United States
Slavery to Imprisonment
History of the United States Prison System
The United States prison system has a long and complex history. From mass incarceration to unjust treatment and conditions, millions of people have been personally affected by the prison system in the United States. As of 2020, there are close to 2.3 million people who were recorded in the system. In fact, the number or prisons and jails within the United States is astonishing as well. The numbers are as follows:
- 1,833 State Prisons
- 110 Federal Prisons
- 1,772 Juvenile Correctional Facilities
- 3,134 Local Jails
- 218 Immigration Detention Centers
- 80 Indian Country Jails
The history of the U.S. prison system is long and complex. Local jails and state prisons have been around since the late 1700’s. However, the Federal Prison System was not established until 1891 what the “Three Prisons Act” was passed, establishing the first three Federal prisons. As more federal prisons and other institutions were formed and established, there was a new need for a central governing body to manage the facilities and create standard regulations all facilities to follow. Due to this, the Federal Bureau of Prisons was established in 1930. After the establishment of the Federal Bureau of Prisons more facilities were built, including the first federal penitentiary, the USP Lewisburg, in 1932, and the first maximum security prison, the USP Alcatraz, in 1934.
Within the span of 10 years the number of inmates and institution nearly doubled. Due to this, in 1940 the Federal Bureau of Prisons met to modernize their practices and regulations. Some of these modernizations included inmate classification and implementing security levels. The practice and regulations put in place in 1940 are still being used today.
Within the span of 10 years the number of inmates and institution nearly doubled. Due to this, in 1940 the Federal Bureau of Prisons met to modernize their practices and regulations. Some of these modernizations included inmate classification and implementing security levels. The practice and regulations put in place in 1940 are still being used today.
Since then, more and more institutions have been built, and the number of inmates has continued to grow exponentially. This growth can be attributed to a number of acts and laws being passed. However, it was President Nixon’s declaration of “war on drugs” that sent the inmate population skyrocketing. Since then, there have been a number of reform bills and acts put into place in hopes to combat mass incarceration. Most recently was in 2018 when President Trump signed the First Step Act introducing a number of correctional and sentencing reforms, including lowering the mandatory minimum sentencings for certain drug offenders.