Pros And Cons Of The Penylvania System Of Corrections

The Pennsylvania System of corrections had many flaws, but it also had a few positive aspects. One for example, was the idea of keeping inmates separate for the most part, not the extreme 23 hour isolation that occurred, but the overall idea that inmates should be kept away from one another at times as a form of punishment. It was seen as a way to repent and reflect on their wrongdoings. The ideas of separating every offender by offense and punishing them accordingly was a positive aspect as well. They were using the ideas of John Howard when they did this because inmates were not being kept together and those with serious offenses were separate from those with less serious offenses. This idea is very important and we see it within our prison …show more content…
Another con is that the inmates were treated very poorly within this system in ways such as the extreme sicknesses that spread throughout the prison system (no one received medical attention), the inhumane treatment of prisoners, and the sexual, physical, emotional abuse experienced by prisoners. Women were raped by guards, individuals were exposed to illnesses that no one treated them for, and finally the extreme solitary confinement led to many individuals going insane. Due to the fact that solitary confinement used to the absolute extreme did not prove to be successful, it led to the inhumane treatment and punishment of inmates. In some cases, individuals were treated with extreme cruelty in the form of punishments such as a straitjacket, an iron gag, and a mad chair (in which inmates were strapped to a chair for days at a time). The prison began to be investigated for the extreme cruel punishment of inmates, their overall finances, and the unnecessary and unapproved extreme use of the confinement system. This penitentiary was also one of the most expensive buildings at that time and upkeep was almost impossible. These negative aspects of the Pennsylvania System of Corrections, led to it being deemed a