Emphasizing that prisons were the first of the modern accoutrements of corrections, the text traces the historical response to crime, from the occasional imprisonment of political prisoners in Biblical times, to the many present-day community-based programs. Particular sections describe the emergence of the penitentiary and the development of reformatories and bureaucracies. The text gives a detailed examination of the operations of adult correctional institutions and explores a number of major prison-related issues. These issues include the importance of custody versus treatment, the increasing unionization of prison employees, the depersonalization of inmates, special institutions for the dangerous offender, and the attack on the concept of rehabilitation. Noninstitutional corrections programs such as probation and parole, are discussed in terms of their history, their present operations, and the adjunct program designs that supplement their activities. The text also examines the history of juvenile courts, describes their present functions, and examines the parallel history of those special institutions that serve young offenders committed to them by the juvenile courts. Alternative services for juveniles, such as foster care and home detention, are also discussed. Finally, changes in the correctional system brought about by economic constraints and philosophical changes are detailed and their implications for the future examined. The text also describes the evolution of private correctional organizations for prisoner aid, sentencing reform, and the development of correctional standards. Chapter references and self-study guides, footnotes, photographs, tabular data, and an index are supplied. The textbook also includes separately boxed sections containing biographies of significant persons from corrections history.