Crofton Prison System

It is called Crofton Prison System, Crofton System or, similarly, Irish Prison System, attributed to Sir Walter Crofton who, following the resolutions of the International Penitentiary Congress of London of 1872, he developed a prisoner assistance program that tried to reintegrate him into civil society, adding to the traditional steps of other progressive systems (first rigorous prison; second, work in common and third, probation), a room prior to the third in which the prisoner went to an intermediate prison camp, less rigorous and, generally, for work, or to farms or factories, sleeping later in prison.

In addition, moving from one period to another, or from one scale to another, depended on a voucher system that the prisoner obtained based on his conduct and work, and could even lose a degree if you did not get enough vouchers (in this it differed from the Australian system).

The system was first introduced in Ireland in 1883, hence its name in some cases. By Royal Decree of December 23, 1889, a similar system was regulated in Spain in which the four grades were known as: cellular, instructive, intermediate i> and free circulation, but only applicable to the Ceuta prison. The success of the system meant that, also by Royal Decree, on June 3, 1901, it was extended to the rest of the state.^{[citation required]}

With minor modifications, European prison systems are based on this model today.^{[citation needed]}