History of Corrections in America Research Paper - 1

History of Corrections in America - Research Paper Example After this period a medical model was adopted widely from 1930s to 1960s when it was replaced by the community model which lasted till 1970s. Crime control model emerged after this with heightened level of crime and sophistication. This short overview shows that numerous changes have occurred and can be a perfect indicator that judging from the past, a great deal is still on the way. This paper will concentrate on the history of corrections in America by touching on evolution of punishment, William penny and Pennsylvania system and related models as they have unfolded with time. For quite a long time colonial America did not have state or federal prisons. This is because the first prisons emerged after the Revolutionary War. Local towns had the responsibility of constructing their own jails. These jails however incarcerated only those sentenced to hanging or other forms of executions. Many states at the time enjoyed separate laws and punishment systems but in general terms, criminal acts were punished through physical means. Some of these physical punishments were quite severe even in those days’ standards for example mutilations of body parts e.g. noses and ears (Cole & Smith, 2007). Others included branding with hot iron, flogging, banishment and hangings among others. Depriving offenders of their liberty was not a common scenario and huge emphasis laid on infliction of pain. It is after the Revolutionary War that people went back to the drawing board to develop new mechanisms of dealing with crime and punishment. At this time America had just rece ived its independence from England and liberty was the most important of all individual assets. Those in positions of governance at the time thought that depriving a person of this treasured asset was a better punishment than the traditional pain-related punishments borrowed from England. Much of Americas and to some extent the world, owe the current developed state of prisons to Philadelphia and