PUNISHMENT AND DISCIPLINE

Punishment and Discipline

Introduction

Outstanding figure of thought of the twentieth century, Michael Foucault stands out as a new figure of the intellectual, touching on many subjects. Foucault was deeply humanist, champion of human rights and general theories of human nature

His work appears in several parts. The first part is a literary experience that presents itself as an "archeology" of the humanities. Then the 1970s marked a turning point for Foucault in his work since he then intended to review all arrangements put in place by the power grid pattern to the social order. He wanted to describe how the truth of these institutions was "produced" by the rituals of power.

In his writings Foucault has expressed harsh criticism against law enforcement agencies for blindly believing in informants who might have personal vendettas and distort facts to implicate certain communities (Foucault 2005 85). His views about prosecutors spark much heated debate. Quite ironically the prosecutors never fulfill their aim of curing the society of all the vices. They, infect worsen the situation by magnifying the problem after mass incarceration. For him the justice system is entirely flawed, and it fails to function properly as a tool for reformation. In Foucault's opinion, the society should keep itself informed of the injustices and the flawed system.

According to him, the greatest threat to the country is not external terrorism, but the downright mistreatment and deliberate incarceration of the population. This leads to disruption in entire families and those who are wrongly convicted are turned into hardened criminals.

Discussion

In the 1970s, the prison was an institution in crisis. Some also required the immediate closure of the prison. Yet in 1975, the field was virtually deserted by professional historians. "Discipline and Punish" helped to make a lasting debate and highlighted struggles around the prisons in France. In parallel, it developed the work of the IPTF, Information Group on Prisons in which Michel Foucault participated. It is to be noted that the death penalty, capital punishment still exists. 

In his book Discipline and Punish, he suggests that penalty for the crime is a phenomenon that was actually established during the Nineteenth century. Whereas before the prison only held prisoners awaiting a real penalty, torture, execution or banishment. The prisoners were detained in the same space with their belongings and had to pay for food. (Gutting 2009 12).

Michel Foucault quotes the great confinement or the Ship of Fools as special examples of deprivation of liberty prior to modern times. Unlike the prison, which establishes a penalty to fit the crime, this was where the phenomena of exclusion were exercised on deviant populations (offenders, crazy, sick, orphans, vagrants, prostitutes, etc.)

The emergence of the prison was made with detention of offender and his subsequent treatment. Public executions were held at discreet places and withdrawn completely from the view of the crowd. It was thought that the barbaric torture given in those times must be replaced with something else. (Han 2002 52).

The notion of power is central to Foucault's ...