General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Is forced prison labor 'slavery' under color of the law? [View all]FarCenter
(19,429 posts)Punishment such as stocks or whipping, etc. were the usual punishments for minor crimes. Execution was liberally used for severe crimes. Prison or deportation to the colonies was used for those in the middle.
A long prison term might result for someone that was too important to execute, but too dangerous to the government to release.
The model of using prisons to rehabilitate criminals was begun by Quakers. The theory was that by putting convicts in a monastic cell with a bible, they would be led by the Word to see the error of their ways, repent, and amend their lives.
Its not clear that there has ever been much clarity among the goals of punishment, deterance, rehabilitation, and protecting society by long term incarceration to separate the criminal from society. The balance seems to have tipped towards long term incarceration late in the 20th century.