Discipline and Punish: An Introduction

In an attempt to determine how power relations influence punishment, Michel Foucault traces the history of the modern penal system. In his Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, Foucault rejects the idea that prison reforms were motivated by the need to introduce more humanitarian approaches to the penal system. Instead, he argues that the changes in the penal system that shifted focus from body to mind were “not to punish less, but to punish better” (Foucault, 1977). With more knowledge of the human sciences and specifically the mind/psychology, the ability to control and discipline individuals increased. By tracing the shift from the pre-modern to the modern penal system, and identifying the “gentler” way of punishment as a better mechanism for deviant control, it can be suggested that the current penal system does not in fact work for a progressive society.

References:

Foucault , M. (1977) Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. New York: Vintage Books.

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