Minimum Security Prisons: Incarceration In The United States

In early times, public humiliation was favored among communities as forms of punishment. However, the Quakers believed honest labor could replace public humiliation and deal with un-socialized behavior. Convicts began providing labor for public projects. On the other hand, many colonies began to use prisons as forms of incarceration. Local parties controlled early lock up stations; these stations had little organization, but proved to be an improvement on harsh corporal punishment and exile.
In the 1790’s, prisons developed the silent system which kept prisoners from socializing with others. Moving into the 1800’s, prisons slowly incorporated social activity and work environments for those behind bars. These work movements made for cheap labor,…show more content…
The first of these is minimum level, moving into low, then medium, followed by high or maximum security, and finalized in supermax facilities. Minimum security facilities typically house criminals who need the least amount of supervision and management. These types of jails are also known as Federal Prison Camps or FPCs. They have dormitory-like housing where inmates coexist in the same space and interact commonly. There is usually limited or no perimeter fencing and a low staff-to-inmate ratio. Here, inmates are often involved in work or program related activities and are able to do community service to help fulfill their service required needs. The next step up becomes the low security institution. When a prisoner is incarcerated here, or Federal Correctional Institution, they are also housed in dormitory-like facilities or ‘cubical’ housing. There is typically a double-fence around the perimeter and involve more staffing. These prisons offer strong work programs to help keep inmates occupied and being productive. The criminals housed here are first time, low risk, or small time criminals. These are the offenders who have earned more freedom and are on good behavior. While in a medium security institution, offenders are likely to be in cell-type housing. These types of institutions are secured with double fences and electronic detection systems. There are…show more content…
A contributing factor could be that there are growing numbers of terrorists, gangs, and other violent prisoners the government is now housing. ADMAX, a supermax prison the federal government has provided, holds many of the greatest threats to the American ways. People like Zacarias Moussaoui, Al Qaeda terrorist; Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber; Terry Nichols, accomplice in Oklahoma City bombing; and Richard Reid, Islamic shoe bomber are all housed in this institution. Another growing cause of prison population is poverty. During the last two decades, there has been a gap in America between the lifestyles of those who grew up poor and those who didn’t. Once someone who goes to jail once often are looked down upon by employers and these individuals are now limited to work opportunities, causing the poverty cycle to begin. Similarly, juveniles being tried as adults are increasing populations. Many of our laws have been altered to harshly punish youth offenders. By shifting the sentencing structure, more youth are going to prison for minor crimes. Incarceration at a young age can be damaging to a young adult, often ending in a cycle of prison time and crime. While it is likely that females always committed crime, women prisoners are a growing population in today’s prisons. Women are the fastest growing population in jail and prisons, greatly passing the male population rate in almost every state. These crimes are generally drug