1. Chapter 9
Jails and Prisons
Chapter Outline
I. Development of American Jails and Prisons
Early Jail Conditions
Reform at Last: The Walnut Street Jail
Bigger Is Better: Eastern State Penitentiary
The Auburn System
Southern Penal Systems
II. Contemporary Jails and Prisons
The Rising Cost of Incarceration
III. Jails
Native American County Jails
Federal Jails
City and County Jails
Municipal Jails
IV. State Prisons
Prisoner Classification
Special Prison Populations
Institutional Racism and Incarceration
V. Federal Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons

2. Federal Correctional Facilities
VI. Privatization
VII. Prison Life
Sexual Violence in Prisons
Prison Gangs
Physical Health in Prisons
Mental Health in Prisons
Prison Violence
Prisons—The Human Cage
Learning Objectives
After completion of this chapter, students should be able to:
1. Describe the conditions of early colonial jails
2. Explain both the purpose and types of jails
3. Know the purpose behind classification systems
4. Detail the operations of the Federal Bureau of Prisons
5. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of prison privatization
Key Terms
Chain gang (p. 159) in the southern penal system, a group of convicts chained together during
outside labor
Civil Death (p. 161) was the legal philosophy that barred any prison inmate from bringing a
lawsuit in a civil court related to their treatment while incarcerated or conditions of incarceration
Congregate work system (p. 158) the practice of moving inmates from sleeping cells to other
areas of the prison for work and meals

3. Contraband (p. 175) smuggled goods, such as drugs, cigarettes, money, or pornography
Convict lease system (p. 158) in Southern penal systems, leasing prisoners to work for private
contractors.
Correctional officer (p. 171) uniformed jail or prison employee whose primary job is the
security and movement of inmates
County department of corrections (p. 163) when the sheriff does not supervise the country jail,
it is administered by an independent country department
Deinstitutionalization (p. 178) moving mentally ill people from long-term hospitalization to
community-based care
Disproportionate confinement (p. 170) refers to the non-random distribution of persons by race
in correctional institutions. If the prison population reflected the same demographic as the
general population confinement would not reflect racial bias
General prison population (p. 168) is the non-restricted population of prison inmates who have
access to prison services, programs and recreations
HIV/AIDS (p. 177) Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by a virus called
Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV). The disease is a deficiency of the body’s immune
system. A person can be HIV positive but not have AIDS
Incarceration (p. 156) the bodily confinement of a person in a jail or prison
Initial placement (p. 166) the first institution and security level of the convicted defendant
Inside cell block (p. 157) prison construction in which individual cells are stacked back to back
in tiers in the center of a secure building
Jails (p. 162) short term, multipurpose holding facilities that serve as the gateway for the
criminal justice system
Lombroso based correctional philosophies (p. 160) divided persons into two distinct types:
criminal and non-criminal. Non-criminals were biologically determined and therefore not
amenable to rehabilitation or reform
Municipal jail (p. 164) city administered jails for the incarceration of offenders who are
convicted of violating city ordinance in a municipal court
Native American jails (p. 163) are short term incarceration facilities on Native American land
that are under the sovereign control of the Native American tribe

4. Penitentiary (p. 157) a correctional institution based on the concept that inmates can change
their criminality through reflection and penitence
Prison code (p. 179) is the informal rules and expected behavior established by inmates. Often
the prison code is contrary to the official rules and policies of the prison. Violation of the prison
code can be punished by use of violence or even death
Prison consultants (p. 166) are private persons, who provide convicted defendants advice and
counsel on how best to present themselves during classification and how to behave in prison
Prison economy (p. 169) refers to the exchange of goods, services and contraband by prisoners
in the place of money
Prison farm system (p. 159) in the Southern penal systems, the use of inmate labor to maintain
large, profit-making prison farms or plantations
Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (p. 174) required the Bureau of Justice statistics to survey
jails and prisons, to determine the prevalence of sexual violence within correctional facilities
Prisoner classification (p. 165) the reception and diagnosis of an inmate to decide the
appropriate security level in which to place the prisoner and the services of placement
Section 1983 lawsuits (p. 176) are civil lawsuits filed in federal court alleging that the
government has violated a constitutional right of the inmate
Security Risk Groups (p. 175) groups that raise special threats, such as prison gangs
Silent system (p. 157) correctional practice of prohibiting inmates from talking to other inmates
Solitary confinement (p. 158) practice of confining an inmate such that there is no contact with
other people
State prisons (p. 165) correctional facilities for prisoners convicted of state crimes
Supermax prison (p. 173) is the highest security level of prison operated by the U.S. Bureau of
Prisons. Supermax prisons are considered ―escape-proof‖ regardless of the resources of the
inmate
Total Institutions (p. 178) institutions that meet the inmate’s basic needs, discourage
individuality, punish dissent, and segregate those who do not follow the rules.
Tuberculosis (p. 177) or TB is a contagious infectious disease caused by a bacterial infection
that primarily affects the lungs

5. Warren Court (p. 161) the U.S. Supreme Court years (1953–1969) during which Chief Justice
Earl Warren issued many landmark decisions greatly expanding the constitutional right of
inmates and defendants
Chapter Summary
Historically speaking, the Pennsylvania Walnut Street Jail and Eastern State Penitentiary
and New York’s Auburn State Prison established distinctively American correctional models.
Early American jails and prisons had rehabilitation as a goal. Prison labor was exploited,
especially in colonies with indentured servitude and in southern penal systems, which operated
the convict lease system. Prison reforms came about during the Warren Court era, with rulings
that inmates had the right to sue the government over prison conditions and civil rights
violations.
Jails are short-term multipurpose facilities that serve as a gateway to the criminal justice
system. Federal jails are operated through the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. County jails are
maintained by the sheriffs’ departments, and municipal jails by local police departments. State
prisons house only convicted felony offenders. States run reception and diagnosis centers to
classify incoming inmates and place them in appropriate facilities, minimum, medium, or
maximum-security prisons. Supermax prisons hold the most violent inmates in a highly secured
lockdown structure.
Prison populations include men, youths, the elderly, women, gang members, inmates living
with AIDS, and persons with other health problems or mental illnesses, and these populations
challenge the correctional system. Federal prisons such as Alcatraz were built during the
prohibition era and are run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The federal prison system parallels
the state prison systems in classification and administration, but federal prisons have higher
standards for employment. Private jails and prisons were sought as a solution to prison
overcrowding and the high cost of building and staffing correctional, but have been plagued with
problems pertaining to professionalism
Media to Explore
Go to www.gangsorus.com to view the Web site ―Gangs or Us,‖ which provides information on
street and prison gangs.
Visit the Federal Bureau of Prisons at www.bop.gov.
Visit the City of New York Department of Corrections Web site at
www.nyc.gov/html/doc/html/home/home.shtml.
Visit the Web site of Los Angeles County’s Twin Towers Correctional Facility at
www.lasd.org/division/custody/twintowers/index.html.
Visit the Web site of the Southern Center for Human Rights at www.schr.org.

6. Eastern State Penitentiary is now a tourist attraction. You can visit the Web site of Eastern State
Penitentiary at www.easternstate.org.
There are a number of Web sites that facilitate public-inmate pen pal correspondence. To view
one such Web site, go to http://writeaprisoner.com.