My first impression after reading Foucault's essay is how interesting it is. I have been aware of the statistics of the return rate of prisoners. Everything Foucault says makes sense, although I think, at least in this essay, he left one portion out.
Foucault's statistics are from the 1800's a time of industrial revolution a time where knowledge is at the tip of accessibility. What Foucault doesn't mention were the techniques implemented in the times before. The method was simple: kill. For thousands and thousands of years men had been hung as punishment for a fair number of crimes. With what we know now, it seems to be quite a logical choice. I'm not saying i'm promoting the death penalty and especially not the way its executed (pardon the pun) in our legal system. I cannot help but point out the logic associated with it. People these days would never be able to keep out the ethos for the same illogical reasons abortion isn't widespread available.
Foucault made me realize how our system has been moving backwards and the worst part is that there is no sign of it changing. Even with all our new found knoweldge of our own brains we should know now that there is damage that is virtually un repairable. Even what is reparable would take more time than it's worth. At point will humanity begin to cut the cord and stop wasting its time on delinquents with no foreseeable future? Will humanity ever reach this point? Or will this be the reason humanity will cease to exist?
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