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Pastimes : THE SLIGHTLY MODERATED BOXING RING
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To: E who wrote (15070)6/20/2002 2:33:24 PM
From: Lazarus_Long   of 21057
 
Has not this concept of incarceration struck you as rather odd? Lock 'em up in little cages? Why?

It used to be that if you committed a crime, you would locked in the stocks, whipped, or hung, depending on the severity. What wouldn't happen is that you would get a long vacation at the King's expense. Where did this come from?

In the 19th century, some religious groups formed the idea that if crooks were simply allowed to meditate on their deeds in isolation for long enough, they would see the errors of their ways and reform. (Hence "penitentiary" from "penitent".) Initially, all the prisoners were in what is now called isolation- -they were not allowed to speak to or see other people.

It has really worked great, hasn't it? Now prison is known as graduate school for criminals.

I remember a History Channel program on this topic. It quoted a prisoner saying, roughly "Who dreamed up this bizarre system? This is totally crazy. They must have been insane."

Speaking od insanity.
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