This paper investigates the influence of transverse reinforcement on the strength and ductility of short reinforced concrete columns under compression. An extensive experimental program was conducted using eighteen short column specimens made of normal-strength concrete. The columns were reinforced with various transverse reinforcement arrangements to evaluate the effects of confinement. The specimens were subjected to cyclic axial loading using a hydraulic testing machine. High-precision load cells and displacement transducers, along with a digital image correlation system, captured detailed load–deformation responses, full-field strain distributions, and crack propagation patterns. Contrary to expectations, the results did not clearly demonstrate that enhanced transverse reinforcement delays cracking, increases ductility, or improves compressive strength. This is mainly attributed to the spalling of the cover and the inability of the concrete core to sustain increased loads after the cover is shed. Complementing the experiments, an analytical model based on the Mander model was developed to characterize the stress–strain behavior of unconfined and confined concrete, incorporating reinforcement ratios, spacing, and confinement effectiveness. The results indicate early spalling of the concrete cover as a limiting factor in the effectiveness of transverse confinement and emphasize the need for future investigations on columns with minimal or no cover to better understand the behavior of fully confined concrete cores.