It is important, when reading Irwin's chapter, to remember the difference between the jails he discusses and prisons. A jail is where someone who has been accused of a crime is held until they go to trial and are determined to be innocent or guilty. A prison is the place where those who are found guilty at a trial are sent to serve a length of time as part of their punishment.
1. According to Irwin, jails have always served the purpose of holding "the rabble" and not the majority of
people accused of crimes? What does he mean by "the rabble"? How has that purpose affected the way jails
are designed and run?
2. The title of Irwin's chapter is "Disintegration." What, in Irwin's view, disintegrates in prisons (the answer to
this is also the major "unintended and socially undesirable" (45) consequence of placing accused criminals in
jail before their trials).
3. Jacobs claims that there are three "requirements for holding a stable position in society" (46); what are they?
How do these three requirements logically help someone remain an active part of a social community?
4. How did Irwin collect the majority of examples he uses to ground his argument? What was his job?