Flogging vs. Jail Time

Sara Tillman
June 8, 2007
Why is it that most people follow rules in life? The answer to this question is simple; with every wrong doing there is a consequences. In the 1600's the consequences was termed "flogging" as Jeff Jacoby tells in his essay "Bring Back Flogging". Jacoby tells about how flogging was used as a means of punishment in the 1600's versus our penal system today. With flogging the person breaking the law would be physically punished or publicly humiliated He asked, should our country bring back flogging as punishment instead of putting law breakers in jail. Jacoby makes many good points in his essay, but fails to go into detail about how harsh the jail system really is. American jails are filled with gangs that physically torture each other. Furthermore, some of the torture is not only physical, but it is also mental. Flogging would not be successful today because there are so many people in America that would turn around and sue the judicial system for their punishment. Flogging may have worked a couple hundred years ago, but times are very different now and this form of punishment would not be successful in America.
In Jacoby's essay he makes is seem like the jail system is basically a training camp for criminal to perfect their talents. Furthermore, we are paying for this training with our tax paying dollars. Jacoby makes a point, but these prisoners turn out this way because of all of the torture that they have endured will they are serving their prison time. Jails are filled with gangs that spend most of their time in jail fighting with other gangs. Jacoby's idea of flogging is a one time, harsh punishment, but in jail the punishment can last a life time. Prisoner can have years to think about their wrong doing, while the victims of flogging may be able move on with their lives since the are not confined following their persecution.
Not only do prisoners in jail receive physical abuse, they are also psychologically abused. Many prisoners live in constant fear of what is going to happen to them next. There is a fear that one may be beaten severely, rapped by other inmates, or even killed by the abuse. This like flogging is a form of torture that would make any person scared to return to jail.
In jail inmates receive some sort of torture whether or not it is physical or emotional, but this abuse is not by the prison guards or other members of the judicial system it is done by the prisoner's peers. The main reason that flogging would not work in today's society is that the judicial system would have to worry constantly about victims of flogging suing for physical or emotional damages. In Jacoby's article he states that the amount that we spend "is $30,000 per inmate per year" that they are in jail. If a person decided to sue from the damages of flogging they would very likely sue for millions versus thousands. So we would not only be putting criminal back into society, but they would also have money to live their corrupt life.
Jacoby's point that our penal is not perfect, but his idea of using flogging as a punishment system also has its downfalls. Putting criminals into jail give the inmates time to think about what they did, but also is a form of torture like flogging is. There is physical and psychological elements to deal with, but these inmates have no need to sue for damages from this torture because it was done by their peers. Furthermore, will theses prisoners are serving their time in jail they are off the streets and this means that the streets are safer.