Tensions & Riots 1950s–1960s 1945 WWII ENDS
1950s The term “Correction” emerges to describe the rehabilitation model.
1929 THE GREAT DEPRESSION BEGINS
Progressive Era 1890–1920
Prison reformist founded innovations like probation, parole and indeterminate sentencing to help convicts. The public began to slowly shift away from convict leasing as states shifted to state prison farms (which were just as bad). This time period marked the birth of the modern prison system as people refocused on reformation - an idea forgotten during the convict leasing era even as the crime rate increased. In order to foster rehabilitation, emphasis was placed on educating inmates. Prison labor would lose support as the public became aware of their conditions. As a response states passed laws preventing goods created by prisoners from being sold on the open market. But, prison farms still existed. In order to keep prisoners busy, some states had prisoners create items for the state. There was also an increase in job training programs - these had mixed success. Although the prison state farm system would be reintroduced in the future, it would be met with harsh public backlash.
Growth of the Modern System 1920s–1940s 1925–1935 The nations’ incarceration rate climbed from 79 to 139 people per every 100,000 residents. The Black incarceration rate at this time was 3x the white incarceration rate (which was in decline).
1929 The Hawes-Cooper Act was passed allowing states to prohibit the sale of goods made by outof-state convicts. It was the first in a series of laws that would prohibit the transportation and sale of goods produced by prisoners
1931 National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement made recommendations on how to further classify inmates. It wasn’t a new idea but it gained widespread acceptance and implementation during this time. The commission also reported on corruption within law enforcement exposing widespread police misconduct and bribery.
1939-1945 WWII increased national pride and reduced prison population as many people were sent to fight overseas
1952 Two riots occurred at Trenton prison sparking prison riots across the country in response to overcrowding and horrible living conditions. Prison examiners look into prison violence. Many states improved conditions after media coverage of the riots. Prison officials again renewed their focus on rehabilitation.
1954 The American Prison Association (founded in 1870) changed its name to the American Correctional Association showing the shift in perspective regarding rehabilitation.
1955 The national incarceration rate reached 112 people per every 100,000 people, making the total prison population 185,780 people. New drug laws were put in place that overwhelmingly affected Black and Hispanic communities.
1959 The Medical Model would become the predominant model in correctional facilities. Criminal behavior was once again seen as a disease curable through rehabilitative programs. Using the inmate classification system established in 1931, prisons would “diagnose” inmates and prescribe the counseling and education programs that would be used to “cure” them of their criminal tendencies.
1965 Laws passed under the Medical Model, like the Prison Rehabilitation Act, led prisons to implement programs to help inmates adjust to life outside many programs gave prisoners more freedom. While there were positive results there was also a lot of backlash from the press when prisoners committed crimes.
1967 A fight broke out at San Quentin Prison causing the death of a white inmate
Racial tensions in prison rose alongside the Civil Rights Movement as groups like the Black Panthers and the Nation of Islam inspired Black prisoners to become activists. Prison reformers and correction experts began to make the connection between the tensions inside of prisons to the movements happening on the outside. Prison professionals abandoned reformation and reverted back to using prison as a means of punishment when they realized that their prescribed therapies were failing to lower recidivism rates.
War on Drugs 1960s–1990s 1968 Nixon began to wage his “War on Drugs” as part of his “Tough on Crime” campaign. He promised harsher drug convictions and the phasing out of indeterminate sentencing - a move prison rights groups supported.
Early 1970s The Medical Model was deemed ineffective so the Bureau of Prisons adopted the “Balanced Model”, this is the current model of corrections. The philosophy identifies punishment, deterrence, incapacitation and rehabilitation as the primary goals of the prison system. A loss of faith in the rehabilitative process led to an emphasis on punishment and deterrence.
1971 Attica Prison Riot occurred when a group of multiracial prisoners issued demands for the restructuring of parole and the end to abuse from prison officers. Negotiations broke down and prisoners took over the prison, holding employees hostage. On September 13th, state troopers and the National Guard stormed the prison killing both prisoners and hostages. In the aftermath, the brutality of prison guards increased and fortified the nations “Tough on Crime” stance.
During the 21st century, crime rates continue to decrease with murder and violent crime rates reaching a historic low.
1980s Overcrowding in prisons became an even bigger problem due to both Nixon’s and Reagan’s “War on Drugs”. The prison population increased from 320,000 in 1980 to 1.3 million by 1999. Overcrowding led to horrible sanitary conditions and an increase in violence between prisoners. To address this problem, the federal government encouraged states to privatize their prisons - companies took over health care, education, training, etc.
1984 The Comprehensive Crime Control Act created new Federal crimes, abolished parole, reinstituted the Federal death penalty, and established sentencing guidelines. As the “Tough on Crime” era pushed forward, prisoners experienced rollbacks of their education programs and rehabilitation efforts due to lack of public faith in prison’s rehabilitative ability. This led to an uptick in the development of maximum security prisons.
1990s Crime rates decreased during this time, yet people still called for tougher punishments because of the intense media coverage of crime. Although homicide rates dropped by half from 1990 to 1998, homicide stories on the three major news networks quadrupled, fueling public fear.
1994 Heightened public fear made way for president Clinton’s Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. It gave more funds to law enforcement, awarded grants for mandatory sentencing, created the “three-strikes” provision and mandated life sentences for people that committed three violent convictions.
Slow Shift Towards Reform 2000s–Now 2002 The Life Connection Program, which was the Bureau of Prison’s first multi-faith based program, was created in order to help reduce recidivism.
2000-2009 The state and federal prison population increased and reached its peak at 1,615,487. It has decreased over the last 10 years to 1,489,400. A reduction in the prison population has been spurred on by prison reform initiatives like the Fair Sentencing Act in 2010, and the reduction of excessive sentences for 46,000 federal prisoners by the United States Sentencing Commission.
2014 California voters passed Proposition 47, which reclassified low-level property and drug crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. Alongside the legalization of marijuana, other attempts have been made to reduce mass incarnation at the state level.
2009-2016 The Black prison population fell 17%, white prison population dropped 10%, and the Hispanic prison population remains unchanged. Black people still represent 33% of the federal and state prison population, despite the fact that they represent only 12% of the U.S. population. Due to public support for prison reform, the U.S. has taken steps to reduce the overrepresentation of minorities in prisons.
