The origin of the correction system is since the medieval ages. While comparing the past history of corrections and the current corrections it can be concluded that there are a huge number of differences as well as similarities that exist since the correction system were started. Initially the colonists borrowed from the English heritage to settle in the American land. The main aim of the paper is to make a comparison between past history of corrections and the current corrections of today.
In the period of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the criminal code were enough refined to be implemented completely and successfully for that time to handle the crime rate. The history of the past corrections is full of surprises and the implementation of the capital punishment for a number of different crimes in which the uncontrollable were horse stealing, murder, arson, and kids disrespect for parents (Stohr, Mary, and Anthony). The eighteenth century was crueler and the capital punishment which included only penalty to death was also implemented as public embarrassment. In that time, the offender of this law were locked with the pillory in the public area with their head and hands knotted with the wooden logs and it involved the physical pain and abuse. Moreover, there kind of punishments were mostly implemented on the slaves to control their run offs, resolving conflicts with their masters and other equal level slaves. Many times the whites were also involved in some of the above mentioned crimes but they were ignored and fined only so that the compensation would be granted to the victim.
Currently, the same kind of public embarrassment is also seen in which if a person with a nature of child abuse or sex offending nature living in the society would be nominated by making posters or pedophiles picture of his picture and hang them in different public interactive spots to let the public know about him (Clette, Frédéric, and Laure, 2633-2643). Moreover the parents who watch their children on internet and are worried about their safety would also use embarrassment tool to teach the by some proper action on the social media websites including the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, as well as many other famous websites on which the kids are active.
In the very previous past of 20th century and a little start of the 21st century, the jail acted as a form of punishment in which the offenders and criminals waited for their trial or sentencing. Moreover, they are also required to stay in jail for longer because of their inability to pay the debts or they have tried to run away from the commitments,
The today’s society jails are also used for the individuals who waited for their trial to happen and after that they would be released or bail. Jail is also used for a short punishment of a couple of months or a year incarceration (Clear et al.). Currently the individual have to stay for sometimes in the jail after the trial if found guilty but in the past the actions were a little harsh and unjust (Bindler, Anna, and Randi). The people who were found even expected to be the offender were killed. Deterrence is currently still used in the society for the protection of the people.
In a nutshell, there is a great difference between the past history of the corrections and the present corrections. Many other changes in the capital punishment are seen in the 19th as well as 20th century in which the labor and free men actions were counted in offense and capital punishment. The laws are now refined and reformed but still there are many clauses which would be amended as per the requirement of modern society.
Works Cited
Stohr, Mary K., and Anthony Walsh. Corrections: the essentials. Sage Publications, 2018.
Clette, Frédéric, and Laure Lefèvre. “The new sunspot number: assembling all corrections.” Solar Physics 291.9-10 (2016): 2629-2651.
Clear, Todd R., Michael D. Reisig, and George F. Cole. American corrections. Cengage Learning, 2018.
Bindler, Anna, and Randi Hjalmarsson. “The Fall of Capital Punishment and the Rise of Prisons: How Punishment Severity Affects Jury Verdicts.” (2017).
