The Pros And Cons Of American Prisons

Many others were poor or homeless, but were jailed with hardened adult criminals because authorities often had no other place to put them when their parents died or could no longer shoulder the burden of care and upbringing. Begging and vagrancy, being poor and neglected were nineteenth century crimes whether a person was fifty years old or ten, so prisons and almshouses sometimes warehoused children whose only crime was that they had parents who could not care for them. (Abrams, 2004, p.9). Unfortunately, in the nineteenth century the treatment of poor displaced children was unthinkable, which too often the laws provided no recourse of action for children being subjected to such dire conditions. Despite, initially steps taken towards …show more content…
For adults and children alike, nineteenth century prisons meant “hard time.” American prisons were barely fit for human habitation because the nation did not yet perceive rehabilitation as even a peripheral goal of criminal punishment, except insofar as prisoners might change their ways by deterrent force of harsh confinement itself. Make prisons as horrible as possible, and inmates would not want to return (Abrams, 2004, p.9). Unfortunately, this approach was widely accepted and equally disturbing was typically the mindset of many staff, which promoted some form of cruelty regardless of the institutional setting. In theory, the services that these Houses could provide were thought to be positive, however, the actual environment was often too harsh and rather grim. They were essentially penal institutions that required strict adherence to rules, stringent physical discipline and punishment through hard labor and rigorous militaristic regimens. Yes, these Houses provided a setting separate from adults, but they certainly were not a refuge as children continued to be mistreated, abused, and exploited. Also, many children who were involved in criminal activities continued to