BOOKMARK2
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
  • Circulation
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
Organiser
  • ‌
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Defence
  • Sports
  • Business
  • More
    • RSS in News
    • Special Report
    • Culture
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • Education
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Obituary
SUBSCRIBE
No Result
View All Result
Organiser
  • ‌
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Defence
  • Sports
  • Business
  • More
    • RSS in News
    • Special Report
    • Culture
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • Education
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Obituary
No Result
View All Result
Organiser
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Culture
  • Defence
  • RSS in News
  • Subscribe
Home General

BOOKMARK2

Archive Manager by Archive Manager
Sep 29, 2011, 12:00 am IST
in General
Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement chairman Sohail Abro

Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement chairman Sohail Abro

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterTelegramEmail

A western Shariah?

Is whiplash better than prison life?

 In Defense of Flogging, Peter Moskos, Basic Books,  Pp 192 (PB),  $ 20

 By Dr Vaidehi Nathan

 Spare the rod and spoil the child is the old saying. Peter Moskos now says ‘Spare the whip and spoil the criminal jurisprudence’. Strongly advocating the introduction of flogging as a punishment to most criminal offences in his highly provocative book In Defense of Flogging, Moskos says,  “There are 2.3 million Americans in prison. That is too many. I want to reduce cruelty, and flogging may be the answer. My opening gambit is simple: Given the choice between five years in prison and ten brutal lashes, which would you choose?”

Peter Moskos shocks, initially. But as one reads on, we can see the logic and tend to agree with the reasoning. He says taking away a large portion of somebody’s life is cruelty. It is generally believed that the prison sentence reforms the person, while statistics shows that a huge percentage of jail mates are repeat offenders. “America now has more prisoners than any other country in the world. Ever. In numbers and percentage. Our rate of incarceration is roughly seven times that of Canada or any West European country… Think about it: We have more prisoners than China, and they have a billion more people than we do.” Moskos points out that, prisons are maintained on tax payers’ money, which could actually spent better on welfare addressing causes of crime.

On a humorous note he discusses how the crime cycle works. “An arrest in the war on drugs usually creates a job opening. Arrest thousands of drug dealers (and pay millions of dollars for their incarceration) and other needy or greedy people will take their place. Nothing will change.” The white- collar criminals should not be kept in prison, he says, citing the example of Bernard Madoff, who is convicted for running the Ponzi scheme. “He is no threat to society. Nobody would give him a penny to invest. But Madoff did wrong and deserves to be punished. Better cane him and let him go.”

The denial of political rights to prisoners also leads to skewed election results, he says. In Anamosa, Iowa, a person called Danny Young was elected to City Council to represent 1400 people, of whom just 58 were not prisoners! Moskos agrees that there are certain categories of criminals who need to be imprisoned, like pedophiles, psychopathic killers and terrorists. But the huge number of prisoners, he says, speaks of a deeper malaise, which the nation is not confronting. “..if we’re not willing to invest in education, rehabilitation, mental care, infrastructure, job creation, or troubled neighbourhoods, then we have no choice: It’s time to short-circuit the entire criminal justice system by bringing back the lash.”

Moskos is emphatic that flogging is not a slippery step towards amputation, public stoning, or Sharia law. The book he says is aimed at provoking a discussion on the subject, to shatter the status quo. He understands the unease one feels about the ‘brutality’ of the punishment, which he says could be a deterrent in itself. Considering most ancient systems of justice practiced caning, whipping, flogging, the thought of it as an effective disincentive for crimes and repeated offences should not be brushed off. Peter Moskos is assistant professor of Law, Police Science, and Criminal Justice Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a former police officer. Moskos has achieved his goal and has indeed provoked a re-think on flogging.

(Basic Books, 387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016)

ShareTweetSendShareSend
Previous News

TogadiaSpeak

Next News

SPECIAL REPORT

Related News

Failure to understand ‘actual’ Pak designs led to ineffective war against terror

Political distress in Pakistan, a boon for terrorists

Goafest 2022 Celebrating ‘Superpower Within’

Goafest 2022 Celebrating ‘Superpower Within’

China forces Tibetan parents to learn Mandarin

Chinese authorities detain 170 Tibetans for opposing grazing land confiscation orders

Thirty-four ‘from outside J&K’ buy properties in new Union Territory

J-K: Not only humans, Pak sponsored terror didn’t spare even nature

Taliban hijab decision might further strain engagement with the international community: UN

Afghanistan: UN female staff ‘directed’ to wear hijab at the office in Taliban’s newest decree

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expresses grief over wall collapse tragedy in Gujarat, announces compensation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expresses grief over wall collapse tragedy in Gujarat, announces compensation

Comments

The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Organiser. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.

Latest News

Failure to understand ‘actual’ Pak designs led to ineffective war against terror

Political distress in Pakistan, a boon for terrorists

Goafest 2022 Celebrating ‘Superpower Within’

Goafest 2022 Celebrating ‘Superpower Within’

China forces Tibetan parents to learn Mandarin

Chinese authorities detain 170 Tibetans for opposing grazing land confiscation orders

Thirty-four ‘from outside J&K’ buy properties in new Union Territory

J-K: Not only humans, Pak sponsored terror didn’t spare even nature

Taliban hijab decision might further strain engagement with the international community: UN

Afghanistan: UN female staff ‘directed’ to wear hijab at the office in Taliban’s newest decree

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expresses grief over wall collapse tragedy in Gujarat, announces compensation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expresses grief over wall collapse tragedy in Gujarat, announces compensation

Gyanvapi structure row: KVT trust chairman demands handover of Shivling to Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Gyanvapi structure row: KVT trust chairman demands handover of Shivling to Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Gujarat AIMIM leader Danish Qureshi arrested for disrespecting  Hindu Gods

Gujarat AIMIM leader Danish Qureshi arrested for disrespecting Hindu Gods

Union Minister Amit Shah to inaugurate the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav conference in Delhi tomorrow

From ‘Swaraj to New India’; Amit Shah to address an international seminar at DU tomorrow

Union Minister launches National Emergency Life Support courses

Union Minister launches National Emergency Life Support courses

  • Circulation
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Defence
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Business
  • RSS in News
  • Special Report
  • Sci & Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Education
  • Books
  • Interviews
  • Travel
  • Health
  • Obituary
  • Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Circulation
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies