How did modern-day prisons come to be?

How did locking people in a cage become the world's primary form of punishment? This episode explores the surprising history of the modern prison, from its idealistic beginnings in the Enlightenment to the creation of infamous super-prisons like Alcatraz. We trace the evolution of justice, from the Quaker belief that silence could reform the soul, to the violent riots that exposed its failures, to the modern search for more humane alternatives. It's a story that reveals how this fundamental institution of society came to be, and where it might be going next.