Criminology

In the United States, the prison department is run by an agency which is responsible for law enforcement. This agency falls under the Department of Justice in the US. Their main duty is to ensure the smooth operation of the prisons. It also tries to change the behavior of the convicted inmates to law abiding individuals. The prison system handles different types of prisoners who have committed different crimes. The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) was formed in 1930. Its establishment was facilitated by the need to have a centralized system of administration which was consistent in the operational Federal prisons. It had a well defined structure with head office located in Washington DC. The majority of Federal offenders were detained in the correctional centers which were operated by the Bureau. The rest were referred to juvenile centers or private correctional facilities. In addition, the Federal bureau also carried out other functions like executions approved by the judiciary in the United States (Boin, 2001).

Most prison operations were in the hands of the General Agent before BOP was established in 1907. Certain investigations of crime were also carried by the General Agent. Its office was later abolished and three other offices established. These were Federal Bureau of Investigations, the BOP and the Justice Management Division. The functions of the General Agents office were distributed to the three offices (Boin, 2001).

The BOP was mainly involved in the management of correctional centers. It ensures the detainment of prisoners who have been sentenced for different crimes. It also handles the pretrial suspects who have been detained. This also included administration issues in the Federal prisons. Its responsibilities grew as the population in the prisons increased. It increased the facilities involved in its operations but this was done in smaller units. The smaller facilities were for prisoners who had similar needs. The population of prisoners doubled up in the period from 1980 to 1990s. This was attributed to the increased efforts to put an end to illegal substances and immigrants. There was also an increase in the number of staff during this period. The BOP had the power to convict anyone who violated the law. In addition, training was mandatory for every employee. It covered different sections like firearms, ethics, techniques of correction and laws (Boin, 2001).

Types of Prisons
Prisons are mainly used to detain criminals, political prisoners, prisoners who are mentally ill and individuals who owe debts and they cannot pay. Being in prison is a form of punishment and it offers justice to the criminals. Dangerous people are kept safely in prisons far from the citizens. Prisons also serve as rehabilitation centers for inmates. The work programs in most prisons are for the inmates who improve their behaviors. Most of them come out as different people who have acquired new skills and are ready to start up a new life (Diiulio, 1990).

Correctional institutions are operated by the BOP. These have been divided into several security levels. This allows the easy management of offenders in a good manner. The levels are divided based on several features such as presence of towers and detection equipment, external surveillance, barriers or security fences, types of houses, number of staff to that of inmates and security features. Supervision in the prisons is either done directly, remotely in a secured room or intermittently. Direct surveillance is done constantly within the cells and the behaviors of the prisoners checked. Remote surveillance is carried out from a central point hence most of the units are viewed at the same time. Intermittent surveillance involves periodic checking of the inmates. The patrols are carried out within the corridors by the officers. There are different types of prisons namely Minimum Security (Federal Security Camps), Low Security, Medium Security, High Security, Correctional complexes, Administrative facilities and Satellite Camps (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2010).

Minimum Security (Federal Security Camps or FSCs)
These have no perimeter fence although some might have a single fence. Minimal patrols are carried out once in a while by armed guards. The prisons are mainly located near military barracks or larger institutions.  The prisoners are considered less dangerous and non-violent. FPCs have a dormitory and most of the facilities are shared by the inmates. The inmates provide manpower which is highly needed in these institutions. There are few numbers of staff as compared to inmates (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2010).

Low Security or Federal Correctional Institutions (FCIs)
These have a high number of staff compared to that of FPCs. It also offers labor to the main institutions. FCI has a double fence and a cubicle houses (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2010).
Medium Security

These have a well reinforced perimeter wall and cells. The security has been upgraded using a system of detection (electronic devices). They have internal security devices which help in improving the security.  The program is to provide different forms of labor (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2010).

As Grabianowski (2010) writes, they resemble a college or camps. The doors are locked by officers at night. Inmates are free to move within the prison and supervision is not frequently carried out. Prisoners who are non violent and have relatively good records of crime are detained here. Inmates who have shown an improved behavior in the high security prisons are also contained in minimum security prisons. Instead of cells, they are made up of dormitories and the perimeter fence encloses the prison. The mobility of prisoners is highly restricted (Grabianowski, 2010).

