No one knows exactly when criminal law and corrections began in human society. However, this would probably have occurred at the point in social evolution when collective vengeance first replaced private vengeance. That is, people realized that bickering was costing the group too much in terms of injuries and lives, and the behavior of some individuals was initially imagined to be detrimental to the group as a whole. The entire group, or the leader(s) acting on behalf of the group, took action against the offender. (Stanko 25) The idea of ​​prison has been around for thousands of years and seems to be an integral part of the human concept. We eliminate people who disrupt society and we cast them aside or get rid of them. As a modern culture, we want things to go well. By obstructing this, individuals will be noticed and dealt with by the system. The prison system has shaped the modern world and helped create the society we have today. We feel safer and, especially in the United States, we are freer and can maintain our sense of freedom because we feel safe enough to do what we want. Prison systems have implemented their own methods to maintain control of the small prison world. They created their own rules and regulations to keep the system running smoothly. “Furthermore, the National Prison Association (NPA) – a precursor to the American Correctional Association (ACA) – had already existed for three decades, providing a valuable professional forum for prison officials to meet, share ideas and advocate solutions” (Herman 50). ). It is essential that these systems maintain constant control of the situation inside prisons. Their control over prisons must not only be maintained, but amidst the paperwork our prison systems are facing, we in turn can help solve a problem. of the biggest problems facing our society today. Works Cited Clark, Charles S. “Prison Overcrowding.” CQ Researcher February 4, 1994: 97-120. Internet. December 16, 2011. “crime”. American History. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. December 15, 2011. Drucker, Ernest. A scourge of prisons. New York: The New Press, 2011. Print. Herman, Peter G., Ed. The American Prison System. np: The HW Wilson Company, 2001. Print. Merlo, Alida V. and Peter J. Benekos. “Political, media and prison policy”. American Prison Magazine. Greenhaven Press, 2005. Gale At Issue Series. Internet. December 14, 2011Tonry, Michael and Kathleen Hatlestad, eds. Sentencing reform in times of crowding. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Print. Stanko, Stephen and others. Living in prison. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2004. Print.