Jeff Jacoby’s essay “Bring Back Flogging” made me truly think about the United States Justice System. Although I was originally appalled at his notion to bring back public whipping, I began to realize the fatal flaws our criminal system has. Although bringing back Puritan punishment may not be the best step for America, the path we are taking now with our criminals is not only wasting money but truly not helping anyone.
In colonial times, the Puritans needed some system to keep order in their community. This system obviously involved punishment, so as to set a precedent for inappropriate actions. The Puritans found that the best form of punishment was a public whipping for minor crimes. They also incorporated burnings into their punishment rituals. It was clear that it was the Puritans aim to make a spectacle out of the criminal to teach the town and the criminal a lesson. After the humiliation was over, the criminal was free to go but was shamed for the rest of their life.
200 years later, punishment has truly evolved. Now, it would never be appropriate to publicly whip or burn somebody. Yet, somehow our system finds it necessary to subject humans to months on years of prison sentences; during which, tax payers spend money supporting the heinous acts they continue in prison. These …show more content…
Unfortunately, no one could ever analyze the difference in results between these two forms. This is because punishment has not been the only aspect of community that has drastically changed in 200 years. No one can guess what the criminal rate would be if whipping and burning was still the main means of punishment. Would police abuse this power? Would criminals commit the same acts if it meant public pain and embarrassment? Would we do public killings for murderers? These questions and many more can truly never be answered because in the past 200 years there has been so much evolution in every
In colonial times, the Puritans needed some system to keep order in their community. This system obviously involved punishment, so as to set a precedent for inappropriate actions. The Puritans found that the best form of punishment was a public whipping for minor crimes. They also incorporated burnings into their punishment rituals. It was clear that it was the Puritans aim to make a spectacle out of the criminal to teach the town and the criminal a lesson. After the humiliation was over, the criminal was free to go but was shamed for the rest of their life.
200 years later, punishment has truly evolved. Now, it would never be appropriate to publicly whip or burn somebody. Yet, somehow our system finds it necessary to subject humans to months on years of prison sentences; during which, tax payers spend money supporting the heinous acts they continue in prison. These …show more content…
Unfortunately, no one could ever analyze the difference in results between these two forms. This is because punishment has not been the only aspect of community that has drastically changed in 200 years. No one can guess what the criminal rate would be if whipping and burning was still the main means of punishment. Would police abuse this power? Would criminals commit the same acts if it meant public pain and embarrassment? Would we do public killings for murderers? These questions and many more can truly never be answered because in the past 200 years there has been so much evolution in every