ipl-logo

Jeff Jacoby Bring Back Flogging Summary

974 Words4 Pages

Jacoby Convinces The Idea of Flogging What is appropriate punishment for bad behavior? Is it a positive reinforcement of good behavior? Does positive reinforcement prevent criminals from going any further with crime? Well, Jeff Jacoby the author of “ Bring Back Flogging”, wrote an article persuading a skeptical reader about why we should bring back the puritan style of flogging. Jacoby believes flogging is far more effective than incarceration because the cost is less, it teaches a lesson and it will prevent more prisoners. Also the author gives the reader some examples of puritan style of punishment that was very popular about 150 years ago, then he proceeds to give the reader some facts and statistics about incarceration and supports …show more content…

Jacoby supports his thesis by giving the reader various reasons such as: The criminal justice system imprisons us for everything serious or not serious. If they flog us it they will prevent more prisoners in prison, in our prisons,prisoners are released early and continue to make crimes, it’s more costly to keep the prisoners in cages, prisoners learn to be better prisoners from other inmates and prisons are full and overcrowded. The evidence that Jacoby uses to support his reasons is by using facts, statistics and logical examples. For example, when Jacoby states that, “Imprisonment has become our penalty of choice for almost every offense in the criminal code.” He uses this as factual example reinforces it with another logical example like, “ Commit murder; go to prison. Sell cocaine; go to prison. Kite checks; go to prison. It is an all-purpose punishment, suitable -- or so it would seem -- for crimes violent and nonviolent,” Jacoby does this for every point he makes to persuade a skeptical reader to reconsider the punishment of flogging. Jacoby also uses statistics to prove that flogging is quicker, better and cheaper than incarceration. For example, Jacoby states that, “the price of keeping criminals in cages is appalling -- a common estimate is $30,000 per inmate per year.” Also, Jacoby implies that prisoners actually come out to be better criminals but if the american justice system uses the good ol fashion of flogging fewer of them will become life long felons because they would be embarrassed and hurt and is much more cheaper than paying 30,000 to keep prisoners in cages and giving them a place to stay with three meals a day. Jacoby uses

Open Document