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→Ancient Origin
==Ancient Origin==
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, prison was part of the punishment and it may have not been used for anything else. 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>
In ancient China, the so-called Legalism teachings were influential, where punishment was a focus and often applied harsh penalties even for petty crime. Prisons used as deterrent for behavior appears to be the focus. One difference, however, is that there is evidence by the Tang Dynasty, in the 1st millennium CE, prisons were also located near Buddhist monasteries, suggesting that by that period the idea of using religious teaching to reform prisoners may have taken hold. In effect, this could represent that prisons served more than just punishment, but religious reform, and by extension behavior, could have been a key focus.
