8.7 Conclusion
In this chapter the field of incarcerated corrections was examined, outlining the goals, ideologies, and U.S. historical context of punishment. This chapter also explored the emergence of prisons and jails in the U.S., and how the design structure and supervision styles of these facilities have differed over time. A snapshot of incarcerated populations, facility levels, and governance between jails, state prisons, federal facilities and privatized prisons were provided and two correctional support crime prevention science solutions were examined as potential solutions to the issues that plague these facilities. Finally, this chapter reviewed career ancillaries for those interested in learning more about corrections officer professions.
8.7.1 Learning Objectives
- Analyze where the basic concept of punishment comes from and compare the different ideologies of why and how people are punished.
- Relate global ideas around punishment to the emergence of prisons and jails in the U.S.
- Compare the design structure and supervision style of facilities.
- Describe differences in incarcerated populations, facility levels, and governance between jails, state prisons, federal facilities and privatized institutions.
- Investigate correctional support for crime prevention science solutions.
8.7.2 Review of Key Terms
- correctional facility
- corrections officer
- deterrence
- facility design (linear vs podular)
- incapacitation
- prison
- punishment
- rehabilitation
- retribution
- supervision style (direct vs indirect)
8.7.3 Review of Critical Thinking Questions
Now that you have read the chapter, return to these questions to gauge how much you’ve learned:
- Why are we more punitive at times than others? What changes our punitive values?
- What are some of the pros/cons of each of the four correctional ideologies?
- Does crime change depending on our collective correctional ideology, or practice?
- Does punishment change, based on our correctional ideology? How?
- What are some key explanations for the rise in the prison population in the U.S.?
- Explain the operational process of most jails in the United States today. Where does this come from historically?
- How does the difference in the type of jail influence how the jail is managed?
- Explain the similarities and differences in the two early types of prisons in the United States.
- Explain the current operational process of most State prisons in the United States today. Where does this come from historically?
8.7.4 Licenses and Attributions for Conclusion
“Conclusion” by Megan Gonzalez is adapted from “8: Corrections” by David Carter in SOU-CCJ230 Introduction to the American Criminal Justice System by Alison S. Burke, David Carter, Brian Fedorek, Tiffany Morey, Lore Rutz-Burri, and Shanell Sanchez, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Edited for style, consistency, recency, and brevity; added DEI content.