Discipline, Docility and Disparity: A Study of Inequality and Corporal Punishment

International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justi

2012

The minority threat hypothesis contends that growth in the size of a given minority population along with the ensuing competition for social and political resources will threaten existing social power arrangements. Regarding punishment specifically, the hypothesis states that dominant groups will support coercive measures to keep minority populations sufficiently oppressed. Using the minority threat hypothesis as our theoretical foundation, we posit that the more heterogeneous a population, the more social control will be necessary to maintain societal equilibrium for those in power. In effect a more personal, physical, and visceral response to criminal behavior will be deemed necessary in countries with high levels of fractionalization. This more focused form of social discipline will manifest as corporal punishment. Comparing modalities of punishment against varying population characteristics, we find that countries with higher levels of ethnic, linguistic, and religious fractionalization are more likely to employ corporal punishment against criminal offenders.

Section: Measures Of Disparity Development and Despotismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Corporal Punishmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Measures Of Disparity Development and Despotismmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The discipline of difference: Ethnolinguistic heterogeneity and corporal punishment

Pate

International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justi

2012

“…In an oft-cited quote, Foucault (1977, p. 82) states punishment reform was prompted largely by a desire ''not to punish less, but to punish better; to punish with an attenuated severity perhaps, but in order to punish with more universality and necessity; to insert the power to punish more deeply into the social body.'' Extending this line of thought, it is reasonable to assume as Gould and Pate (2010) do, governments may select particular modalities of punishment to fit their power needs. Gould and Pate (2010) also implicitly take up another Foucauldian idea, namely, that these ''particular modalities'' exist as a ''technology'' of control.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Extending this line of thought, it is reasonable to assume as Gould and Pate (2010) do, governments may select particular modalities of punishment to fit their power needs. Gould and Pate (2010) also implicitly take up another Foucauldian idea, namely, that these ''particular modalities'' exist as a ''technology'' of control. As Foucault states, '''Discipline' may be identified neither with an institution nor with an apparatus; it is a type of power, a modality for its exercise, comprising a whole set of instruments, techniques, procedures, levels of application, targets; it is a 'physics' or an 'anatomy' of power, a 'technology ''' (1977, p. 215).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Penality, Power, and Polity

International Criminal Justice Review

Pate

2011

Worldwide, the punishment of law violators takes many forms, with some countries relying heavily on incarceration and others favoring a mix of punishments including incarceration, corporal punishment, and the death penalty. Determining why a nation chooses to implement one sanction over another requires an examination of political factors. While some notable research has examined the correlations between incarceration rates, death penalty retention, and various measures of political power and repression, the influence of political factors on punishment needs a fuller explication. Specifically, the use of corporal punishment as a criminal sanction has not been fully examined within the political repression and punishment literature. To address this gap, authors employ a cross-national comparative approach to examine how repressive governments and failing regimes influence the use of corporal punishment by the formal justice system. Findings reveal that more repressive and failing regimes are more likely to use corporal punishment, compared to freer and more sustainable nations.

Exploring the Relationship Between Gender Violence and State Failure

Agnich

2016

Violence Against Women

The concept of state failure has only recently emerged in the political science and legal literature. Although state failure has been used to predict violent conflicts, and all citizens are affected by violence in failed/fragile states, women are especially at risk. Using data from the WomanStats project, this study's findings reveal that the physical security of women is lower in failed/fragile states compared with more sustainable nations. The characteristics of failed states that increase the likelihood of various forms of violence against women are identified, including high levels of militarization, countries with neighboring states at war, and massive movement of refugees.