Download or read book The History of Corrections in Virginia written by Paul W. Keve and published by University of Virginia Press. This book was released on 1986 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here is the long and interesting history of Virginia's search for effective correctional measures. Paul Keve shows that Virginia's correctional history mirrors the economic, cultural, and political conditions that have characterized the state as a whole. Not long after the Revolution, Virginia leaders looked to the North and to Europe for innovative approaches. Authorized in 1796, the penitentiary built in Richmond was the embodiment of an immense hope for the humane correction of criminals. From that time until the Civil War, penitentiary managers eagerly tried to implement the device of imprisonment combined with work, rather than corporal punishment. After the war, Virginia joined other southern states in exploiting convict labor. But as Virginia came into the twentieth century, the system gradually was expanded beyond the penitentiary. Throughout its history, Keve traces the system's attitude toward its inmates. From the final abandonment of whipping to the development of realistic alternative programs, the state struggled to attain a mature and modern approach to corrections. -- From publisher's description.