Incarceration before the first state prisons

What is it about?

Are penal innovations really the products of their time? This article develops the concept of the prehistory of innovation to discuss the ideation and experimentation that happens before recognizable structures emerge. In this case, it exams the slow evolution of "penal incarceration"---incarceration as a punishment rather than as an administrative device---before state prisons.

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Why is it important?

Many accounts of penal innovation emphasize the role of cultural, political, or economic factors occurring around the time of innovation. However, the prehistory of innovation suggests that innovations are the product of a much longer process. This article highlights the lasting legacy of these earlier experiments. Ultimately, the climate out of which innovations emerge may accelerate the change process, but are not the only ingredients.