The Americas have had prisoners since the first settlers arrived from Europe. Since then, there have been efforts to reform and improve the prison system in this country. This volume gathers and analyzes documents that discuss prison reform debates and legislation, prison privatization, efforts to end practices like solitary confinement, and improvement of prison mental health care. Documents analyzed include: Remarks on Prisons and Prison Systems in the United States<\\I>; The Declaration of Principles by the National Congress of Penitentiary and Reformatory Discipline<\\I>; Fifty Years of Prison Services: An Autobiography<\\I>; Changing Lenses - A New Focus for Crime and Justice<\\I>; Privatizing Correctional Institutions: An Organizational Perspective<\\I>; and the FIRST STEP Act<\\I>. Provides commentary and analysis of each primary source document, often reprinted in its entirety. Includes Summary, Overview, Defining Moment, Author Biography, Detailed Document Analysis, and discussion of Essential Themes.<\\P>