Comparing Foucault's Discipline And Punish

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Genevieve Decoteau
Professor Guili
12/12/14
Philosophy 73 - Final Paper Foucault's Discipline and Punish is mainly about the history of the modern prison system. It was analyzed to examine the power that effects punishment and how crimes are problematic. The reformation of punishment were not motivated by the concerns of the welfare of the prisoners. " Punishment, if I may so put it should strike the soul rather than the body", meaning punishment strikes the inner person and not the body. The power to punish is not essentially a difference from that of curing or educating the normalized discipline society. Foucault believed that prison being very closely linked with many of the structures of society was the soul of the prison body, meaning the soul is the key. The structure and the mechanism where prisoners are disciplined is …show more content…

The prison systems performs a critical function in modern society. David J Rothman states " The ultimate purpose of the prison, Foucault declares is to divide the outlaw from the proletariat, thereby reducing lower class solidarity and protest", meaning it separates the worst criminals from the least dangerous criminals. Criminals were made in prison! Everyone in prison are potentially a criminal everyone has the same characteristics but different judgements. Prison don't diminish crime rate, they increases it. Prison intends to give pain, to cure, to comfort , and to exercise a power of normalization for the