When do early prisons date back to?

The correct answer is that early prisons date back to biblical times. In ancient societies, particularly in the biblical context, there are various references to incarceration as a form of punishment or detention. Prisons were often used to hold individuals awaiting trial or punishment, as indicated by texts in religious scriptures.

During biblical times, this practice was rudimentary compared to today's standards, but it set the foundation for later systems of incarceration. The concept of imprisonment as a societal response to crime began to take shape then, laying groundwork for the evolution of prison systems that would be further developed in later historical periods.

In contrast, while the Renaissance period and the Middle Ages saw significant developments in penal systems, the concept of imprisonment itself can be traced much earlier. Colonial America also incorporated elements of existing European penal practices, but the initial emergence of prisons predates all these eras.