<P> Though a prison, Le Stinche, existed as early as the 14th century in Florence, Italy, incarceration was not widely used until the 19th century . Correctional reform in the United States was first initiated by William Penn, towards the end of the 17th century . For a time, Pennsylvania's criminal code was revised to forbid torture and other forms of cruel punishment, with jails and prisons replacing corporal punishment . These reforms were reverted, upon Penn's death in 1718 . Under pressure from a group of Quakers, these reforms were revived in Pennsylvania toward the end of the 18th century, and led to a marked drop in Pennsylvania's crime rate . Patrick Colquhoun, Henry Fielding and others led significant reforms during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries . </P> <P> The first official criminal justice systems was created by the British during the American revolution, they created the system to primarily justify hangings to the citizens of their government . In each selected area or / and district there was a magistrate that in today's time would be known as a judge . These individuals were in charge of determining if the Crown or also known as the British government had enough evidence to hang an individual for a crime . The British would not always hang an individual for committing a crime, there would also be trials for punishments that would be carried out by cleaning ships, prison ships, or be locked up on British mainland . During the American revolution the primary type of punishment was to be hanged or sent to prison ships such as the notorious HMS Jersey . After the American revolution the British - based criminal justice system was then adopted by other developing nations (Such as the United States). </P> <P> The first modern police force is commonly said to be the Metropolitan Police in London, established in 1829 by Sir Robert Peel . Based on the Peelian principles, it promoted the preventive role of police as a deterrent to urban crime and disorder . In the United States, police departments were first established in Boston in 1838, and New York City in 1844 . Early on, police were not respected by the community, as corruption was rampant . </P> <P> In the 1920s, led by Berkeley, California police chief, August Vollmer and O.W. Wilson, police began to professionalize, adopt new technologies, and place emphasis on training and professional qualifications of new hires . Despite such reforms, police agencies were led by highly autocratic leaders, and there remained a lack of respect between police and the community . Following urban unrest in the 1960s, police placed more emphasis on community relations, enacted reforms such as increased diversity in hiring, and many police agencies adopted community policing strategies . </P>

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