Why is it that crime falls,

yet we imprison more

people than ever?
Independent headline - 7.02.16

We use direct punishment (imprisonment) of

offenders for two reasons:

1. Retribution
2. Crime reduction

Retribution
- Eye for an eye. Getting payback.
- Looks at punishing the crimes that have already been
committed rather than reducing any further crimes
- Reactive not proactive
- Expressive form of control. Takes the view that
somebody should be punished for breaking the norms.

Crime reduction
Deterrence
- punishing an individual so that they do not commit a
further crime
- It makes an example of them for breaking society's
norms which then serves as a deterrent to other
citizens.
- Right realists believe that prison works because it
deters potential criminals from committing the crime

Margaret Thatchers short sharp shock

regime
1. What is the purpose of the regime?
2. What actually was it?
3. Do you think it had the desired effect on the
trainees?
4. Can you think of any other examples of this type of
social control?

Crime reduction
Rehabilitation
- Punishment can be used to reform or rehabilitate
prisoners. This could include providing an education or
some training for inmates so that they can earn an
honest living when they are released.
- Official statistics show that 52% of male offenders
and 72% of female offenders have no qualifications
whatsoever.

Incapacitation
Doing anything that stops the offender from committing
another crime. This ranges from prisons to beheadings to
public executions.
An example is Americas 3 strikes and youre out rule - on
the third minor criminal offence you stay in prison.
Makes it seem like prison works because it just removes
the offenders from society.

What does Durkheim

believe about punishment?

Boundary maintenance and social solidarity

- Punishment expresses society's disgust at that
person's act.
- Through public punishment, society feels closer
together and a sense of community right and wrong
Durkheim sees two types of justice...

Retributive Justice
In traditional societies, most people are similar and follow
the same consensus. When people offend, they stand out
and the justice from society is usually brutal and as a
form of expression.
Eg. Stoning, public hangings, chopping off hands etc.

Restitutive Justice
In modern societies, people do not often talk to their
neighbours. Because of this, we cohabit on trust within a
community. When somebody breaks the trust they have to
be punished in a way that brings back the trust to restore
society to how it was before the offence.

Why is it that crime falls,

yet we imprison more
people than ever?
PEEEL paragraph using todays lesson notes.

What does Marxism

believe about punishment?
What is the purpose of it?

Society is divided into two classes. Punishment

is used as a form of social control over the
lower classes. It helps the repressive state
apparatus.

E.P. Thompson 1997

Punishments in the 18th century (hanging or being sent to
a colonie) for theft or hunting was an act of power over
the ruling class.

Melossi and Pavarini (1981)

Society is one big prison. We are all imprisoned in our own
world either in a workplace or in an actual prison.

Depending on the type of society, depends on

the type of punishment that is used.
Modern capitalist
countries

Undeveloped poor
countries

Imprisonment is most
common because of the
exploitation of wage labour.

You cant give fines as the

economy doesnt support this
type of punishment.

Offences by the upper class

are mostly ignored

Prisons become a dumping

ground for the middle class

Think of at least three criticisms of

the Marxist view.
One criticism must be from the
functionalist perspective

Foucault - The birth of the Prison

Foucault describes two types of power:
Sovereign - before 19th century when the Royal Family was in power.
Punishment was the means of asserting control over the body. Punishment
was a public thing - executions.

Disciplinary - after the 19th century. Punishment became control of the

mind, body and soul. This is mainly done through surveillance.

Discipline - Panopticon
A type of prison where
all of the cells are
visible to one single
prison guard point but
the guards cannot be
seen by the prisoners.
https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=uMTGFVtOEyo

The ideal of a penal imprisonment is criticized by many reformers because

1. it is incapable of corresponding to the specificity of crimes
2. it has no effect on the public
3. It is useless, even harmful to society: it is costly. it maintains convicts in idleness, it multiplies their vices.
4. the execution of this penalty (imprisonment) is difficult to supervise
5. There is a risk of exposing prisoners to the uncontrolled power of the guards
6. The job (prison guard) is an exercise of tyranny (dictatorship)