judge. The correction houses were soon established in the American colonies, particularly Massachusetts, where correction facilities and prisons soon become synonymous with jails, influencing how we use the terms today. Maryland, similarly, placed their correction houses as part of prisons, leading to similar association of the two places as part of the same establishment.<ref>For more on the significance of the Poor Law, see: Slack, P. (1995) The English poor law, 1531-1782. New studies in economic and social history. 1st Cambridge University Press ed. Cambridge ; New York, Cambridge University Press.</ref>

By the 18th century, there was greater pressure to reform the idea of prisons and punishment. Soon, more crimes did not result in execution or severe punishment, but ideas of banishment to the colonies in particular became a major way Britain dealt with prisoners. With the loss of the colonies in the American Revolution, however, Britain had to find a way to place or punish many of its more petty criminals. This began the expansion of the prisons program, including greater use of correction houses, in the 18th century. The Enlightenment influenced many thinkers at this time, including how they saw prisons. The concept of rehabilitation became to be seen as one goal of prisons, where they can bring people back to "moral" behavior. This influenced the idea that prisons should be created to more adequately house people, providing better facilities for sleeping, eating, and day-to-day functions, including work in the correction houses.<ref>For more on 18th century's concept of punishment, see: McLynn, F. (1989) <i>Crime and punishment in eighteenth-century England</i>. London ; New York, Routledge.

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By the late 19th century, there was greater attention to the mental state of prisoners. Solitary seclusion was no longer seen as always being an appropriate punishment, where social time was seen as needed. Reform to the mental well being as well as the character of prisoners began to spread as an important ideas into the 20th century. This led to the development also of the idea that separate facilities for the criminal and mentally unstable to be established, as medical science was increasingly understanding people did not always have easy control of their actions and how a person was confined could influence their behavior. <ref>For more on late 19th and early 20th century prisons and design, see: Phillips III, D.W. (2013) <i>Mental Health Issues in the Criminal Justice System</i>. [Online]. Hoboken, Taylor and Francis.</ref>

Very few exceptions in ancient history show prisons as being the final part of punishment. At times, it seems people were incarcerated in prisons for the length of their punishment, such as in Mesopotamia. However, prions were generally holding areas until the final punishment could be administered. Philosophical ideas of reform may have influenced some ancient prisons, but this would have been the exception. It was only during the 1600s and later that the idea of prisons being part of a reform system developed. At first, labor within prisons was used, along with religious instruction. This also then led to the idea of purpose built facilities as part of a state's wider penal system, where in the late 18th century and early 19th century we see the development of state prisons and national penitentiary concepts developed. Throughout the 19th century, the establishment of prisons spread in North American and Britain. In Europe and elsewhere, purpose built prisons did not develop as commonly but began to also become more professionally administered by the mid to late 19th century. Today, reform is a big focus for prisons in many countries; however, society still debates how to balance reform with punishment and what the role of prisons should be in society.