How should society treat people who break the law? Since the beginning of time, societies have struggled with this question. The History of Punishment and Imprisonment reviews early forms of punishment from horrific executions and torture in medieval times to the creation of the world's first penitentiaries in the 19th century.In America today, we punish most criminals with imprisonment. The United States has a long history of efforts to not just imprison but also to rehabilitate or modify the behavior of offenders through a variety of treatment programs. The late 20th century saw a turn from rehabilitation to mass incarceration with mandatory sentencing and the construction of many more prisons. Recently, though, the pendulum has started to swing back and people are asking again whether it's enough to punish prisoners or should the system strive to make convicts productive law-abiding members of society once they are released.PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Each title in this series contains a foreword from the Associate Dean of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, color photos throughout, charts, and back matter that includes an index and further resource lists of books and Internet resources. Key Icons appear throughout the books in this series, encouraging library readers to build knowledge, gain awareness, explore possibilities and expand their viewpoints through our content-rich nonfiction books. Key Icons in this series are as follows: Words to Understand are shown at the front of each chapter with definitions. These words are set in boldfaced type in that chapter, so that readers can reference back to the definitions—building their vocabulary and enhancing their reading comprehension. Sidebars are highlighted graphics with content rich material within that allows readers to build knowledge and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Text-Dependent Questions are placed at the end of each chapter. They challenge the reader's comprehension of the chapter they have just read, while sending the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects are provided at the end of each chapter as well and provide readers with suggestions for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Educational Videos provide links via QR codes to online video content that gives a multimedia dimension to the topics. And a Series Glossary of Key Terms is included in the back matter containing terminology used throughout the series. Words found here broaden the reader's knowledge and understanding of terms used in this field.