High Security or United States Penitentiaries (USPs)
They have complex, well reinforced electric fences with walls. The walls are high and have a razor wire at the top. Each inmate stays in his own cell. It also has multiple cells with a high number of staff compared to medium Security. It has door that slide and are controlled by remote from a secure place. The cells are self contained (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2010).

A small percentage of prisoners are contained in these prisons. They are mainly set aside for violent prisoners mainly from low security facilities. The prisoners who commit assaults or are members of in the low security prisons are transferred in the USPs. Inmates who might try to escape or have escaped are detained here. The prison is under constant surveillance by armed guards who are under orders to shoot at any inmate who succeeds in getting over the wall (Grabianowski, 2010).

In the event that any incident occurs in these prisons, the inmates are put under a lockdown. It is total confinement for a number of days in the cells with no freedom. In 1983, permanent lockdown was put in place in the federal prison in Illinois after the murder of two guards. Most prisons are now put under a permanent lockdown. They are known as SuperMax Prisons. They provide a tight security for inmates. An example of SuperMax prison is the ADX Florence in Colorado which is the most secure facility in the US.  There are a number of maximum prisons which have established these units within the main prison. They are under permanent lockdown and are known as Security Housing Unit (SHU), commonly known as The Hole by prisoners (Grabianowski, 2010).

Correctional Complexes, Administrative Prisons, Satellite Camps and Satellite Low Security
Correctional Complexes are located next to other security levels. They have other resources which are shared with other levels. Administrative institutions deal with inmates who are violent and very dangerous. Most of these inmates are capable of escaping hence they have to be closely monitored. They also have a function of containing those who have medical conditions considered serious. Examples of Administrative institutions include Federal Medical C enters (FMCS),Metropolitan Correctional Centers (MCCs), Medical Center for Federal Prisoners (MCFP), Federal Detention Centers (FDCs), Administrative Maximum (ADX) and Federal Transfer Center (FTCs) (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2010).

Administrative prisons have the capacity to contain prisoners from any level of security. They are small camps with low level of security they mainly offer manpower to other bigger institutions. They are located near the main institution. Satellite low security prisons are also located near the main facility (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2010).

Juvenile facilities
These are for the youth or minors who are convicted and await hearing in a court of law. They receive good care and facilities just like a parent would provide. Health care, education, entertainment and any other services are provided by the state. Most of the charges are less serious. Each country has its own age limit where a youth is considered responsible for what he or she does. Once the young person reaches the majority age, he or she is moved to the adult prisons (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2010).

Before the establishment of Juvenile facilities, minors used to be locked together with hardcore criminals. It resulted into a worse state due to the interaction with these offenders (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2010).

Private Prisons
These are built and managed by companies who are contracted by the government and paid on the basis of the number of inmates per day. Most prisons are privately operated in the US. The higher the number of prisoners in these prisons means the higher the profits for the companies (Dolovich, 2005).

The basis of privatization is to reduce the cost incurred by the state. It is less costly to close a private prison than a state owned prison. The prisons are also considered flexible and require less labor force. In the US, Cornell Companies, GEO Group and Corrections Corporation of America are the main companies involved in the business (Dolovich, 2005).

Conclusion
The different types of prisons cater for the needs of every prisoner depending on several factors. Inmates who are more dangerous are separated from those who might need special attention. This allows the easy operation of these facilities since monitoring of activities becomes easy unlike if the inmates were mixed in the same facility. As a result, there has also been a reduction in the cases of escape. This is due to the tight security measures which have been put in place to check inmates who have a history of trying to escape. Prisons form an important part in any country. Most of the prisons, however, are crowded and are faced with a lot of challenges which should be dealt with. There has been an increase in the number of inmates convicted every year and this leads to congested facilities and poor standards. There is need for prison reforms to provide permanent solutions to these problems.