Before the formation of the Bureau of Prisons, there was The Federal Prison System. All the Federal prisons were run by the Superintendent of Prisons. The wardens then functioned autonomously. Up until 1907, all matters touching on prisons were handled by a General Agent, who worked separately from the justice Department. He was responsible for all the prison operations and certain criminal investigations. In 1907, this office was devided into three offices: Division of Accounts, Office of the Chief Examiner and the Office of the Superintendent of Prisons and Prisoners._x000D_
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At the time of inception in 1930, the Bureau of Prisons was charged with the task of managing and regulating all the penal and correctional facilities in the United States. The Bureau was established within the Department of Justice (Clear, Todd et.al. 264). The population of prisoners at that time was 13,000 inmates spread across 14 facilities. By the end of 1980’s the Bureau had upgraded to running smaller facilities housing inmates within similar security levels. The inmate population increased significantly in the 1990’s due to the fight against drug and substance abuse. The number of Bureau employees has also risen from an initial 10,000 to 23,000 in 2003._x000D_
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Historical evidence of some of the criminals and the crimes committed has been well preserved. Up until the 1800’s, there were no rules governing prisons. Offenders were given their judgment and the accompanying punishment immediately. Most of the offenses ranged from theft to vandalism. As of today, there are numerous different grounds to which people are charged. The 1980’s brought about drugs and substance abuse which has continued to contribute to the number of prisoners in jails today._x000D_
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The Bureau of Prisons runs different prisons harboring different caliber of criminals. There are five different security level prisons today. The BOP minimum security facilities have a small amount of fencing and low ratio of staff to inmate. Low security in the Federal Correctional Institutions have double fences with inmates confined in cubicles. Medium security facilities have strong fences for perimeters with electric detection systems and often house medium security inmates. High security penitentiaries often have high security perimeter walls. There are double electric fences with razor wire._x000D_
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The bureau of Prisons runs high security prisons for men which house the most vicious and violent inmates. There is, however, no maximum security female facility. High security female inmates are housed within the security penitentiaries in separate areas. Prisons will always be there as long as there are people breaking the law.