Corrections_Today_Winter_2025-2026_Vol.87_No.4

COMMITTEES

Army Corrections marks 150 years of dedicated service ACA Military Committee By Peter Grande F ORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas — The United States Army is celebrating its 250 th

investigate. The delegation inspect ed military prisoner locations and visited the British Military Confine ment Facility in Canada. Barr’s staff study concluded that a separate mil itary prison was needed to ensure humane treatment of military pris oners. At the time of his retirement in 1901 he was a Brigadier General (BG) and the Army Judge Advocate General. Barr is considered by Army corrections as the “Father of the United States Disciplinary Barracks (USDB).” Early steps for military corrections On May 21, 1874, Congress approved the establishment of the United States Miliary Prison (USMP) at Fort Leavenworth, Kan sas. From 1875 to 1895, the USMP housed military prisoners from across the Army. With the passing of the Three Prisons Act of 1891, the Federal Prison System (FPS) was established with the first three federal penitentiaries in Atlanta, Georgia; McNeil Island, Washing ton; and Fort Leavenworth. The Army annexed part of the southern boundary of Fort Leavenworth for the construction of the first United States Penitentiary (USP). From

birthday this year with a motto since the Revolutionary War of “This We’ll Defend.” The mission of the Army is to deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by securing ready, prompt and sustained land dominance by Army forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force. History has docu mented not everyone follows the rules of their armies and a fraction of American soldiers strayed from the acceptable norms. Army Corrections did not exist at the forming of the Continental Army in 1775. For the first 99 years of the Army, there was no central ized structure for the confinement of prisoners. Discipline in the Army was harsh, and physical punish ment was designed to be public with the desired effect of deterring the offender and those observing. Army and Congressional leader ship expressed concerns with the uniformity of treatment in Army stockades and the little control by the Army over the treatment of Army prisoners in state prisons. In 1870, Maj. Thomas R. Barr was serving as the Adjutant of the East, responsible for the

Maj. Thomas R. Barr

accountability of prisoners. Army prisoners were confined in 32 peni tentiaries throughout the United States. Treatment of these prisoners varied and included branding, wear ing striped uniforms, regimental shackling, and beatings. Major Barr attended the first conference of the American Correctional Associa tion (ACA), formerly the National Prison Association, in Cincinnati, Ohio with wardens, superinten dents, reformatory board members, and general philanthropists. Barr called attention to the treatment of military prisoners to the Secretary of War who formed a delegation to

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