Michigan Penitentiary

Prisons are sometimes referred to as penitentiaries, but I always wondered why. I recently finished reading Restoring Justice by Daniel Van Ness and Karen Strong where they explained the history of the use of the word penitentiary. Apparently, reformers in Philadelphia in the late 1700s decided that the cruelty of contemporary punishments and jails required a change. Modeling imprisonment after the use of confinement in monasteries for penitence and reflection, in this newly devised role of imprisonment prisoners were given a bible and time to contemplate it in isolated cells. Today's "penitentiary" is a far cry from that designed by these Philadelphia reformers. Perhaps the most significant difference is the purpose for imprisonment today versus the purpose of more than 200 years ago. Imprisonment today is retributive in focus rather than restorative in focus. Even the use of the term "reformatory" is laugh-worthy considering the nearly 50% re-offense rate for Michigan prisoners. To be fair, the Michigan Department of Corrections is making isolated attempts to change criminal thinking patterns with the use of Violence Prevention Programs (VPP) and other similarly designed therapies. However, Michigan has a long way to go to truly begin reforming criminal thinking. Those who commit crimes hold the sole responsibility of changing, reforming, and repenting of their crimes. They must want these changes for true reform to occur. The MDOC, the judge, and the prosecutor cannot change a person's heart, but the State has a duty to the public to create conditions which support and encourage a penitent heart.