This entry outlines the history of the correctional system, focusing on the evolution in prison design from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century. It presents the main arguments in the debate about the aims and justifications of state punishment. It also covers current trends in corrections, including the dominance of managerialism and risk management, and the rise of trauma-informed approaches to prisons. Finally, recent arguments for reform of the correctional system, including penal abolitionism, are discussed.