History of Prisons

“Every day in the United States more than 2 million people are barred some- where within this nation’s vast archipelago of prisons, jails, and immigrant detention centers” (Kelly Lytle Hernández, Khalil Gibran Muhammad, and Heather Ann Thompson "Introduction: Constructing the Carceral State" The Journal of American History (June 2015), p.18). The United State's carceral state stands alone across the world when It comes to amount of people it flows in and out of its doors. 2 million people a day is an astounding number, but it didn’t always use to be that way. The history of prisons is a windy road full of ideas brought forth by different individuals who stem from eras throughout this nations timeline.

Moving Forward In Our Timeline

With prison building on the rise, a rapid change was unfolding. Civil war was upon us during the 1860s, this war ultimately led us abolishment of slavery (1865). With slavery supposedly on the back burner, we saw a new movement take lead. We have to remember that before 1865- slavery was the main driver for labor. Whether it was work to be done by booming industrialization of plantations or just odd jobs needed by others- slavery provided this work force. Now that slavery was abolished, the search was on for a new replacement.

Convict leasing took lead as the replacement for slave labor (but was there really a difference)? African Americans were finally somewhat free after the 13th amendment was established. However, once the amendment was up and running we saw a rise in laws and rules geared towards Africa American which led to more and more African Americans being locked up. Upon lockup, inmates were now being "leased out" to private companies throughout the states. In an article written by Christopher Adamson titled "Punishment After Slavery", we get to see the transition after slavery was abolished. Adamson goes on to say, "In a real sense, the convict lease system was a functional replacement for slavery; it provided an economic source of cheap labor and a political means" (pg. 556). We see prime examples of this when talking about the construction of prisons in the late 1800s and projects such as the "good roads" and ultimately the labor term "chain gang".

Finding a Home For More "Prisoners"

When looking at our timeline, prisons were now in full swing and booming. Convict leasing had taken over and prisoners were being dished out throughout the United States for various labor assignments. Occasionally we saw incidents were inmates didn't really fit the typical profile for an inmate, some may have even called them "insane". Mid 1800s we saw little outlets established for the insane, however as time went on we saw a boom and by 1860 28/33 states had public institutions (Asylums) for the insane. Asylums first started off aiming to cure the "insanity" that was proposed by the people entering their doors. But how were these people being deemed "insane". The idea of Eugenics was proposed and led the way in the Asylum world. As time went on though we truly saw the colors behind the mask of Eugenics. Eugenics was being pushed throughout the United States with various tests being performed in order to measure the mental capacity of individuals. The process deemed absolutely outrageous eventually was labeled as racial degeneration; Eugenics was essentially weeding out the "lower" races in hopes of establishing a better world. This weeding out was seen through incidents brought forth by sterilization and other "projects" that were carried out under the grueling hand of Eugenics.

Early 20th Century- Present

After the installation of prisons, after convict leasing and after asylums, was there still more the idea of incarceration could bring forth? In the early 1900s we saw a confusing trend in regards to crime and punishment. 1900-1925 crime was up and punishment was down, moving forward to 1925-1940- crime was down yet punishment was up. Why the mix up? This is where we first start to see the "Rise in Mass Incarceration". Jeffrey Adler gives us in inside look on this rise in his article titled "Less Crime, More Punishment: Violence, Race, and Criminal Justice in Early Twentieth-Century America". Adler mentions, "During the mid-1920s, policy makers launched a war on crime—a crusade that assumed a life of its own, increasingly detached from actual crime" (pg. 40). This war on crime led to expansion of crime and punishment served throughout the United States. As time goes on, prison construction has yet to stop. Through the years, we were able to see the rise and establishment of institutions such as juvenile detention centers as well as immigrant detention centers. Looking back at the timeline, we essentially are able to see that every person, every race has a place to call home in the incarceration world. Whether you someone who is young, someone who is a different color or someone who commits heavy crimes- the United States has a home for you in the justice system. We may see now the increasing trend of locked up individuals but ask yourself this one simple question- when will this "rise of mass incarceration" end?

References

Adamson, C., R. (1983). Punishment after slavery: Southern state penal systems, 1865-1890. Social Problems 30(5), (555-569)

Adler, J., S. (2015). Less crime, more punishment: Violence, race, and criminal justice in early twentieth-century america. The Journal of American History, (34-46). doi: 10.1093/jahist/jav173

Hernandez, K., L., Muhammad, K., G., & Thompson, H., A. (2015). Introduction: Constructing the carceral state. The Journal of American History. (18-24). doi: 10.1093/jahist/jav259