The Work of Michel Foucault in Contemporary Criminology Free Essay Example, 4000 words

Technology advancements include the use of CCTVs for surveillance by the state. Today people are trace by means of gathering data- companies of credit cards, telephone. Companies, companies of ISP, banks, social security vehicles and licenses have records that contain a lot of information of individuals. By using information technology, one can be able to obtain a good profile of someone quickly. Before the eighteenth century, public executions and corporal punishment were considered to be the main means of punishment and during criminal investigations the authorities employed torture to get criminals to talk. The act of punishment was considered to be a ceremony in which the involvement of the audience was very crucial. Public executions were believed to restore the authority and dominance held by the king. This tradition called for a social reform on how punishment was to be carried out. According to Foucault’s book (Discipline and Punish) those involved with the reforming process were not driven by the interest of ensuring the well being of the prisoners, instead their concern was to ensure that power functioned more efficiently. The reformers suggested a theater of punishment to be taken up, this involved representation of complex systems and signs to be put out for the public to witness. We will write a custom essay sample on The Work of Michel Foucault in Contemporary Criminology or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now The punishment was based on the crime that was committed, and this was used as a means of stopping law breaking. According to Foucault, the classical period is the genesis of most of the characteristics of the modern institution such as prisons and structures. He also considered the period to be the birth of control mechanism and human sciences. Human sciences mainly involve psychology, psychiatry criminology, medicine and sociology. Human sciences enable one to be able clearly to describe the behavior of humans based on norms (Hindess, 1986:19). Discipline as used in Foucault’s book, is a means of controlling the mobility and activities of the body in a fixed manner. Disciplinary is an example of power that enslaves the body by regulating and partitioning its movements and areas and the specific time in which it is able to move. Foucault traces the genesis of discipline from monasteries and armies. According to him, eighteenth century marked the concept of discipline. Discipline was changed to a means of controlling an entire population and became very popular. Contemporary prisons and also modern states widely used discipline as a means of controlling people. Disciplinary power was demonstrated by Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon.