3,257
edits
Changes
→Medieval and Early Modern Prisons
Medieval prisons often were ad hoc facilities that simply utilised existing buildings such as basements of buildings or castle keeps. 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. 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.
Things did begin to change by 1601, after the Poor Law (1601) 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 of 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 place 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.
==Modern Development==
