A penitentiary is a correctional facility that houses convicted criminals. While historically harsh, modern facilities focus on rehabilitation and education. Sentencing goals include punishment, deterrence, and rehabilitation. Prisons are part of a larger correctional system that includes probation and parole. Facilities vary in security levels and offer amenities such as medical care, religious observances, and education. In the US, the type of facility and length of sentence depend on the crime and judge’s discretion.
A penitentiary is a prison or correctional facility that houses people convicted of a crime. The origin of the word “penitentiary” is rooted in ideas of repentance for transgressions. While most modern facilities continue to house inmates as a form of punishment, its historical counterpart relied on harsher theories of incarceration than those more common in the early 21st century. Today’s facilities often focus less on grueling punishment and more on rehabilitation, providing inmates with care and education along with their incarceration whenever possible. However, they are usually considered the harsher or harsher option in sentencing and are commonly associated with very limited freedoms and rights. These types of structures are in use around the world, although the term is perhaps more common in the United States and Europe.
Conviction and imprisonment
Before people are incarcerated, they are almost always sentenced by a judge after a trial. There are a number of competing interests and goals regarding sentencing that help define the penitentiary. One of the main goals is to satisfy the need for punishment so that citizens do not take punishment into their own hands. Another goal is deterrence, or the maintenance of order in society by providing a disincentive for offenders to commit crimes. The goal of rehabilitation is a more modern notion and is the driving force behind many programs that assist inmates with mental health issues, substance abuse issues, and education.
Role in the correctional system in general
In most cases, prisons and larger housing facilities are only part of the larger correctional system and are usually reserved for the most serious offenders. Also included and considered during sentencing are child custody facilities, such as work release programs and halfway houses, where the inmate works during the day and returns to a correctional facility to sleep. Probation and parole provide supervision and assistance to the offender following release from jail or the prison system. Other alternatives include working in unpaid community services, paying fines, and completing court-ordered classes or therapy.
In the United States, some of these facilities are individually operated by states, while others are operated by the federal government. Where prisoners are sent usually depends on the seriousness of their crime and whether it is a state or federal case. Within these parameters, where an inmate is sent and for how long is almost always at the discretion of the judge who hears the case and hears evidence. Because space is limited and the costs of each inmate’s housing are high, however, maximum-security prison sentences are usually reserved for only the most serious offenders of the most egregious crimes.
Layout of the building
A penitentiary is typically a complex building, with sections and sometimes even completely separate buildings to house female prisoners in addition to male prisoners. In larger areas there are sometimes even separate facilities in different geographic locations for different genders. In both configurations, there are usually also areas to house inmates who have not yet been tried separate from those who have been tried and are serving their sentences. Further segregation can separate the worst convicts from the general prison population. There are also areas designated for solitary confinement, and areas with cells under constant surveillance; these are often used for inmates believed by prison officials to be suicidal or likely to harm themselves.
These facilities are almost always designed with varying levels of security to house inmates based on the severity of their crime and their perceived potential for violence and escape attempts. These levels of security can be increased outdoors with architectural and geographical features such as earthen beams, thick walls, high fences and watchtowers. Interior security features may include floor-to-ceiling gates, security cameras, and other design elements that discourage both violence within the building and attempts to escape.
Other services
Most modern prison facilities also include a variety of other amenities and services for the health and well-being of inmates. Most have medical clinics, for example, so inmates can receive medical and dental care without having to leave the premises. They may also contain a chapel or other area which can be used for inmates who wish to participate in religious observances. Educational facilities and libraries are also common, and these are often used in the reform portion of an inmate’s sentence to help him or her obtain an education, possibly studying to obtain a high school diploma or learn a trade. Such facilities can also be used for therapy sessions for inmates trying to overcome an addiction or deal with a mental health issue.
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