ThirstyFish

Opened in 1829, the Eastern State was considered to be the world's first true penitentiary. It operated on the principle of penance by the prisoners through silent reflection, and prisoners were kept in solitary confinement. Another system, known as the New York System, evolved during the same era and promoted prison labor and punishment. Penitence vs flogging. Regret for one's wrongdoing, versus, punishment. Eventually the punishment system was favored in the U.S., and many prisons followed the New York System. Many inmates died as a result of over flogging. When flogging was abolished, guards and keepers came up with more inventive ways to punish the disorderly. It took nearly 100 years to totally abolish corporal punishment from the prison system.

The assumption of rehabilitation is that people are not permanently criminal and that it is possible to restore a criminal to a useful life. But does it work? It depends on who you ask. Most agree that rehabilitation may be more dependent on the psychological background of individuals, rather than the rehabilitation methods or philosophy employed. For example, it is extremely difficult to diagnose psychopaths and sociopaths, yet, due to their remorseless and manipulative nature, they are more likely of being released earlier from jail than other prisoners. Psychopathic personality disorders are generally considered untreatable and no interventions to date have been proven to be effective.

Song of the Day: Psycho Killer - Talking Heads (1977)