In the United States, imprisonment as a method of punishment was rare until the ________ century.
A) seventeenth
B) eighteenth
C) nineteenth
D) twentieth

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Imprisonment as a method of punishment became more common in the United States in the 19th century, as reformers sought more humane alternatives to corporal punishment and the death penalty. Before that, criminal punishment often involved physical mutilation or public shaming, such as pillorying or whipping.

In the United States, Imprisonment as a Method of Punishment