The History of Punishment and Imprisonment

How should society treat people who break the law? Since the beginning of time, societies have struggled with this question. The History of Punishment and Imprisonment reviews early forms of punishment from horrific executions and torture in medieval times to the creation of the world's first penitentiaries in the 19th century. In America today, we punish most criminals with imprisonment. The United States has a long history of efforts to not just imprison but also to rehabilitate or modify the behavior of offenders through a variety of treatment programs. The late 20th century saw a turn from rehabilitation to mass incarceration with mandatory sentencing and the construction of many more prisons. Recently, though, the pendulum has started to swing back and people are asking again whether it's enough to punish prisoners or should the system strive to make convicts productive law-abiding members of society once they are released.