Describes The Evolution Of Parole Walter Crofton

In various cases, many individuals whom were convicted of crime are released on parole. The parole system was instated for those who were well-behaved prisoners and have demonstrated their

Throughout the years, the use of imprisonment has varied, along with its influences of society. It is thought that although prisons have been around since the thirteenth century, prisons as we know them now to be have only been around for the last three centuries. The first uses of prisons were not seen as a form of punishment instead they were used as a way of making people do something. People would be held in prison until they paid their debts, or awaiting trial and then leading up to their sentence. McGowen (1995) suggests that from the early 1700s ‘bridewells’ a house of correction have existed, however at that time being used merely for vagrants and drunks. At the end of the sixteenth century there was a shift in punishment to imprisonment, along with this came a new, more humane idea of reform. Criminals would spend their days of prison carrying out hard labour. However after the American Revolution, imprisonment took a step back and there was another change. There was mass overcrowding within the prison service and although the death penalty was still being used it was a symbol of the power of the state. Therefore, an everyday way of dealing with offenders would be transportation to the colonies, being either Australia or America.

Since the Parole System legislation on June 25, 1910, the program objective is to make sure that the former convict does not commit any other criminal activity by placing a strict requirement of rules to follow. These rules may include but not limited to; finding employment, routine drug analysis, drug treatment programs, group and individual therapy sessions and many other stipulations are required to adhere to in order to maintain freedom.

A parole system was first developed in the 19th century when people believed in reformation instead of incarceration. This system allowed an offender who was already serving time, to be released into society, and promise to live as a law abiding citizen. Alexander Maconochie is the person credited to the development of this system. He believed that prisoners should be rewarded for their good behavior and was able to try his “mark system” at the Norfolk Island facility off the coast of Australia. Prisoners earned points if they completed their duties and if they accumulated enough marks, they were allowed to leave the prison with the promise that they would abide by society’s rules and laws. Walter Crofton, administrator of the Irish Prison System in 1854, followed Maconcohie’s system and added other requirements such as finding employment and reporting monthly of their

Parole is the part of the general 19th-century trend in criminology from punishment to reformation. Alexander Maconochie developed the early parole system. He was in charge of the English

Cullen and Gendreau (2000). give us some history on the restorative incarceration. The original theory of restorative justice was based on simple human behavior regulated by incentive instead of punishment, which instituted the concept of parole as a means of reward for a prisoner for rehabilitation. Further studies in criminology proved that this idea was too simplistic and married it to the positivist theory of criminology and instituted individual assessment and treatment for each prisoner based on their specific needs for reformation.

With the exception of probation, imprisonment has been the main form of punishment for serious offenders in the United States for over 200 years. Americans can be said to have invented modern incarceration as a means of criminal punishment. Although Europe provided precedents, theoretical justifications, and even architectural plans for imprisoning offenders, Americans developed the blueprints for the typical prisons of today and devised the disciplinary routines, types of sentences, and programs that prison systems of other countries subsequently adopted or modified (Rafter & Stanley 1999).

Maconochie was limited in this stage as he had no control over total release on Norfolk Island. What he had control over was a ticket-of-leave on the island where the prisoners continued to be supervised but in a less stringent manner. Although Maconochie had success on a limited scale and it had not been fully proven, it appeared in modern times that gradual release of prisoners was an attractive formula. However, at the end of the 1990s, there was not enough political support and funding at the time to further explore this issue due to the excessive amount of prisoners being released into society as a result of overcrowding. The only exception was sexual offenders, where extensive controls have been implemented but unfortunately these were not controls to help deal with their problems but controls to revoke their freedom. Morris (2002, p.197) believes Maconochie’s release and aftercare concepts should be the foundation of designing a program that gradually integrates prisoners under supervision back into society as law-abiding citizens.

With the ideas of The Age of Enlightenment growing in popularity, a new concept of criminal punishment came into play; the penitentiary. The

Each country across the globe has its unique ways to deal with criminals. Most of their criminal justice systems include some form of parole for individuals who have completed their sentences, in order to maintain some form of control over them while they readjust to life outside prison. This article will discuss the overall parole system in the United States and those of Australia and Canada. The Australian and Canadian parole systems will be compared to that of the United States and their effectiveness will be discussed. The information

Parole (early release from prison) is often referred to as the back door to the US corrections system. The concept of parole dates back to the establishment of the Elmira Reformatory. The goal of the Elmira Reformatory was to rehabilitate and reform the criminal instead of following the traditional method of silence, obedience, and labor. Parole was originally set up to encourage prisoners to do well, keep their noses clean, and become model prisoners. Once a prisoner had shown rehabilitation and reform they were released prior to the execution of their full sentence.

members of society (Corbett, 2014) .Parole has been used for early release from prison for more

The U.S. corrections system, a subdivision of the criminal justice system, continues to undergo change. From its beginnings as laws written in stone, the corrections system has sought to punish offenders. The origin of the corrections system dates back several thousand years and has witnessed various perspectives and goals. The best method of administering punishment to these prisoners has remained an issue of dispute for many years. Events through history, such

This belief indicated that if offenders could not be rehabilitated then they should be punished and it was time to get tough on crime. Within a relatively short time parole was attacked and the individual approach of indeterminate sentencing, or release by the authority of a parole board was abolished in 16 states (Rhine, Smith, and Jackson, 1991) and some form of determinate sentencing was adopted in all 50 states (Mackenzie, 2000)].

The corrections system in America began mostly with the arrival of William Penn and his “Great Law.” This was back in 1682; the “Great Law” was based on humane principals and also focused on hard labor as a punishment. The corrections system really began to take hold in North America in the late 1700’s with the idea’s and philosophy of Beccaria, Bentham, and Howard. These philosophies were based on the thought that prisoners could be treated and reformed back into society. This hard labor was used as an alternative to other cruel forms of punishments that were used in earlier times such as physical abuse or even brutal death.