In the 17th and 18th centuries, American colonists shared a keen apprehension about criminal behavior but spent little effort on analyzing crime causes beyond the sinfulness of human nature. When crimes occurred, colonial towns meted out a wide range of punishments. The most popular sanctions included fines, whippings, shame, banishment, and the gallows. Magistrates never considered the possibility of rehabilitation through punishment. Their aim was not to reform offenders but rather to frighten them into lawful behavior. In general, criminal justice in the colonial period had a tenuous and haphazard character. Following independence and nationhood, Americans repudiated their British legacy and British methods for dispensing criminal justice. They came to believe crime posed a fundamental threat to the stability and order of society and implemented correctional reforms based on rehabilitative ideals. The premise that criminals could be rehabilitated made prison reform a central concern of State legislatures. As more prisons were built, however, the focus was on harsh labor and discipline at the expense of rehabilitation, and prison overcrowding became the norm. The role of prisons in social control is discussed. References and photographs