Chapter 11: Prisons and Jails Flashcards
Corrections
The different programs and agencies that have the legal obligation for the care, custody, treatment, supervision, and punishment of those convicted of crimes.
Corrections starts at the moment a convicted offender begins their sentence.
Corrections ends when a convicted offender has completed the conditions of their sentence and is legally released from government supervision.
The first prison in America
Records indicate that the first “prison” in America was operated in Simsbury, Connecticut in 1773 that had once been a copper mine from 1705 through the 1750s and was named “Newgate Prison”. The Newgate facility held a variety of offenders ranging from petty criminals to those convicted of more serious crimes including capital offenses.
Types of Correctional Facilities:
- Jails
- Penal institutions (prisons)
- Reformatories
- Houses of correction
- Community residential centers
- Halfway houses
- Juvenile detentions centers
The purpose of prison:
For the incarceration of offenders who have been sentenced to long periods of confinement (more than one year) or death.
The purpose of jails:
- to detain people waiting for their first appearance
- To detain people waiting for trial
- To detain people for short periods of time, usually less than one year
- To detain people who have been convicted but await sentencing
- To detain people who are being transferred to different facilities
- Relieve prison overcrowding
- Detain probation and parole violators
Types of Prisons and Jails
Prisons are found at both the federal and state level for violations their respective laws.
Jails are found at the local and county level, depending on jurisdiction
Super Maximum Security
House the most dangerous / notorious
Confinement is mostly solitary
No contact with other inmate
Institutional focus is on security
There is only one super maximum facility in the United States, located in Florence, Colorado.
Maximum Security Prisons
Houses dangerous prisoners
Institutional focus is on security
Built like fortresses
Medium Security Prisons
Houses prisoners not considered overtly dangerous
Facility appearance is similar to maximum security
More focus on treatment
More privileges
Minimum Security Prisons
Houses prisoners considered non-violent and trustworthy to a degree
No walls or armed guards
Sometimes referred to as “walkaways” or “country clubs”
Accommodations are dormitory style
Who Supervises Prison Operations?
In a typical prison, operations are supervised by one chief executive known as a “warden” and are usually broken down into four categories, custody, management, programs, and industry. Each of these four areas of prison operations are supervised by “assistant wardens”.
Prison Operations
- Custody includes security, corrections officers, training, safety, inmate discipline, investigations and visitor protocol
- Management includes budgets, accounting, purchasing, food service, commissary, laundry and grounds upkeep
- Programs include medical services, mental health, treatment programs, recreation, volunteers, classification and addressing religious needs
- Industry includes any institutional work or agriculture programming
Prison Management
- Participation Model = permits inmates to have some control over their life in prison, usually found in medium to minimum security facilities
- Control Model = strict rules are enforced with minimal prisoner autonomy, usually found in maximum security facilities
What is the term that refers to a criminal offender who is required to pay back their victim, either with money or by work?
Restitution
Who was one of the more infamous criminals to have a stay at Eastern State Penitentiary?
Al Capone
