What are the origins of the United States prison system?

Question

What are the origins of the United States prison system?

Answer 1

In the United States, there used to be prisoners working as slaves when the white & black people first came. That's my idea on how it started.

Answer 2

Partly from British,but now it is based on Communist gulags.It is certainly not Christian to imprison a vast amount of one's population for misdemeanors.And treat them inhumanely so they come out worse than when they went in.