Prisons on the scale we have now are a very modern invention. In history the vast majority of crimes were punished with fines (good for the government), expulsion or fairly petty physical punishments.
This is one of the best researched books on the subject, IMO:
This is one of the best researched books on the subject, IMO:
https://www.amazon.com/Oxford-History-Prison-Practice-Punish...