3,257
edits
Changes
→Summary
==Summary==
Very few exception 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 spread only by the 19th century. Today, reform is a big focus for prisons in many countries; however, society still debates how to balance reform with punishment, where prisons are now seen as the end point of the penal system rather than as transitory.
==References==
