custody

Custody, the care and control of a person or thing. Powers and duties of a
custodian include keeping, guarding, caring for, preserving, and providing security
for the person or item in custody.

Royal commission in Australia death in police custody

In 1991 a report by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
showed evidence of extensive racism in Australian police forces and prison
systems. The report outlined more than 300 recommendations to improve the
situation. Much of the report examined the underlying causes for the
disproportionate number of Aboriginal people in custody and in prisons in
particular. It concluded that the most significant factor in the overrepresentation of
Aboriginal people in custody was the disadvantaged and unequal condition that
Aboriginal people find themselves insocially, economically, and culturally, and
it recommended greater empowerment of Aboriginal people and more adherence
to policies of self-determination. Unfortunately, today Aboriginal people are still
seriously overrepresented in Australian prisons in relation to their population size.
Many advocates of Aboriginal causes believe that the history of mistreatment and
domination of Aboriginal people, and particularly the legacy of child-removal
policies, has contributed substantially to high rates of crime, alcohol abuse, and
drug abuse among Aboriginal people, which in turn contribute to the high
incarceration rates.

prison
Prison, institution designed to securely house people who have been convicted of
crimes. These individuals, known as prisoners or inmates, are kept in continuous
custody on a long-term basis. Individuals who commit the most serious crimes are
sent to prison for one or more years; the more serious the offense, the longer the
prison term imposed. For certain crimes, such as murder, offenders may be
sentenced to prison for the remainder of their lifetime.

History

Historians note the existence of prisons in ancient Greece and Rome. For example,
the Mamertine Prison, constructed in Rome in the 7th century bc, consisted of a
vast network of dungeons under the citys main sewer. These subterranean cells
held political dissidents and criminals for short periods of time in cramped,
miserable conditions. However, the practice of confining wrongdoers for long
periods as a form of punishment was not widespread until after the 15th century.
Until the late Middle Ages (5th to 15th century), wrongs committed against the
state and citizens were frequently handled privately under the principle of lex
talionis, the law of retaliation. Revenge often involved physical torture and
maiming. Governments and religious authorities also used corporal punishment
(the infliction of physical pain) on wrongdoers. For many years the most serious
criminals were sentenced to death. The death penalty, also known as capital
punishment, was also common for many trivial offenses.
Colonists in North America patterned their forms of punishment on those used in
Europe. They used the death penalty freely, executing numerous criminals for a
wide spectrum of offenses. The colonists also utilized a variety of corporal
punishments, such as branding and whipping. In 1632 the Massachusetts Bay
Colony constructed the colonys first jail, a simple wooden building designed to
house small numbers of criminals.