Consequently, rehabilitation was inconceivable during this time period, as colonists had no expectation of eradicating crime by curing or fixing offenders (Blomberg &Lucken;, 2011, p.18). I personally thought that the methods of punishments incorporated were very unreasonable and inhumane, and it was interesting how their sole purpose of punishment was to retribute rather than to deter or rehabilitate. Overall, I believe these kind of barbaric treatments of criminals have no place in any decent society.
Chapter 3: Penal Code Reform in the Period of Transition (1790-1830).
I believe chapter 3 was really important in the sense that the correctional system started to become much more advanced during this time period. Beginning in the 1790s, reformers, legislators, and penal authorities conceded that public punishments should be abandoned and incarceration adopted. I believe this change alone was very significant. But what surprised me even more was the fact that crime in the 19th century was attributed to archaic legal codes that were counter-intuitive to the theory of free will, which was a stark contrast to Colonial America, wherein crime was explained in terms of sin and disobedience to God (Blomberg &Lucken;, 2011, p.29).
Moreover, I believe it is worth mentioning that one of the most significant changes during this time period was that the goal of punishment shifted from retribution to deterrence. Jeremy Bentham stated that human behaviors are motivated by hedonism, which is driven by the maximization of pleasure and minimization of pain. Moreover, Beccaria claimed that criminals were no longer perceived to be a sinner who should be punished for offenses against God in accordance with biblical principles; rather, he claimed that criminals of the 19th century was essentially regarded as a threat to property, life and social stability and was to be punished in accordance with legal principles (Blomberg &Lucken;, 2011, p.