Punishment has taken on many forms within the criminal justice system over the course of the last 300 years. Recently, there have been discussions centered around solitary confinement (isolation) as a form of inhumane punishment due to its impact on socialization.

For this essay, you will discuss the impact of prisons on society and the history of incarceration in the United States.

• Discuss how punishment has evolved and the historic rise in life sentences in the United States.
• Identify and explain one purpose of corrections.
• Explain one of the alternatives in incarceration.
• Identify how correctional facilities are organized.