ABSTRACT
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE HALFWAY HOUSE IN AMERICA The halfway house concept began first in England and Ireland during the early 1800s, advocating transitional residences for criminal offenders. It spread quickly across the ocean; in 1817, the Massachusetts Prison Commission recommended establishing a temporary residence to house destitute offenders after release from prison ( Cohn, 1973 :2):
The commission making this recommendation believed that ex-inmates needed an accepting transitional house immediately after release and a supportive environment to assist in the process of establishing a law-abiding and independent existence. It was also motivated by the intention to reduce the unacceptably high rate of recidivism among newly released inmates ( Seiter & Carlson, 1977 ). Unfortunately, the Massachusetts legislature feared that exprisoners might “contaminate” each other if housed together, neutralizing their newly instilled crime resistance learned in prison.
