Northern Essex Community College
Module 1: Welcome to the Criminal Justice System
Review all module materials and expectations carefully before beginning your work.
Module Overview
This week provides a comprehensive introduction to the history of corrections, tracing its development from ancient legal codes to the emergence of modern prison systems. Students will examine how societies from 2000 B.C. to A.D. 1800 addressed crime and punishment through written laws, harsh penalties, and evolving institutions such as houses of correction, workhouses, and gaols. Building on this foundation, the module explores the 19th–20th century evolution of prisons (Pennsylvania and Auburn systems), reformers like Alexander Maconochie and Walter Crofton, the Reformatory Era, industrial prisons, and transition into the modern era. Through assigned readings and media, students will see how philosophies of punishment—retribution, deterrence, and reform—took shape and influenced correctional management.
Important: Carefully review all module materials, instructions, and grading expectations before beginning any activity.
Student Learning Outcomes
- SLO1: Describe the foundations of American corrections (history, goals, organizational structure, offenders). SLO4: Examine the punitive mechanism of institutional corrections: prisons at the state and federal level, the prison experience, and prison management.
- SLO6: Identify contemporary issues and trends in correctional discussions.
What You Will Do
- Complete assigned readings or instructional materials.
- Participate in discussions or applied learning activities.
- Complete written, practical, creative, or problem-based assignments.
- Review instructor feedback and module expectations.
- Review all materials carefully before beginning assignments.
- Follow assignment instructions and grading rubrics closely.
- Proofread all submissions before posting or uploading.
- Ask questions early if anything is unclear.
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