Three Waves of Prison Diffusion

What is it about?

Since the birth of confinement as the central form of punishment, America has experienced three periods of innovation and diffusion. The first two periods---one right after the American Revolution and the other beginning in the 1820s---were fairly similar: one model came to dominate the field---almost every state that adopted a prison in each period adopted a prison that looked and was run like one of these models. By contrast, after the Civil War, during the third period of innovation and diffusion, we see not just one model of prison, but many different types of prisons developed and spreading.

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Why is it important?

While many people assume regional differences in punishment have existed throughout history, this paper explores two periods when this was not the case and identifies the period in which regional differences do become more apparent.