State and Federal Prison Systems

State prison system are the way they are today thanks to the discovery and development found in the 19^th century penitentiary, which was based on the forms of legal enlightenment from the 18^th century. The two main prison model from this century was the Pennsylvania Model, as known as the separate system, and the Auburn Model. The Auburn Model became to be the model that all America used because it was cheaper to run it and got more advantage from it from the inmates working inside. Some prisons that are used today is the Angola located in Louisiana, it is the largest and enduring prison farms in the United States, Huntsville located in Texas, and San Que located in California. Criminals that has been sentenced to serve more than a year goes to prison. Although state governments run state prisons, the Federal Bureau of prison has access to federal offenders.

Since the 1970’s, there has been an increase in the population. It was a baby boomer generation because of the men serving in war would go home to their wives. Another reason for an increase of the population was immigrants. Rates on crime would go up due to the increase. Worry washed upon American politicians and decided to act on it. They decided to ‘’get tough’’ on criminals. They wanted to everyone be incarcerated for anything that was considered a crime. In the 1980’s, the War on Drugs and Crime rapidly tripled the number of people in prison.

By not using the means of confinement as the main way and only way of punishing criminals, U.S. correction officers can help solve the problem of exponential prison growth. Another way they can be extremely helpful is by having more rehabilitation programs, work release programs, house arrest, community service. Having prisoners set goals and be rewarded if complete help motivate the offender into doing more good than bad because they will see the benefits.

Maximum security, close high security, medium security, minimum security, and open security are the level of security in state prisons.  Only 12% of prisons are maximum security. They have the lowest guard to inmate interactions and is an older walled penitentiary. Close high security has a total of 16% of state prisoners and is less restrictive and the interaction between guards and inmates are higher. Medium security prisons is a new form of security, instead of cells, inmates have a small dormitory style housing. The interaction between guards and inmates is twice as much as what they have in maximum security. 35% of state prisoners are here, there is also not signs or threat that an inmate can escape.  31% of inmates are in minimum security prisons, where prisons are smaller and newer with little security. Interactions between guards and inmates are much high and inmates have the privilege to have more privacy and amenities. Percentages of inmates escaping is high. Open security facilities are not even called prisons due to the fact that they are half way houses, work or prerelease centers, and have no security. For prisoners that usually have a 24 hour lock down, they are transferred to super max , where is the highest security for prisoners. They are in single cells, visiting is restricted, contact limited. 2% of prisoners are sent here because they are a threat to society and/or are considered a threat to escape from prison.

On May 14,1930, President Herbert Hoover signed the Federal Bureau of prisons. Federal prisons was to have five different security levels; minimum security, low security, medium security, high security, and administrative security and administrative maximum. Minimum (19% of inmates) security is federal prison camps. These are located near other federal prisons camps (FPCs) or military bases. Low security level (38,8% of inmates) is called Federal Correction Institutes or (FCI’s). This place has dormitory housing and double fences. Medium security (24.6% of inmates) has stronger perimeters, cell housing and more control over their prisoners. High security (10.8% of inmates) is US penitentiaries, which looks like the common penitentiaries. Administrative security ( 6.2% of inmates) is for special inmates awaiting deportation and medical cases. Administrative maximum is for inmates who pose the highest security threat.

There is always room for improvement and one way state and federal prisons can be improved is by moving all high risk inmates like sex offenders and murderers to federal prisons and put more guards working on both state and federal prisons. In federal prisons the inmates are usually there for trafficking drugs and such things but it seems to me that society is more at risk with criminals who rape and murder people than selling drugs.

Reference:

Foster, B (2006). Corrections: The Fundamentals. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

CJS 230 Week 4 Assignment State and Federal Prison Systems Paper. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/127866220/CJS-230-Week-4-Assignment-State-and-Federal-Prison-Systems-Paper