Incarceration refers to the confinement of people in prison or detention facilities. National and state parks have a limited history of incarceration, but some parks have been used as detention centers or internment camps in the past.
For example, during World War II, the United States government used internment camps to detain Japanese American citizens and residents as a result of Executive Order 9066. Some of these internment camps were located in national parks, such as Manzanar National Historic Site in California, which served as an internment camp for Japanese Americans during the war.
Additionally, some national parks have been used as detention centers for individuals apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol. These centers are typically temporary and are used to hold individuals until they can be processed by immigration authorities.
The National Park Service (NPS) and state park agencies have a responsibility to preserve, protect, and interpret these historical resources as part of the cultural resources within the parks. They may have regulations in place to protect these sites from damage or disturbance and may also conduct monitoring and research to understand the impacts of human activities on the sites.
Overall, Incarceration is a part of the historical and cultural heritage of the United States, and national and state parks play an important role in preserving, protecting, and interpreting these resources for future generations.
