Critical Thinking Questions:
1. Why do you think the idea of the penitentiary first caught on in Pennsylvania and New York? How would you explain the increase in the number of penitentiaries throughout the United States after Eastern State Prison and Auburn Prison began operating?
2. When Americans think of punishment, they usually think first of prisons. What other ways of punishing convicted offenders might the general public find acceptable?
3. How do you think offenders will be punished in the United States in the future? What established punishments will still be around and what kinds of new sanctions might emerge?
4. What lessons can today’s corrections professionals learn from past punishment practices covered in this chapter? Which practices should we not reinstate? Which practices should we consider adopting?
1. Why do you think the idea of the penitentiary first caught on in Pennsylvania and New York? How would you explain the increase in the number of penitentiaries throughout the United States after Eastern State Prison and Auburn Prison began operating?
2. When Americans think of punishment, they usually think first of prisons. What other ways of punishing convicted offenders might the general public find acceptable?
3. How do you think offenders will be punished in the United States in the future? What established punishments will still be around and what kinds of new sanctions might emerge?
4. What lessons can today’s corrections professionals learn from past punishment practices covered in this chapter? Which practices should we not reinstate? Which practices should we consider adopting?
