8.7. A Brief History of Prisons and Jails 
DAVID CARTER 
The Growth of Jails in the United States 
The concept of a jail (GOAL – old English spelling) is yet another concept that we have carried with 
us from Western Europe (England, etc…) when the United States was first forming. Spawning from the 
County-level establishment and management of jails in England; these have largely been run by County 
Sheriffs in the United States, ever since we began to have them. They have had various names, depending on 
their function and use, such as Bridewells, and Workhouses. Pictured below is what is commonly accepted 
as the first “built” structure to house individuals that have been processed through the courts, the Walnut 
Street Jail. Opening around 1790, this facility housed both jail inmates, and at some points in time convicted 
offenders. 
 
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