History of Policing and Prisons

Would it surprise you to know that police and prisons haven’t always existed? As straightforward as it seems, everything has a beginning, and policing and prisons are no exception. The stories that we are told in the United States, Canada, and Europe are that police are essential to the success and survival of society around us, and that prisons function as an extension of the protection that police ensure for us. The belief is that everyone is protected equally by the police and that likewise, prisons treat everyone equally. We hope to complicate this idea of how essential policing and prisons are by inviting readers to take a look back in time to see how and why policing and prisons were started, and why they have been maintained today.